
It is a line-up that nobody expected, but a quartet of players in the men’s draw at the US Open are determined to prove that there is more to the tournament than Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
In a draw hit with a series of high profile withdrawals and shock exits, four men will be bidding for a chance to reach their maiden US Open semifinal on Tuesday. Each one having their own story worthy of headline news.
In 2015 Kevin Anderson was on his way up in the world. At Flushing Meadows he became the first South African man to reach the last eight since 1992. The run elevated him to a ranking best of tenth in the world before disaster occurred. Last year ankle, shoulder and knee problems stalled his offensive on the tour. The problems continued into this year when he withdrew from the Australian Open. The woes are now behind him as the South African begins to accept that aches and pain is an inevitability.
“I feel like I’m playing really good tennis. My body’s healthy. It was a pretty tough loss at the beginning of this year with a few injuries.” 28th-seeded Anderson said earlier in the week.
“Obviously (there are) a few aches and pains, but every tennis player has that. I’m glad to accept that. It’s the injuries where you’re unable to practice and play the kind of way that you want to.”
Playing in the section of a draw without the usual suspects, the 31-year-old admits that he is in unfamiliar territory. Two of this year’s quarter-finals matches will be contested by players seeded outside the top 10. Out of those players, Anderson is the only one who had previously reached the last eight in New York.
“Obviously it’s been a very different tournament. Our sport’s been dominated by such a select group of people for so long, it feels a little bit different.” He admitted.
“I think most sports are like this, where you do have multiple people contending. You’ve had some of the greatest players of all time playing in our time.”
Standing in the way of the South African will be the last American standing, Sam Querrey. Once tipped to be a star of the future, he has made steady progress on the tour. Winning a total of ten ATP titles, including two this season. It wasn’t until the summer when the 29-year-old secured his grand slam breakthrough. A triumph over Andy Murray moved him into the last four of Wimbledon, becoming the first American man to do so since 2009.
“I wouldn’t consider myself a late-bloomer. I’ve been decent for 10 years.” Said Querrey. “I’m hoping I can kind of continue having more years like this into my 30s.”
Querrey’s journey in tennis hasn’t always been so smooth. In 2009 he fell through a glass table and almost seriously damaged a nerve in his arm. An outcome that could have been career ending. Still, he managed to stay on the positive side. Later that year he went to a Halloween party as a ‘shark attack victim.’
Tasked with trying to delight the home crowd in New York, Querrey has vowed to stay in the moment. 11 years have past since a home player has reached the final of the tournament.
“I never once thought about that this whole tournament or that match out there tonight. I don’t feel any extra pressure.”
Schwartzman’s inspiration
Diego Schwartzman had previously never reached the second week of a major tournament. That all changed in New York when he stunned Lucas Pouille in the fourth round. Within the past two months he has scored his first top 10 wins over Dominic Thiem (Montreal) and Marin Cilic (US Open).
Schwartzman’s unlikely journey into the last eight is one that inspires others on the tour. At 5’7” he is the shortest quarter-finalist since Jaime Yzaga in 1994. A fact that the world No.33 is proud of.
“It’s not just for the big guys here,” Schwartzman said. “The big guys have a little bit of advantage to play tennis because they can serve better, they can do a lot of things better. If you are small, you just need to be focused in many things.
“It’s not easy, but I am here.”
The Argentine will take on rival and friend Pablo Carreno Busta. A player who has the ability to compete at the highest level on a hard-court. Since 2016, the Spaniard has won two ATP titles on the surface as well as reaching the final at this year’s Indian Wells Masters.
“We are similar. We try to be solid in the baseline, play every point, be focus on every point, try to run a lot on the court.” Schwartzman commented about his Spanish rival.
“I think it’s going to be a tough match for both. We need to be in our 100% to can play our best tennis.”
In the absence of the big names, the underdogs still have the ability to thrill and delight the crowd on the Arthur Ashe stadium. The draw outcome may not be what people would have expected, but interest surrounding the quartet is gathering.
“I think it is anecdotic (exciting). All the players in this part of the draw are very, very good players.” Carreno Busta Summarised.
The usual suspects are out of action, but their replacements are by no means a poor substitute.