The 2021 US Open was historical from many points of view, starting with the full-capacity crowd coming back to Flushing Meadows. On court, we witnessed Djokovic’s bid for a Calendar Year Grand Slam fall short against Daniil Medvedev in the final, while Emma Raducanu took the tennis world by storm, winning as a qualifier and without dropping a set. These were just some of the topics of the tournament recap by Hall-of-Famer Steve Flink and Ubitennis CEO Ubaldo Scanagatta. Here’s their chat:
00:00 – Emma Raducanu’s historical feat: “She had an easier draw than Fernandez, who had to defeat many great players, but she was very impressive nonetheless!”
06:18 – Barty and Osaka’s premature exits: “Hadn’t she lost to Rogers, Barty would have won the whole thing…”
09:35 – Was Fernandez too tired during the final?
20:17 – The Canadian defeated Aryna Sabalenka, who once again missed out on a big chance: “She seems to have a split personality…”
25:24 – The men’s final – how distant was Djokovic from his best form?
28:59 – “Djokovic is the best at handling the pressure, I don’t think that was the main reason behind his defeat…”
35:05 – Was the crowd actually on Nole’s side or did they just want to witness history being made?
39:16 – What was the secret behind Medvedev’s winning tactics?
41:50 – Djokovic fell short of the Grand Slam in a similar way to Serena Williams – how similar are their performances?
50:16 – Rod Laver’s prediction for the final…
52:25 – Who is the best claycourt player, Djokovic or Federer?
55:05 – Carlos Alcaraz won over the hearts of the crowd – how quickly will he reach the Top 10?
56:29 – Is Zverev on the right track to win a Major? What about Berrettini and Sinner?
62:48 – The Canadians: who will have a better career between Shapovalov and Auger-Aliassime?
Transcript by Giuseppe Di Paola; translated and edited by Tommaso Villa
