Bill Simons
New York
THE BUZZ – CARLOS BLAMES IT ON HIS BROTHER: When you think of Carlos Alcaraz, you think youth, athleticism, smiles and variety. And no one in recent memory has given us as much variety in their hair stylings than Carlos. Monday night, tennis took a double-take when Alcaraz shocked us with a no-holds-barred buzz cut.
He later explained, “My brother [Alvaro] misunderstood with the machine he cut it with and the only way to fix it is to shave it off. It’s not that good, it’s not that bad, I guess. I’m the guy who thinks like, ‘OK hair grows’ and in a few days it’s going to be okay.”
LEST WE FORGET: Last night Venus told us, “My goal is to do what I want to do.” BTW, Williams will be playing doubles with Leylah Fernandez.
A SHORT AND SWEET HISTORY OF SWEETHEARTS: Chris Evert was called “America’s Sweetheart,” but everyone knew she was a fierce competitor. As 15-year-old Monica Seles came on court for the 1989 French Open quarterfinals, she threw flowers to the crowd. Four years later, she would be stabbed in the back. Kim Clijsters, who now is the co-president of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, may have been the sweetest superstar of all time. She said she played pro tennis in order to make friends. More recently, loveable Ons Jabeur was called tennis’ Minister of Happiness. Now she’s dealing with mental health issues.
Still, in tennis, there has never been a veteran who has beamed, smiled and seemed so carefree as the No. 8 Jasmine Paolini.
The 2024 French and Wimbledon finalist told Inside Tennis that life was not always jolly, “but even in bad times I’d be true to myself and understand that I’m a privileged person. I’m lucky to do all of this. I love my job. It’s amazing to be in this position. I just try to remind myself there is nothing to complain about. I’m lucky and I’m just relaxed, I’m happy.”
THE DAY THEY PUT ASHE STADIUM ON MUTE: The great thing about the three-day Laver Cup is that at every session you’re assured to see top players in at least fairly compelling matches. But at a regular tournament, even though you’re buying an expensive ticket, it can be a crap shoot. You never really know what kind of entertainment value you’ll get.
This summer, there wasn’t anything better than the Alcaraz–Sinner French Open final. It was the best clay court match in history and one of tennis’ top four matches ever.
But you have to pity the fans who paid good money to see the US Open’s afternoon session at Ashe Stadium.
Yes, Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner are incredible athletes and ball strikers, and they have been dominant. But neither are expressive, charismatic stars who easily touch our souls. Plus, early in tourneys, they can ruthlessly flick away lesser opponents – smash, splash and dispatch. Today, in just an hour, Iga dismissed a Colombian player, Emiliana Arango, 6-1, 6-2, who we’ll remember for her curious look: she has a ponytail and wears a baseball cap backwards.
Today Sinner did nothing backwards as he methodically downed Czechian Vit Kopriva, the world number 80, in just 1:38. We saw much efficiency, but little drama. Ashe Stadium had been put on mute. John McEnroe noted, “When you silence a crowd this big, you know you’re doing something really wrong or right. Vit’s looking for the exit right now.”
HERE’S A NICE LITTLE LIFE LESSON FROM DOWN UNDER: Aussie Alex de Minaur said, “My ultimate career goal is to get the most out of myself with no regrets, doing all in my power, with no ifs or buts – but also finding balance in life and not being too hard on myself.”
AIN’T THAT THE TRUTH? After starring in a soccer game in San Francisco in front of 40,000 fans, Trinity Rodman caught the redeye to come see her boyfriend Ben Shelton play his first-round match at noon on Sunday. All this prompted one observant writer to tell Shelton, “She must really like you.”
QUOTES OF THE DAY: “In my mind, no one hits the center of the strings better than Jannik Sinner.” – John Isner
“If Djokovic doesn’t win the Open this year, he’ll try one more year. That’s my belief.” – John McEnroe
“New York or Nowhere” – a T-shirt at the US Open
PISSED OFF AT WAR: When Russian ex-pat Daria Kasatkina was asked if she was pissed off that the Ukrainian war goes on and on, she said, “Yes, very much. All the wars piss me off. I wish all the wars would stop. Unfortunately my wish doesn’t matter.”
NOT EXACTLY A SHOCK: It’s said that Roger Federer is now a billionaire.
GLADIATORS AT THE OPERA: Journalist Matt Futterman compared tennis players to gladiators and a good tennis match to an opera. He said, “Seeing them try to survive and thrive in that environment, under incredibly stressful circumstances, is quite a drama to watch. You get to see a lot of the human condition when you’re covering tennis.”
ON TRASH TV: Early at Wimbledon, writers from the London tabloids descend to launch gotcha questions. Early on at the US Open, lifestyle reporters flood the zone, seeking hot takes on popular culture. So, during media days, we heard a range of profound reflections on deep issues. When asked about any shows or books she was into, Coco Gauff shared: “‘Weapons’ were pretty good. I love the ‘Fourth Wing’ series. ‘Love Island’ is really the only reality show I’ve gotten into. I tried ‘Temptation Island,’ but I was like, ‘This is just dumb. Who goes on the show with your boyfriend?’ That was just stupid.
“Then, I have been really bad with the books. But I’m into ‘Anime,’ the usual…‘Love Island’ took up my whole summer, quite literally. I’m trying to work up the courage to invite one or two of the cast members to a match. But I don’t have the courage.”
Madison Keys was asked, “Have you seen any clips or trailers from the upcoming season of ‘Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’ and have you been binge watching lately?” Keys responded, “I’m very excited that Salt Lake Housewives are coming back…I just binged [the supernatural mystery comedy] Wednesday. I watched it in a day…I’m a huge ‘Salt Lake Housewives’ fan. Also ‘Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.’ See, you guys get me. Basically, all trash reality TV, I’m set.”
Amanda Anisimova said she took in “The Hunting Wives” and “The Hunting Party.”
SENSATIONAL SINNER: When reflecting on Jannik Sinner’s baseline speed, John McEnroe said, “He’s taking what Novak Djokovic did getting in and out of corners and taking it to a whole new level.”
COMPARATIVE COMMENTARIES: Our upbeat media driver today told us, “Today is the best day of my life – until tomorrow.” Our favorite commentary from a New York driver came when a snarky cabby informed us that his favorite player was “Mark Phili-poop-is.”
– Also reporting: Lucia Hoffman
