COLUMNIST: Who will win COVID-19 US Open?

By Tony Afejuku

Tennis historians will most likely call this year’s US Open tennis tournament the COVID-19 tournament – in the near or remote future.

This is my opinion which would be rash to call a mere speculation.

Whoever wins the tournament in the respective female and male categories is not likely to arouse in us all sorts of emotions which have something germane with the tantalizing sport.

One reason that will certainly stimulate this reasoning and sensibility relates to the depletion of top participants and contestants in the male category especially on account of the dreaded disease the global pandemic that has frightened many artists of the sport from coming to New York City, the home of Flushing Meadows which is the true home of the US Open arguably the most lucrative of the four grand slams: Australian Open of Melbourne, French Open of Paris in France and Wimbledon of London, England are the other three which have different meanings and feelings for different tennis players, observers and critics.

The US Open and Australian Open are hard court events. The French Open and Wimbledon are respectively clay and grass tourneys.

It is significant to say this and to go to the distance that I have so far gone in the interest of new comers to the sport and fresh readers and followers of this column.

Rafael Nadal, the winner of 19 grand slams, who is the defending men’s champion, has a long time ago ruled himself out of Flushing Meadows which is already ongoing since Monday, September 2, 2020.

Roger Federer, who leads the pack as the winner of 20 grand slams and the owner of most wins (five) at Flushing Meadows is also absent.

Both top players officially attribute their being kept away from New York to COVID-19, although Federer has had a long pre-COVID-19 illness.

In the absence of the two grand slams leading players, Novak Djokovic will command the pack in the COVID-19 U.S Open.

He is the current number one tennis player in the world; and has two or so US Open victories. If he wins in New York this year, he will be getting his 18th grand slam title. But will he? Djokovic has just won last Saturday the Cincinnati 1000 masters tournament otherwise called the Western and Southern Open.

This event has its home in the Lindner Family Tennis Centre in the city of Cincinnati, western Ohio.

But this year due to COVID-19 it was moved to New York that has considerably flattened its COVID-19 curve.

This news of the flattened curve of the disease in New York, which COVID-19 was for a long time the epicenter of the pandemic in the US, did not move other big players like the Australian Nick Kyrgios, for instance, apart from the already mentioned Nadal and Federer.

But the good news is that the Briton, Andy Murray, who was once among the top four players in the high bracket of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, is in New York after being crippled, for a pretty long time, by a very deleterious waist ailment.

It was indeed a hard long wait for the ailing Andy Murray – even after the procedure that has greatly helped him to be fully competitive again.

We hope that he will suffer or experience no hiccup in New York. Clearly, his return is good for the sport.

Dominic Theim, the young Austrian and seeded Number two in Flushing Meadows to Djokovic in the absence of the big men, is expected to be a strong COVID-19 US Open contender.

So also is the Russian Daniil Medvedev, who like Theim, in the not too distant past had given Novak Djokovic a really and badly tough time in tennis courts. Will Djokovic survive their onslaughts?

There is also the Greek young player, Stefanos Tsitsipas, the youngest player ranked in the top ten by the ATP. Not long ago he was ranked the Number 5 player in the world.

He is waiting to make Greek tennis-history in New York barring the unforeseen.

There is also Denis Shapovalov of Canada. In November 4 last year, he took over the mantle from Raonic Milos as Canada’s Number one player.

Like Nadal, he is a tough leftie, but can he spring surprises in New York this year? And the highly tough Bautista Agut of Spain, how will he fare?

Djokovic is always wary of him. Will he overcome the odds in New York and dismantle his opponents including Novak?

Can he fly well and high the Spanish flag in New York, the city that never sleeps but which COVID-19 is compelling to go to bed early, something strangely strange to the Big Apple city?

Now, it should be clear that the odds favour – or may favour – Novak Djokovic. Throughout this year he has played at least 21 matches, all of which he has won. In the absence of Nadal especially, his confidence will soar and soar especially as this year’s tournament will be played as an indoor event – if I am not mistaking.

And indoor games are Djokovic’s; they are owned by this big man. Unless the gods of tennis go against him he may clinch COVID-19 US Open.

But anything can and will happen. And many tennis observers and critics there are who regard Djokovic the Serbian as one big cheat of tennis.

Is this allegation true or false? This is a subject for another day.

And among the women, will Serena Williams rise to the occasion and equal the Australian Margaret Harcourt in Flushing Meadows?

I won’t answer the question. Certainly, her very best days seem to have let go of her. But we will see what we will see. Should I ride on?

Well, well, the young and little women, known or unknown, are out for the ageing tennis immaculate American champion of champions.

But we will see what we will see, I say this again.