The final grand slam of the tennis season is upon us – and the US Open might be the most enthralling of the year.
After an altered schedule due to the Olympics, which meant many of the world’s top stars made the switch back to clay following the grass court season, players arrive in New York after one of the most grueling seasons in history.
Women’s world has already spoken about how “demanding” the tour has been this year, while 18-time grand slam champion Chris Evert told CNN that it was “a really challenging year for everybody.”
“I think that’s why you’ve seen some meltdowns on the court, the emotions are flying high,” she told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.
“They’re a little cranky these top players because they’ve had a full year, they’ve played more tournaments than ever, plus they played the Olympics, which was just awesome [and] very emotional. It took a lot out of them.
“It’s the end of the year and I think it’s open on both sides. It’s about as open as I’ve ever seen it and everyone’s a little tired and it’s really going to be the one that finds that energy and finds that motivation at the last part of this year to pull out their best tennis these next two weeks.”