If you had asked me to predict one month ago what I'd be doing today, I would have told you that I'd packing for my trip to New York this coming weekend, ready to return to my country's Slam in the best city in the world. (I would have been very excited, thus the excess. But I'm not wrong.)
If you'd asked me a week later, as COVID cases spiked in Florida while the U.S. Open was announcing plans for a full house -- without proof of vaccination to enter the grounds -- well, it became clear that I was probably not going to make that return trip. And I didn't. And I'm bummed about it. It didn't feel worth the risk, and even now, knowing they reversed course on the vaccination proof, it still feels dicey. I hope it works out for everyone, including my buddy Lewis, who's covering the event this year, and was at the ready to secure tickets for me. Like I said last year, Lewis, maybe next year.
Anyway, dammit. Let's take a look at these draws:
Women
*: denotes "Wow, this is a first-round match?"
?: denotes "Oh, so did you see where ...?
This women's first-round draw almost certainly means I'm going to be very sick today and tomorrow and unable to report to work. It turns out I'll only have energy to grip my remote and switch between matches. *cough*
Among the highlights: Danielle Collins v. Carla Suarez Navarro, a battle of two players coming back from medical challenges, although Collins definitely has the edge. But could be an emotional one.
Simona Halep v. Camille Giorgi: You know, a nice, easy match to start for Halep.
Madison Keys v. Sloane Stephens: This is a first-round match. Yes, the same two who played in the final just a few years ago. OK, then. Confused, but watching it. Obviously.
Alize Cornet v. Ons Jabeur: LOL, popcorn, please, along with tall glass of drama!
OK, so Coco Vandeweghe. First of all, that ridiculous warmup a few weeks back and her ridiculous explanation for it. I don't know.
But then did you see where she managed to pull in Sania Mirza as a doubles partner? It's always good to see Mirza on the court and I hope that other players remember her? Like, she can do better than Vandeweghe, right?
Also, just wanted to note that Sara Errani is still in these streets!
As far as the draw itself, Ash Barty has been looking pretty dang unbeatable this summer after stumbling at the Olympics. Who's going to beat her here? It's hard to imagine anyone in her half being a big problem if her form holds up. Petra Kvitova hasn't looked solid this summer. Bianca Andreescu won the Open already, but also struggling to regain her game. The bottom half, though? Naomi Osaka and Aryna Sabalenka are the standouts, and I sort of think Sabalenka is about ready for her breakthrough.
Men
*: denotes "Wow, this is a first-round match?"
Phillipp Kohlschreiber, man. Takes a licking ...
I believed in Andy Murray before it was cool and you never know.
Congrats to Roberto Bautista Agut, whose No. 18 seeding gets him a first-round against Nick Kyrgios. You know, just to ease into the tournament
I'm not going to lie, man: I'm a little annoyed about Novak Djokovic's chances, especially with the absence of Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal. But there's enough young talent left to suggest that he could still be pushed around by the kids. Djokovic is walking around talking about his confidence level being through the roof, which may be true, but it's not going to be easy to claim a men's record-breaking Slam total. This blog is a Rafa stan account, so I don't want to see it, but I am still prepared for this eventuality:
Still, there are opportunities for others to slide in: Alexander Zverev will be a tough opponent for Djokovic potentially in the semis, and Matteo Berrettini before that, in the quarters. I actually almost picked Berrettini in this one -- I think having faced Djokovic in the Wimbledon final and coming closer than most, it might help this time around.
Daniil Medvedev's game has been spotty since his run at the U.S. Open a couple years back, and his draw looks good for another (don't judge me for my heart wanting to see Cilic do some damage, but then facing reality). He did OK during the U.S. Open series, after all.
Stefanos Tsitsipas. He's been taking some rough Ls lately, and some of it looks like he's blinking at the finish line. So I don't know about a major for him right now, although his game is close.
