The US Open was a strange event on both the men’s and women’s sides, and despite the two favourites winning, it remained wholly unpredictable throughout.
On the former specifically, the early absence of Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz was particularly key in making this one of the most wide-open Grand Slams in recent memory.
Having both endured long, gruelling summers involving competing at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and then the Olympics, it’s no surprise that Jannik Sinner was far fresher having opted out of the latter.
However, one tennis personality has argued that this alone did not result in their shock exits at the US Open…
James Blake justifies early US Open exits for Alcaraz and Djokovic
Speaking to Sport Klub after the US Open, with the Davis Cup having since taken centre stage, James Blake couldn’t help but focus on the latest and final Grand Slam of 2024.
Won by Sinner, he was always bound to be the favourite when both Alcaraz and Djokovic inexplicably exited early in shock defeats.
Seeking to justify why this phenomenal duo struggled, the former world number four theorised: ‘Of course I was surprised in the first moment, because you always expect them to go to the very end.
‘However, if you look at the facts objectively, they did a lot in the previous period. Both were in the finals of Wimbledon and the Olympic Games.
‘Alcaraz also won Roland Garros. Novak achieved his biggest goal, he reached the Olympic gold. They used a lot of energy. I think that the bigger problem was psychological than physical preparation.’
Is the tennis schedule too busy?
Well, if you ask almost any player on either the ATP or WTA tour, they would argue that the tennis calendar is far too busy.
Carlos Alcaraz has argued about being too busy, with Blake’s latest comments backing that up, whilst Iga Swiatek has constantly complained about the schedule leaving so many of her fellow stars feeling burnt out.
And, there is good reason to believe that this is the case.
Tennis is one of the most gruelling and intense sports there is, relying on just yourself when stepping out onto the court.
It’s this lonely nature which can also take an emotional toll too, only heightening the exhaustion from such unrelenting matches.
Expected to play for eight to nine months relentlessly, with little to no time in the off-season, perhaps something does have to change before the worst occurs.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
