Quiet on the set, please.
Err, I mean court.
Wait, why? Isn’t this speculated to be a sporting event?
Tennis players’ complaints never end, and so they seemingly never run out of recent things to gripe about. It’s annually dropped at the forefront on the U.S. Open, in front of a notoriously rowdy crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens.
Throughout this yr’s tournament, which is able to begin the quarterfinals on Tuesday, hardly a day has passed without grumblings concerning the crowd or atmosphere.
There was Laura Siegemund, who actually shed tears and claimed she’s considering never returning to the U.S. Open because the group chided her blatant time-wasting tactics. A German native, Siegemund was going up against Coco Gauff, one in every of, if not the, biggest rising American star in the game in the largest American tennis tournament there may be. What did Siegemund expect?
There was Maria Sakkari, who lamented a smell of marijuana after her first-round upset loss.
There was Daniil Medvedev, whose complaints may need been essentially the most egregious — berating fans for… standing up and walking to their seats during his serve. It didn’t end there, as he threw multiple tirades toward other fans for talking and a cameraman for simply attempting to record him.
There was Holger Rune, who whined about his court placement just days before being stunned in the primary round.
The list goes on. Why is that this normal?
In just about some other sport, crowd noise and atmosphere are beloved — and integral — parts of the sport.
Imagine an NFL quarterback complaining it was too loud while attempting to make a game-deciding pass. An MLB shortstop whining that somebody in the group was standing while attempting to make a throw to first base. A basketball player grumbling that any individual in the group walked while taking a shot. A university athlete claiming they may never return to a venue because opposing fans were booing. A sprinter saying their running was compromised because any individual in the group spoke.
They’d be laughed out of town.
Fan atmospheres are one in every of the best and most memorable elements of sports.
Electric atmospheres are much of the appeal for a lot of college sports fans.
Legends have been told concerning the noise the Madison Square Garden crowd makes during Knicks playoff games.
Soccer fans’ chants and boisterousness within the stands is as much an element of the sport because the motion on the sphere.
NFL home field advantage is critical, as fans often make it as difficult as possible for opposing players to listen to and communicate with one another.
All of it raises the query: Do these ridiculous etiquette traditions and rules actually help tennis?
Tennis shouldn’t be alone on this; golf has similar etiquette requirements. And unsurprisingly, each sports share similar trends that would turn problematic.
Tennis and golf have two of the oldest average age of fans and viewers, based on a study by Sports Business Journal.
For the time being, tennis is at a critical juncture to draw young fans.
While Novak Djokovic remains to be going strong, most of the largest stars that defined an era — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena and Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki — are either retired or near retiring.
A plethora of young, rising stars have emerged of their place, presenting the game an ideal opportunity to appeal to a younger demographic. Gauff, Carlos Alcaraz, Frances Tiafoe, Iga Swiatek and lots of more have grow to be popular attractions, particularly with younger fans.
And plenty of of those young stars, like Gauff, Alcaraz and Tiafoe, have broken the mold, embracing and feeding off the group throughout the tournament.
Alcaraz has raved about feeling “the energy” from the fans, and sang to a roaring crowd after his first-round win.
Gauff repeatedly pumps up the group, demonstratively urging them to be loud.
Tiafoe pointedly told Forbes: “I prefer it when individuals are comfortable. I feel fans should find a way to return and go, move and talk during matches. Imagine going to a basketball game and never saying anything. Outside of that, we’re starting to vary things to draw younger fans to tennis. There’s nothing like Arthur Ashe at night, everyone seems to be drunk and the atmosphere is crazy. I’m with it and I need the group to be with it.”
If tennis desires to attract younger fans, it should hearken to its younger stars.
They appear to get it.
Today’s back page
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The opposite side of Mr. Rodgers’ neighborhood
Welcome to the total Aaron Rodgers experience.
Rodgers and the Jets have enjoyed a protracted honeymoon just about because the moment he was traded, with coaches, teammates and fans alike gushing concerning the team’s latest star quarterback. His early Jets days appeared seamless and near-perfect, and Rodgers appeared to fit right in with the team and in Latest York.
But, because the NFL world has come to learn throughout his 18-year profession, there’s more to Rodgers than might appear on “Hard Knocks.” Inside the last week, Rodgers has begun to make headlines off the sphere.
He lambasted Jihad Ward and the Giants of “making sh–t up” when accused of laughing with teammate Randall Cobb about an illegal hit, sparking latest juice into the rivalry between the 2 sides. The hit on Bobby McCain — which left him with a concussion — notably landed Cobb a advantageous for an illegal hit.
Rodgers, who long trolled division rivals, particularly the Bears, with the Packers has now wasted little time in fueling animosity with a latest rival.
Attending the U.S. Open with teammates Sunday night, Rodgers posted an image on his Instagram story of Novak Djokovic with “#novaxdjokovic” and “Bucket list having the ability to witness the greatness of [Djokovic] in person” as captions. Rodgers also crossed out a Moderna commercial on the court.
Djokovic sat out last yr’s U.S. Open because his unvaccinated status prevented him from entering the country on the time. Rodgers infamously misled the media when asked about his vaccination status in 2021, claiming he was “immunized” though he was not vaccinated.
For seemingly the primary time as a Jet, Rodgers is bringing attention to himself and the team from off-the-field actions or comments.
It’s not positive or negative yet — but Rodgers’ relationship with each teammates and fans was at times strained because of his eclectic personality.
And that was in Green Bay, one in every of the smallest markets within the country. Now, in the biggest, how will Latest Yorkers react?
Football season is in full swing overseas
After the primary month of the season, European soccer hit its first international break of the season on Monday.
Let’s take a have a look at some early-season takeaways:
Manchester City remains to be Manchester City
Last yr’s treble winners (winning the Premier League, Champions League and F.A. Cup), City has perhaps looked much more formidable this season. Trying to grow to be the primary Premier League team to ever win the league 4 years in a row, City is the one team within the league to win all 4 of its games, sitting atop the table with 12 points and a league-best +9 goal differential.
Hey Jude
Real Madrid acquired one of the vital lauded prospects on this planet, 20-year-old midfielder Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund, this summer for a whopping $111 million. Through the primary month, he’s been value every cent. Bellingham has five goals and an assist in his first 4 games. And after ending as runners-up to Barcelona last yr, Real Madrid is off to an ideal 4-0-0 start, sitting atop Spain’s La Liga.
Harry Kane’s seamless transition
After spending 11 seasons with Tottenham as a team legend, Kane notably left this summer with the intention to win long-desired trophies, which he infamously has none of in his profession. He went to German power Bayern Munich in a roughly $107 million deal, and already has three goals and an assist in his first three games. Bayern Munich are tied atop the Bundesliga with an ideal 3-0-0 record and a +9 goal differential.
Manchester United in disarray
No team likely needed this break greater than Manchester United. Of their second yr under manager Erik Ten Hag, United spent lavishly this summer in hopes of elevating from last yr’s third-place finish into more of a title contender this season. But they won two and lost two of their first 4 games, and off-the-field issues are starting to cloud over the team.
Jadon Sancho, the team’s heavily-anticipated acquisition in his third season with the club, is now publicly trading barbs with Ten Hag over a dispute concerning the former’s playing time. Antony, whom the team acquired last summer as its second-most expensive transfer, has been accused of domestic violence, though he denied the allegations on Monday.
After which there are a growing variety of injuries, notably to latest signing Mason Mount, Rafael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw.
