![\"Photo](\"http:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/IMG_3977-e1568146891896.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n
On the men\u2019s side, though, I\u2019m always sick when Roger Federer<\/strong> doesn\u2019t win a tournament. And I\u2019m extra-upset that Rafael Nadal<\/strong> won this one, putting him closer to Roger\u2019s Majors record. But what a frigging incredible final this was, mainly thanks to the runner-up, twenty-three-year-old Daniil Medvedev<\/strong> from Russia. What a fight he put up, taking Rafa to a fifth set. It was truly amazing to watch. And he was absolutely charming and amusing in his post-match speech. I really got a kick out of Daniil this whole tournament, even when he acted way too feisty for his own good. I wish he had won, of course, but he definitely gave me hope that he can beat not only Rafa but also Novak Djokovic forever after, so they win no more from here on out.<\/p>\n The artist’s rendering of…<\/p><\/div>\n …Roger Federer’s real image.<\/p><\/div>\n As to this wrap-up, I realize that I should have just tweeted every one of these thoughts throughout the tourney, but I was always behind in my watching. (Shame on life for getting in the way of my sports obsession!!!) So I didn\u2019t want to run the risk of finding out results from my fellow tweeters. But, luckily, it\u2019s all here for your reading pleasure now.<\/p>\n Chris McKendry. And no, she is not pregnant. \u00a0Just schleppy. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Speaking of tweeting, one of the most amusing things that happened during the tournament was personal. That idiot ESPN on-air host I often ridicule for her illiterate pronunciations, Chris McKendry<\/strong>, blocked me on Twitter!!! Because I\u2019d tweet begging her to please stop saying \u201csawL\u201d and \u201cdrawL\u201d for \u201csaw\u201d and \u201cdraw.\u201d So, rather than taking the correction, (which a person on TV\u00a0should not need to begin with<\/em>!,) she choose to block me. I love it!<\/p>\n Another headline is that I did a complete one-eighty on defending champion Naomi Osaka<\/strong> this tourney. (And then two days later, I came back to the dark side on her a bit. But read on to find-out all my thoughts on it.)<\/p>\n This is weird\u2014on both sides, the semis wound-up being three young \u2019uns and the veteran with a million titles, who was the favorite all along!!! And it was the first semi for\u00a0both<\/em>\u00a0players in one<\/em> of the semis, for both genders. Very interesting.<\/p>\n Okay, let\u2019s get to my brief daily thoughts on the US Open already! My linear mind has to go in order, so I\u2019m going day-by-day:<\/p>\n FIRST MONDAY<\/strong><\/p>\n Idiot ESPN host Chris McKendry started-out showing her stupidity right off the bat\u2014she said, \u201cAll the courts are coverage<\/em>,\u201d instead of the correct \u201ccovered.\u201d Oysh. And she didn\u2019t even correct herself, so perhaps she thought that was the correct word! (Mr. X said, \u201cDon\u2019t they know you\u2019re watching?\u00a0\u00a0They must not.\u201d) And then she said they\u2019re waiting for someone to \u201cbake<\/em>\u00a0through,\u201d instead of \u201cbreak\u00a0<\/em>through!\u201d<\/p>\n Alexandra Stevenson, in the only pretty dress she wore all tournament But look at her giant feet, which she must have inherited from Dr. J! Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n New commentator Alexandra Stevenson<\/strong>, (the illegitimate daughter of Dr. J, who there was a major fuss about when that story broke about twenty years ago,) is awful!!! She interrupted her colleague during her very first on-air convo, to read a very unimportant quote from Serena! Alexandra said, \u201cSorry to interrupt you, but I wanted to tell this. I think the people would love it.\u201d And then it was a nothing quote, and ended with Serena saying, \u201cBecause I have God with me\u2026,\u201d\u00a0\u00a0like he or she is not looking-out for others! Very obnoxious quote, which should not have been shared on-air, and even worse is that it sat there like a bomb until the host quickly changed the subject. What an idiot!<\/p>\n One of my proudest Twitter moments\u2014I tweeted this to ESPN on Monday: \u201cHey, ESPN\u2014when you show us the IBM Highlights, you need to ID the players, for goodness sake!!!\u201d And guess what? They rectified that situation the very next day!!! They had been doing it without the names since at least this time last year, and I had never told them to fix it before, so I seriously am sure my tweet had a lot to do with it. (I know they read mine directed to them\u2014I\u2019ve gotten private replies before.)<\/p>\n Sloane Stevens<\/strong> really cracked me up with her dryly funny comments on Serena Williams still playing at this late age. She said of Serena, \u201cShe must really love tennis.\u201d And then, \u201cIf she keeps going like this, her kid might be playing with her.\u201d My esteem for Sloane just grew.<\/p>\n It\u2019s interesting that this was the first time that Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova<\/strong> faced each other at the US Open.<\/p>\n Serena Williams’ weird on-court attire. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n On Serena\u2019s on-court attire, I went from, \u201cNow that is a gorgeous outfit,\u201d to, \u201cOh, she looks like an idiot,\u201d in one second, as soon as they panned down from the attractive top to the ridiculous short bottom of the one-piece. (She must have finally realized what she looked like, too, because in the second round, she put a skirt over the bottom.) And then on top of all that, she paired the already-long-sleeved outfit with a long black coat!!! In the heat of the New York summer! She must be insane.<\/p>\n I was very surprised that Maria did not go big with her outfit. I wonder what her thinking was. Maybe to show that she\u2019s not even going to try to be competitive in that category, so she\u2019s going cute and young with her dress, with a little oomph in the back.<\/p>\n The host mentioned ever so briefly that young American Amanda Asimov<\/strong> had to drop-out of the tournament because her father had suddenly passed away the week before. And then they never mentioned it again!!! How terrible of them. Had it been Coco Gauff<\/strong>, they would have discussed it ad nauseum. (And they never said another word about it the entire tournament! And trust me\u2014I watched every second of it! Disgraceful.)<\/p>\n What is up with the ball kids\u2019 outfits?! They look like they\u2019re on the way to their second<\/em> jobs\u2014at Hot Dog on a Stick!!!<\/p>\n FIRST TUESDAY<\/strong><\/p>\n Naomi Osaka’s black and orange outift, which was not great colors to begin with, but it totally clashed with those colorful shoes! Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n That Halloween outfit of Osaka\u2019s totally clashes with her sneakers. Ugh. It literally made me nauseated.<\/p>\n Nutty commentator Brad Gilbert<\/strong> said, \u201cNothing about yesterday matters other than today.\u201d I think he\u2019s aiming for Yogi Berra status!<\/p>\n OMG\u2014now he actually pronounced \u201clarynx,\u201d as \u201clarAnIx!!!\u201d How stupid can he be???<\/p>\n Later on, he said \u201cexplicits\u201d for \u201cexpletives.\u201d<\/p>\n Sloane Stephens\u2019 outfit looks like some high school girl just hitting with her friends, not that of a recent US Open Champion.<\/p>\n OMG\u2014ESPN heeded my tweet to name the players in the highlights!!!<\/p>\n In the middle of his winning service game, Nick Krygios<\/strong> said, \u201cI could not have picked a more boring sport as a profession.\u201d I love him!<\/p>\n FIRST WEDNESDAY<\/strong><\/p>\n Sloane Stephens’ way too casual on-court attire. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n There were only eight matches all day because of rain, so not much to report here.<\/p>\n But Serena Williams could not have given a colder fish, non-smiling-at-all handshake to seventeen-year-old fellow American, Catherine McNally<\/strong>, after needing three sets to defeat the girl. What about her phony baloney about trying to help the younger generation of Americans? Or is that only her lies when she\u2019s asked about Coco Gauff???<\/p>\n FIRST THURSDAY<\/strong><\/p>\n Petra Kvitov\u00e1<\/strong> is the classiest, loveliest, most gracious athlete that has ever been! You can never tell whether she just won or lost by how she greets her opponent at the net; she\u2019s as lovely in defeat as she is in victory. I wish that all players would take a page from her book. Especially Serena Williams, the worst sport in all of tennis.<\/p>\n The always-lovely Petra Kvitova. You can not tell if she won or lost as she walks to greet her opponent at the net, post-match. (She had just lost, by the way.) Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Thank goodness Naomi Osaka changed that hideous clown outfit!!!<\/p>\n I can\u2019t believe that Roger did a commercial for cheap pasta!!!<\/p>\n Analyst Darren Cahill<\/strong> said this about having John Isner<\/strong>\u2019s serve: \u201cI\u2019d be smiling because I couldn\u2019t wait to get up in the morning and just lay wood to someone. That would just be perfect.\u201d Uh, doesn\u2019t that sound kind-of creepy, if you get my drift?<\/p>\n That was shameful of Benoit Paire<\/strong> to have not shaken hands with his defeater, Aljaz Bedene<\/strong>, nor the umpire. Yes, his was<\/em> a devastating loss, but you still have to shake hands. What poor sportsmanship.<\/p>\n At a previous tournament, when Taylor Townsend<\/strong> lost to Simona Halep<\/strong>, she asked her afterwards how she could get better. I bet Simona regrets being nice now\u2014she should not have given Taylor any suggestions.<\/p>\n Taylor Townsend. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n My review of Taylor Townsend: Pretty girl, gorgeous teeth, real emotions, not a d-bag at all, speaks well, (except for annoyingly beginning every sentence with the idiotic, \u201cI mean,\u201d) good player, but\u2026she has got to lose at least fifty pounds!!! I can\u2019t believe she can even move at all at this weight!!! I\u2019m not being mean\u2014I\u2019m being honest. And helpful, if she reads this and it motivates her to do it already!!! (And yellow nails, especially talons, are vomititious.)<\/p>\n Interviewer Renee Stubbs<\/strong> said to Taylor, \u201cGirl, it was all you today.\u201d She\u2019s never called a\u00a0white<\/em>\u00a0girl \u201cgirl.\u201d<\/p>\n Coco Gauff is the worst sport. You always want to root for a young girl, but she\u2019s just awful. Mr. X kept asking why I don\u2019t like her, and then he watched her second round match against Timea Babos<\/strong>, and by the end, he totally disliked her, too. Anyone who\u2019s not just \u201cfollowing the crowd\u201d should feel the same way. Hopefully, she\u2019ll learn to be nicer as she matures.<\/p>\n And learn to speak better, as well. Coco said that Naomi Osaka is \u201cthriving for more,\u201d when she meant \u201cstriving.\u201d And it was not the verbal version of a typo\u2014she meant it! Oysh.<\/p>\n FIRST FRIDAY<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s good to see how much joy Nick Krygios gets from playing doubles. He always says he wishes he had chosen basketball to play instead of tennis, so clearly, his spirit is more in team sports than singles. He\u2019s not a solitary guy, which might be why he\u2019s always talking to the crowd during his singles matches.<\/p>\n I love this dress on the very in-shape Chris Evert!!! Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Chris Evert<\/strong> was by far the best commentator this time. She seemed pretty fair and not rooting for anyone in particular, as all the others seem to always do.<\/p>\n I\u2019m happy for American Dennis Kudla<\/strong> to have had the experience he did, even knowing he did not stand a chance against Novak Djokovic<\/strong>. Playing the world #1 on Arthur Ashe court (which is the #1 court at this tourney,) at night under the lights at the US Open\u2014wow. And he played some memorable points, too, including one of the best trick shots of the whole tourney! And he won several games, many more than expected.<\/p>\n FIRST SATURDAY<\/strong><\/p>\n This is the most amusing thing Jason Goodall<\/strong> ever said: \u201cYou never ever want to look too closely at tennis players\u2019 feet, that is for sure. So let\u2019s keep our distance there, as he takes a medical time-out.\u201d<\/p>\n OMG\u2014in the space of a few seconds, Brad Gilbert said, \u201cYou never have anything to lose,\u201d\u00a0and then immediately after, when his co-commentator called him out on it, he said that people always<\/em> have something to lose and added, \u201cOne of my biggest pet peeves is when people say, \u2018You have nothing to lose.\u2019\u201d What is wrong with him??? His on-air partner, Cliff Drysdale<\/strong>, should have told him that he, Brad<\/em>, is the one who just said it!!!<\/p>\n Coco Gauff’s beautiful fingers, but way too long fake nails. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Coco Gauff at least has pretty hands. But she needs to lose those dragon-lady fake nails! They\u2019re so ugly and far from age-appropriate. (She\u2019s fifteen.)<\/p>\n Naomi Osaka was a heartwarming class act this night. What sportsmanship she showed. I\u2019ve never seen anything like it in my life. And you know that I watch a ton of sports. In case you missed it, she beat the pants off fifteen-year-old Coco Gauff in this round, despite the entire crowd rooting for the young American. So at the end, she brought Coco over for the on-court interview, which was supposed to be with just Naomi, so that Coco could talk to the crowd. Naomi really took the edge off the loss for Coco. And for a twenty-one-year-old to even think to laud someone else\u2019s parents for how they raised their daughter is amazing. (I hate that people are making like this was classy of Coco<\/em>, too. No, it was not<\/em>\u2014it was\u00a0all\u00a0<\/em>Naomi!)<\/p>\n FIRST SUNDAY<\/strong><\/p>\n This was interesting: Yesterday, Nick Kyrgios tweeted, \u201cWho the hell is Tom Rinaldi<\/strong> and why is he commentating a tennis match when he has no idea what\u2019s going on.\u201d Then Tom actually interviewed Nick on the way out to the court, and they were both laughing about it.<\/p>\n So, without referencing it specifically, the next morning, when Alexandra Stevenson was about to call a match with Tom, she said, \u201cAs the daughter of a sports journalist, I\u2019m honored to be calling the match with you today.\u201d That\u2019s all because Tom is really a sports journalist, and not a former player or caller of any other sports.<\/p>\n Bianca Andreescu kissing her very first Championship trophy! Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Even though Alexandra\u2019s speech is not fun to listen to, and she begins every sentence with, \u201cI mean,\u201d I\u2019ve come to admire her a tiny bit. She often calls it like it is. Of Naomi Osaka\u2019s win over Coco Gauff the night before, she said, \u201cIt was great to see. I mean the match wasn\u2019t so great, but the after interview with Mary Jo<\/strong> was lovely.\u201d<\/p>\n She\u2019s the only person I\u2019ve ever heard reference ethnicity, and she does it in an honest, straightforward way. Yesterday, she said something to the effect that Coco and Naomi\u2019s success is good for \u201cblack tennis.\u201d (They\u2019re both black. Duh.) The director must have said something in her ear, because then she said, \u201cBlack-Americans,\u201d which is not true because Naomi is black and Japanese. But I appreciate the effort. And in another match, when she lauded a player\u2019s hitting, Tom asked, \u201cHow so?,\u201d to which she answered, \u201cShe\u2019s got spin on it, it\u2019s not as flat as most typical Asian girls.\u201d That\u2019s an interesting tidbit, but most of them are too timid to bring up ethnicity.<\/p>\n Now she just referenced size! I can\u2019t believe I\u2019m now loving her! (When talking about the power of \u201cpetite\u201d player Qiang Wang<\/strong>, she said, \u201cShe might be a size 2.\u201d)<\/p>\n Roger\u2019s win in the Round of 16 today was amazing!<\/p>\n This is how you greet your opponent at the net! Elina Svitolina already having her hug ready for the player she just beat the pants off! Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n In an interview, Rafa Nadal mentioned that the tournament he runs at his academy in Spain is free to everyone!!! That\u2019s very cool of him. (He is<\/em> a nice guy\u2014I just never want him to win and get closer to Roger\u2019s Majors record.)<\/p>\n When Chris Evert saw skinny molink Daniil Medvedev play, she said quite honestly, \u201cI want to cook him a meal.\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019m so happy for Elina Svitolina<\/strong> to have gotten this far, and keep on winning. She\u2019s a lovely young lady.<\/p>\n The headline of the day\u2014defending champ Novak Djokovic had to retire in his quarter-final match with a shoulder injury!!!<\/p>\n SECOND MONDAY\u2014ROUND OF 16<\/strong><\/p>\n Cliff Drysdale said of Naomi Osaka\u2019s Round of 16 loss\u00a0to Belinda Bencic<\/strong>, \u201cShe played so well against Coco Gauff; so well for Osaka. She has not been the same today.\u201d Duh. Of course<\/em>\u00a0she hasn\u2019t! Belinda is a zillion times better player than Coco is, so Naomi had to play much better than she did!!!<\/p>\n The US Open grounds. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Chis Evert said of Naomi after her Round of 16 defeat, \u201cShe\u2019s gracious in defeat like she is in victory.\u201d But no, she is\u00a0definitely not<\/em>!!! She\u2019s\u00a0never\u00a0<\/em>gracious in defeat!!! (This is the other turn-around on her that I did, that I referenced at the top of this article.)<\/p>\n And then, when Chris tried to blame the loss to Bencic on Naomi\u2019s knee<\/em>, Cliff Drysdale softly corrected her, \u201cThat was more of a problem than her knee\u2014the fact that she was up against Bencic, who played so well.\u201d Good for him!!!<\/p>\n Bianca Andreescu bending over to fix her hair in the middle of the match! How very calm of her! Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n I looove Kristie Ahn<\/strong>!!! She\u2019s so mature, delightful, intelligent, and well-spoken. I really hope that she becomes a commentator when she\u2019s done playing, as opposed to entering the tech world, which is what she says she\u2019s aiming for now.<\/p>\n Idiotic Alexandra Stevenson said about Serena winning this tourney, \u201cEverybody would\u00a0hope that happens.\u201d Uh–speak for yourself John. Or Alexandra. Many, many of us hope that poor sport never wins again!!!<\/p>\n I\u2019ve never seen this before\u2014in the middle of her service game near the end of the match, Canadian (and eventual Champion here) Bianca Andreescu retied her hair on top of her head! It wasn\u2019t wrong<\/em>; I\u2019ve just never seen anyone care about it anymore. She didn\u2019t do it for looks, but for comfort. I love that she did it! (Of course, jingoistic Pam Shriver hated it because Bianca was playing an American.)<\/p>\n SECOND TUESDAY\u2014QUARTER-FINALS<\/strong><\/p>\n Speaking of hair-fixing, the top of Rafa Nadal’s head. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Chris Evert has become my fave commentator this time! She\u2019s been so honest and informative.<\/p>\n Roger lost today, because he injured his neck. I\u2019m way too sad to discuss it.<\/p>\n SECOND WEDNESDAY\u2014QUARTER-FINALS<\/strong><\/p>\n Brad Gilbert, who often misspeaks, said \u201cdemonchrative\u201d instead of \u201cdemonstrative.\u201d Mr. X and I were so incredulous at it that we listened to it several times, not believing our ears!<\/p>\n Gorgeous Mateo Berrettini of Italy. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Even though I\u2019m such a fan of Mateo Berrettini<\/strong>\u2019s good looks, (and abs,) I was totally rooting for Gael Monfils<\/strong>, who almost did pull out an amazing win. But still, that match between the two lovely, talented guys was the best one I had ever seen at this point. So much drama.<\/p>\n People think I hate Rafa Nadal because I love Roger Federer so much. But I totally recognize that Rafa is an all-around good guy; I just never want him to win a Major ever again! And I appreciate that he\u2019s usually very honest, and doesn\u2019t go along with the interviewers\u2019 bullshit questions. He often has a wonderful better answer. Before this particular match, Tom Rinaldi asked him, \u201cAnother major quarterfinal\u2014primetime at Ashe. How do you describe the opportunity?\u201d I love that Rafa\u2019s answer was, \u201cEvery day is a single opportunity. No, every day in this life is an opportunity to do something.\u201d Amen to that! (But he really does need to look into hair replacement. Just sayin\u2019.)<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>