Joseph Doyle ’27 | Darian Mihalakis ’27
An opinion piece on the importance of sportsmanship in an accolade-driven sport.
The modern game of tennis has increasingly been driven by a desire to win an ever-growing arsenal of individual accolades. Players are judged nowadays not by their personality but rather by their individual statistics, specifically, Grand Slam wins. Nowhere has this shift in philosophy been better illustrated than in the rise of Novak Djokovic, who is now widely regarded as one of the best tennis players of all time. And yet, despite having a record 24 Grand Slam wins, Djokovic is arguably one of the most controversial tennis players on the planet, as his personality drives would-be followers and sponsors away. He may be the greatest ever, but he has garnered nowhere near the same respect as other tennis legends such as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Gauff, on the other hand, has captured the hearts and minds of the American people through her humility and tennis prowess. Both can now add the U.S. Open champion title to their trophy case, but only one will go down in history.
Coming into the U.S. Open, the biggest storyline was whether the young Spaniard, Carlos Alcaraz, who defeated Nadal at Wimbledon this summer, would once again reign supreme over Djokovic. The young star captured the attention of the entire sports community. Due to his universal popularity, almost all of the tennis world wanted Alcarez to be victorious. “I was really hoping Alcarez was going to win,” Lucas van Binsbergen ’27 explains. But during the Open, Alcaraz was eliminated in the semi-finals, robbing the tennis world of an Alcarez vs. Djokovic rematch. This elimination put a damper on the U.S. Open. As Connor Chambers ‘24 notes, “If it [the U.S. Open] was Alcaraz vs. Djokovic, it could go either way, but since he lost, I knew it was going to be Djokovic winning the Open.” And sure enough, Djokovic easily won the Open final against Daniil Medvedev in only three sets. But watching Djokovic steamroll Medvedev was not the main reason 2.4 million people watched the men’s section final.
Instead, the main reason was Djokovic himself, whose temperamental nature has consistently made him one of tennis’ least popular players. “He isn’t the most classy player,” Chambers noted, possibly referencing Djokovic’s many tantrums, including an incident where he smashed the net with his racket after he lost to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final. “His [Djokovic’s] work ethic and playing ability are very impressive, especially at such an age. Djokovic is a very accomplished player. His skill level at an older age is admirable, but he can have his moments where he is less than admirable,” adds van Binsbergen. Additionally, his poor attitude has caused him to consistently miss out on the kind of massive sponsorship deals that Federer and Nadal have both received.
Photo Courtesy of Gulte.com
The female phenom, Coco Cauff, just won the US Open, and the sponsorships have started rolling in already. Unlike Djokovic, Guaff exhibited sportsmanship in her Open win, and as a result, her fanbase is already larger than Djokovic’s. Her victory aroused the entire nation and inspired 3.4 million people who watched as she won her first title. Let Gauff’s victory serve as a reminder that Djokovic may be the greatest ever, but his ill temper may always prevent him from earning the respect and admiration of the tennis community.