US OPEN 2023 - Novak Djokovic: the greatest of all times

For the last two weeks, August 28 through September 10, New York City was hosting the US Open, a big tennis tournament that is held annually in Queens. 

There has been a lot of exciting and controversial news about the event, so let’s go through the most important and interesting ones! 

A protest against fossil fuels was held at the stadium during the semifinals

During the semifinal match between Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova, a group of four environmental activists held a protest against the use of fossil fuels. One of the protestors glued his bare feet to the ground, so the police and some medical assistance had to be called in. The match was delayed for 50 minutes. Both Gauff and Muchova gave a comment to AP saying that such a disruption was a big obstacle to their performance as they did not know how much time it might take to remove the protester from the stadium. Both players weren’t sure if they needed to take a break to stay rested or to warm up to stay prepared for the game. 

A couple of months prior to this incident, in July 2023, a similar thing happened in London during a Wimbledon match. Environmental activists threw orange confetti on the court, making the game stop and distracting the players. 

Novak Djokovic wins the US Open male finals

September 10 at 4 pm was the last game of US Open 2023. The final match was between Novak Djokovic, a Serbian tennis player, and Daniil Medvedev from Russia. This victory gave Djokovic his 24th Grand Slam. No one in the history of tennis has won more than that. The roaring crowd congratulated Djokovic on his victory, as the player dropped on his hands and knees celebrating. 

Coco Gauff beats Anna Sabalenka in the US Open finals

The protests and delays in the game did not distract Coco Gauff. The tennis player won the semifinals and moved to the finals where she defeated Aryna Sabalenka, a tennis player from Belarus. This victory makes Coco Gauff the youngest American to win the US Open tournament since Serena Williams. After the match, a 19-year-old Gauff ran up the stairs to hug her family and team. 

For the victory, Gauff won $3 million and will move to №3 in ranking, following Sabalenka (№1) and Swiatek (№2). This was a great victory, and, no doubt, there will be many more to come! 

Article by Mary Zakharova