A historic upset: the first qualifier to win a major title
In short: The 2021 US Open witnessed a seismic shift in tennis history. Emma Raducanu achieved the unthinkable, becoming the first player—male or female—to navigate the qualifying rounds and emerge as a major champion. Meanwhile, the tournament marked a turning point for the sport's biggest icons and its mental health landscape.
The 2021 US Open, the 141st edition of the tournament, was a landmark event held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. It was notable for being the first major since the 1997 Australian Open to exclude legends Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, and Venus Williams from the main singles draw. While the tournament saw historic breakthroughs, it also saw the end of a significant pursuit: Novak Djokovic, attempting to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to complete a calendar Grand Slam, lost in the final to Daniil Medvedev.
The tournament also highlighted extraordinary achievements in wheelchair tennis. Dylan Alcott and Diede de Groot both achieved the 'Golden Slam' in 2021, winning all four major titles and the Paralympic gold medal. In the men's doubles, Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid also secured the Grand Slam by winning all four major events that year.
Beyond the physical feats, the tournament occurred amidst shifting health protocols. Due to a surge in COVID-19 cases from the delta variant, the United States Tennis Association required spectators to present a negative test or proof of vaccination to enter. This era of professional tennis also highlighted the psychological toll of the sport; research indicates that roughly one-third of active tennis players report clinically relevant depressive symptoms, with competitive anxiety often correlating with these symptoms.
The financial scale of the event remains immense, with the 2021 US Open offering a total prize purse of $57.5 million, the richest compensation of all Grand Slam tournaments.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: 2021 US Open (tennis)
- Also: Prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms and competitive anxiety in tennis players: a cross-sectional study.
- Also: Frontiers in sports and active living — Five-year monitoring trends in physical performance among junior tennis players. · CC BY
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