SU long-time fave, Novak Djokovic, pulled off his 24th Grand Slam tournament win and dedicated it to his friend and mentor, Kobe Bryant (#24 with the Lakers) with a custom made T-shirt. I thought that was pretty cool. The stats for Djokovic in Grand Slam tournaments over the course of his career are impressive:

• 36 final appearances in the 72 events that he has played in.
• And in those 36 finals, he has won 24 times.

SU is not interested in conversations about the GOAT in men’s tennis. There are different eras, different equipment, etc. But for this era of Federer, Nadal, Murray, etc., you have to give him his due. At 36, he is also the oldest winner of the US Open ever. He was clearly gassed in the 2nd set last night which went almost 2 hours. And the reality is that if Medvedev wins that set, we may have had a different outcome. At the highest level in men’s tennis, it often comes down to a handful of points that determines the winner, and that was the case last night. Credit to Djokovic for working his way through that.

Many did not like his reaction to beating Ben Shelton with the “hang up” gesture that Shelton has been using in his wins at the Open this year. SU would prefer that he not do that, and it was surprising to see it. But clearly Shelton has gotten under his skin, and Djokovic was sending a message back. It’s fine to have some edginess in tennis. For Shelton, if you dish it out, you have to accept it may come back right at you. The Gen Z players are of a different breed. Out there on social media and love to let you know just what they are feeling and thinking – all the time. SU says get used to it and form your own opinion. Similar to the stylish home run bat toss and the slow jog around the bases. Not to my liking but it is what it is.

Did the Giants play last night? SU heard the NFL is giving the Giants a mulligan. Clearly, the starters must have missed the team bus and not made it to Met-Life Stadium. Ugh.

Just for kicks, SU checked the Yankees’ Wild Card playoff probability this morning after their recent hot streak. At 70 – 69, those odds have dramatically increased from less than 1% to 1.1% (see FanGraphs (https://www.fangraphs.com/standings/playoff-odds)!! Start printing those playoff tickets!

What is mildly annoying is that the Yankees could have gone to the youngsters weeks ago vs. rolling out the same tired/older line up game after game and expecting a different result. If nothing else, there is more excitement and joy with the team having guys like Dominguez in the line up. And what is truly refreshing for SU is to see left-handed hitters in the line up in Wells (catcher) and Dominguez (switch hitter). After years and years of the all right-handed line up, we actually see some variety out there and hope that a hitter can handle a 97-mph fastball from a right-hander.

SU says that no matter how the team fares down the stretch, both Cashman and Boone will return. Hal is comfortable with who he knows the best. Just can’t see a change happening but could be wrong.

SU has watched a lot of the US Open these last 2 weeks (sorry about that NYC Spectrum subscribers who can’t see it on ESPN due to an ongoing money dispute with Spectrum). Really good stuff and excited to see the US men and women shining for a change in a Major. Good for tennis. SU likes the way the Gen Z players are just different out there and unafraid to be themselves on the court with their mannerisms and actions to drive their social media accounts. Why not? It’s being done in good fun. Coco Gauff is easy to root for, and incredibly athletic and fast. If she can ever master her forehand, look out as her volley is first rate as is her serve. No reason she should be not be playing serve and volley.

Ben Shelton is a crazy story. He has been horrible all year since the quarterfinals at the Australian Open. Basically losing in the 1st round of every tournament. He is fearless and hits with amazing power (149 mph on his serve during a day session). He is built for the big stage. SU does not believe the best of 5 sets format helps him vs. Djokovic but in a best of 3 sets, if he’s hot with his serve, he can beat anyone – even Alcaraz.

Medvedev really has no shot vs. Alcaraz if he insists on staying so far back. He will be drop shot to death in the hot conditions. While Friday will be a bit cooler, with the roof closed, it will still be a sauna.

Having the microphones near the coaches by the court is a great move by ESPN. What’s funny is that the noise level in Ashe is so loud that the players can hardly hear their coaches. The mikes pick it up clearly but in Ashe, the noise reverberates down to the court creating a constant din. Even in the post-match interviews on court, sometimes the players can’t hear the question. It’s NY. It is what it is at the US Open but it’s unlike any of the other majors.

Finally, the NFL kicks off tonight. Hope springs eternal for every team. At least until week #2.