Less than two months ago, the tennis world landed on Wimbledon’s original green court, where the sound of tennis echoed around the quiet court.
Overall, the audience observed a quiet state of almost librarians, watching the players dressed in white and fought against it in one of the most beautiful surroundings in the sport.
Fast forward to this week, and the same player is now fighting for another title at the U.S. Open. However, the atmosphere is completely different.
Wimbledon and most other tennis matches require complete silence in court, but the reality of Flushing Meadows is even more buzzing.
The supporters are not quiet, not quiet tones, but sounds from between speakers, but quiet, and there is a sense of chaos in the air.
“It's an attack on the senses,” sports journalist Molly McElwee told CNN Sports. “It's a chalk and cheese if you're comparing to Wimbledon. The atmosphere of openness in the United States is completely different.”
McElwee, who worked twice at the U.S. Open in recent years, said that during the Grand Slam, the feeling around Flushing meadows felt more like a football game than a regular tennis tournament.
She said fans were having fun there and were often attracted by the drinks they were offered – especially the free-flowing honey cocktail throughout the game.
“The U.S. Open is definitely one of the loudest hits, and of course the smartest, biggest, biggest feeling,” she said.
“It's in the city of New York that is obviously all of these things. I think the Grand Slam is a real reflection of the city.”
If players are able to handle the noise, they also have to transfer traffic congested commuters to ground traffic and then emit a different odor around the court.
From fried food to reported cannabis smell, many journalists and players have noticed that the odor of the game sometimes disperses.
World No. 12 Casper Ruud has already talked about the ongoing issue of the ongoing cannabis taste floating on the Grand Slam, a topic that has increased since a bill signed in 2021 to allow adults aged 21 or older to use recreational marijuana across the state.
“I'm not a big fan of the weeds that weeds smell when you walk around,” Ruud said after playing in a mixed doubles last week. He still loves to play.
The Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest tennis court in the world, naturally creates the hottest atmosphere at the U.S. Open, where players sometimes struggle to focus.
McElwee, who recently published the book The Road to Success for Women, witnessed firsthand how the noise in the stage is breathtaking.
She recalls Serena Williams’ run before retirement in 2022, the moment when the U.S. Open crowd was at its best.
“During that run, the noise of the crowd was like anything I've never experienced in sports, like I've never been to such a united crowd,” she said. “Everyone in that stadium was obviously cheering for her, but they were also big and so dedicated.”
But, seeing a fanatical crowd in smaller arenas is not always the best way.
It was at the extreme in the game between Daniil Medvedev and Benjamin Bonzi inside the Louis Armstrong Stadium on Sunday.
As the latter was for the game, a photographer mistakenly walked onto the court, which slightly delayed Bonzi's second serve. As a result, referee Greg Allensworth put the Frenchman back in his first serve, triggering a stunning outbreak of Medvedev, who drove the crowd to the madness.
The first round was then delayed by about six minutes, and the crowd screamed and yelled every time Bonzo played. The whistle and shouting continued, and Bonzo kept booing after the game resumed.
“It’s so noisy, I never thought I’d wait a little longer,” Bonzo said after he finally won the game.
“It's a situation, strange, and it's obviously hard to refocus on the game. Even during the viewpoint, it's noisy, so it's hard to hear the ball, hit the ball and everything.”
At that time, in Jacob Fearnley's match against Roberto Bautista Agut, another strange incident happened Tuesday, involving supporters on Tuesday.
Fans kept voiced to support Fearnley at the start of the game, but then suddenly turned his loyalty to the end of the third set.
“I want to say something. He changed it quickly. It's not abuse, it's just confusion and a huge voice. He didn't say a good thing after that,” according to the BBC Sport after winning the game.
While the often dazzling atmosphere can lift players out of trouble, some people cherish it.
American star Frances Tiafoe is a man who supports more drama in the game, preferring to extend the long-known restrictions on what has been called “gentleman’s sport.”
He has talked about embracing chaos at the U.S. Open before and thought it was “funny” to play Medvedev like a pantomime.
The full US lineup Ben Shelton is another guy who thrives in a more partisan environment.
“I think I found peace in chaos,” the 2023 U.S. Open player told reporters ahead of this year's game.
“I felt even more uncomfortable in a quiet game where there weren’t too many fans, or the ground wasn’t crowded with people, or there was no stigma of excitement around the game.
“For me, this is my life, to go to these competitions…and there are other patient illnesses, they are cool, but for me it’s unmatched because when you drive from the city to the scene, that energy doesn’t exist, or you know, ready to step out of Arthur Ashe.
“For me, there was no feeling. That's my personal opinion. But that's where I always feel at home and why I feel like I'm playing tennis there.”
Compared to the more “proper” words seen in tournaments like Wimbledon, the 11th World Emma Navarro is another person who enjoys a “more casual” environment at the U.S. Open.
For example, considering the huge scale of Arthur Ashe Stadium, many fans at the top of the arena tend to walk and talk during points.
In other games that may be banned, but Navarro said she almost prefers the fact that not everyone in the stands really caught the attention.
She told reporters before this year's event: “It made me feel that not all the focus is on me.
“I feel like everyone's eyes aren't staring at me when I play, and I kind of like it. I think it's fun, and I can definitely appreciate this kind of atmosphere in New York.”
Whether for or against the craze, the U.S. Open doesn't look like it will change anytime soon.
For some, this may be a sign of future tennis matches as the sport continues to find new ways to attract audiences.
Either way, it poses different challenges for players and can offer some welcome diversity on the tour.
“There have been many different winners in terms of men and women over the past 10 years,” McElwee said.
“Maybe this is partly due to the atmosphere, partly because it is at the end of the year.
“You do need to be full of energy all the time. It can weaken some players' energy, which is who can live with the city, who can live with this atmosphere and what they can do on the court. They will succeed.”