By Tracy Zwick
Matthew Futterman, the senior tennis writer for The Athletic, has been going to the U.S. Open for even longer than he’s lived on the Upper West Side, and that’s saying something. He’s been in the neighborhood since graduate school at Columbia University, which he finished more than 30 years ago.
UWSers couldn’t ask for a better guide to the most thrilling three weeks of summer, the U.S. Open, which kicks off with Fan Week on Sunday. Here’s our conversation with Matt, whose new book “The Cruelest Game: Chasing Greatness in Professional Tennis,” was released on August 4.
WSR: What inspired you to write the book?
Matthew Futterman: I’d been covering all kinds of sports for over 20 years. Tennis was the only one that seemed like people at the top of the game were quitting in their prime. There’s something seriously hard about tennis, and I wanted to figure out what it was and why it was so hard for some players. I also wanted to find out why others were able to survive for so long, and learn their secrets.
WSR: So why is tennis the cruelest game?
MF: Start with the scoring system. You could win the first 24 points in a match, and in any other sport that’s an insurmountable lead. But in tennis, it gets you a lead of one to nothing. Players come back from that all the time.
It’s also one of those sports you have to be doing almost exclusively from the time you’re six or eight years old – at least that’s the case for most pros today. You’re judged by results before you’re even a teenager. That’s just a really hard way to go through life.
WSR: In the book, you share conversations you’ve had lately with top players, from Coco Gauff to Jannik Sinner. What did they have to say about this?
MF: Sinner’s a very cool customer on the court. He never loses his temper. But he told me he used to, a lot, when he was a kid. What changed is that he started to earn money, and when he had enough to repay his parents for all they’d invested in him, he didn’t need to get upset anymore. Families drain their savings to invest in many of these kids, and when they finally take the biggest stages, it can feel like everything is riding on them. Even the best players lose, all the time.
WSR: Let’s talk about the U.S. Open, which you’ve been attending, pretty much, for the last 50 years. What’s a tip you can give first-timers to the U.S. Open?
MF: I’ll give you two. First, go to Fan Week, cause it’s free, especially if you have small children. They get bored, and if they don’t want to stay, it doesn’t cost you anything. Most kids don’t know Carlos Alcaraz from Carlos Beltran. They’ll be fine watching anything.
Second, in the first week of the main draw, if you can afford it, buy a seat in a stadium, like Grandstand or Louis Armstrong, so you have a place to sit, but you can also wander. Don’t just buy a Grounds Pass or you could spend all day on line waiting to get onto courts.
WSR: You’ve been to every grand slam (the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open), multiple times. What makes the U.S. Open special?
MF: It’s the only slam where the people who are there truly reflect (to some extent) the population of the city. Wimbledon and the All England Club, where it’s held, are amazing places. But during those two weeks of the tournament they’re about the whitest places on earth.
WSR: We can’t talk about the fan experience without mentioning the food and drinks at the Open. Where are you on the Honey Deuce, the pricey signature cocktail of the tournament?
MF: I’m not a huge Honey Deuce fan. I tried one for the first time last year and thought it was kinda of gross. That’s a bit of a hot take. Most people seem to like ‘em!
WSR: Best place to play tennis on the UWS?
I like to play on the Riverside Park courts at 119th Street. The 96th Street courts are beautiful and amazing for people who like red clay, but I really don’t. I also live very close to the 119th Street courts, and I like that some courts can’t be booked in advance. It keeps it neighborhoody. They’re tucked away under a canopy of trees, and the Parks Department keeps them open all year. I’ve hit balls on Christmas Day on those courts.
WSR: You follow tennis year-round as closely as anyone, so … who would you like to win, and who’s gonna win?
MF: I’d like Serena [Williams] to win! I’d like Alcaraz to be healthy enough to play, and to go deep into the tournament. I think it’s hard to predict anybody else but Sinner to win it all, and why don’t I just go with Coco Gauff on the women’s side, cause she was so great at Wimbledon.
WSR: Anyone readers may not be familiar with that we should keep an eye on?
MF: Rafael Jodar – a Spanish 19-year-old. Nine months ago, he was at University of Virginia, uncertain when he’d turn pro. Since then, he won a bunch of smaller tournaments, and decided not to go back to college. He’s now in the top 20, having made it to the final of the D.C. Open earlier this month, where he lost to American No. 1 Taylor Fritz. If I had to name someone most likely to join Sinner and Alcarez in the next three years at the very top of the men’s game, I’d put my money on Jodar.
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