5 Highlights From The 2023 U.S. Open

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The U.S. Open is one of the most important and most followed tournaments in tennis, and this year’s iteration has definitely been one to remember. From broken records to first wins, here are five of the biggest highlights from this year’s U.S. Open.

Novak Djokovic wins his 24th career Grand Slam title

Serbian Novak Djokovic, who many consider to be the greatest tennis player of all time, increased his own record this year by winning his 24th career Grand Slam title, more than any other men’s tennis player. With this achievement, Djokovic became the first player to tie with Australian player Margaret Court, who won 24 career Grand Slams in the 1960s and 1970s.

After his championship win over Russian Daniil Medvedev, Djokovic paid tribute to a close friend — the late Kobe Bryant, who wore number 24 when playing basketball for the Lakers.

Coco Gauff wins her first major title

On the other end of the spectrum, American Coco Gauff won her first career major title with her three-set victory over Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, who was ranked number two in the world. Gauff is currently ranked third in the world in women’s singles and is now the first American teenager to win the U.S. Open since Serena Williams did it in 1999.

Gauff also currently jointly holds the number-one ranking in the women’s doubles category, along with fellow American Jessica Pegula. This major title is sure to be the first of many in the career of this impressive up-and-coming athlete.

Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury pull off a doubles three-peat

In men’s doubles, American Rajeev Ram and British Joe Salisbury won this year’s U.S. Open for the third year in a row, cementing their status as a force to be reckoned with in tennis. Ram and Salisbury have now won four majors together, including a win at the Australian Open in 2020 in addition to their U.S. Open wins.

The pair defeated Indian Rohan Bopanna and Australian Matthew Ebden to secure their championship win.

Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe win their first Grand Slam title together

The women’s doubles title this year was earned by Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealander Erin Routliffe. This was Routliffe’s first-ever Grand Slam victory since her career began in 2009. Dabrowski has won two Grand Slam titles in the mixed doubles category, one being the French Open in 2017 with Rohan Bopanna, one of the contenders for the men’s doubles category this year.

Routliffe and Dabrowski defeated German Laura Siegemund and Russian Vera Zvonareva for their championship win this year.

The Open sets all-time attendance record

In news for the entire event, this year’s U.S. Open boasted the highest attendance on record. In fact, this was the most attended tennis Grand Slam event of all time, and over 950,000 spectators came to the event over the three-week time it was held.

Both the men’s and women’s finals also achieved their highest attendance in history this year. Arthur Ashe Stadium was completely sold out for all 25 sessions for the second year in a row, so tennis seems to be more popular than ever.