He missed the second set and said so. “In the second we went two, every game, we took our serve. He just played more aggressively in these same crucial moments. He was just hitting. I had a few small chances, I made a few mistakes.”
In her own words, what led to the final was a narrow decision that came after Sabalenka leveled it all at one set. “In the third set I told myself I can still do it. Gotta focus on my serve and just take a little more risk when I get the chance.” He broke for 1-1, again for 4-2 and served it out.
This atmosphere is just unbelievable and it doesn’t seem real yet.
The opening set was similarly strange. He landed barely a quarter of his first serves and still won it, taking 68% of his points back on the second, and he says he was aware of the amount before it happened.
“I’ve been thinking about this and that I need to really improve my first serve percentage. It didn’t happen,” he said. “But then I was still trying to pick a spot and go at least a little bit more with the second serve. A few double mistakes here and there, but I kind of had a plan in my head and I just stuck to it. Then, in the important moments, my serve got better and that helped me a lot.”
When it was over, he couldn’t describe any of it. “It’s still so hard to process what happened. Too many accomplishments in these few weeks. I am very happy, very proud of all the work. It’s hard to find the words, but extremely happy.” On the court, taking the trophy, he said the same thing twice. “Honestly, it’s hard to find words right now,” and then, at the end, “this atmosphere is just incredible, and it doesn’t feel real yet.”
Ten years of getting nowhere in New York
None of them had been here before. Rybakina first entered Flushing Meadows as a junior a decade ago and had never advanced past the fourth round until this fortnight.
She lost to Simona Halep in the third round in 2021: 7-6 (11), 4-6, 6-3. She lost to Clara Burrell 6-4, 6-4 in the first round in 2022, six weeks after her Wimbledon victory. In 2023, she lost to Sorana Kirstea in the third round: 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-4. He reached the second round in 2024. And last year, she lost to Marketa Vondrusova 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in the fourth round, the score she won on Saturday.
He said it clearly in court. “I’ve been coming here for the last 10 years too and it’s never been successful. Nothing close to that.” And in the interview room. “For some reason, New York wasn’t my best place for tennis in the past years, but it’s definitely changed now.”
Saying he was unhappy about being appointed to Court 12 so soon after winning Wimbledon in 2022, he set the record straight. “Actually I wasn’t saying anything. I was fine.” As world No. 1 and US Open champion, he is unlikely to see Court 12 again.
