My U.S. Open Experience by Sarvessh Kannan
Morning — Arriving at the U.S. Open
This week, I had an amazing opportunity to go to the U.S. Open with my coach and one of my
tennis friends. It was one of the most educational and exciting tennis experiences I have ever
had. I expected to see professional players and watch high-level tennis, but I did not realize how
much I would actually learn about the small technical details that separate professional players
from everyone else.
When we first arrived in the morning, we walked around the grounds and looked at the different
courts. There were people everywhere, and the atmosphere was completely different from a
normal tennis facility. My coach immediately told us not to just look at the players and be
impressed by how hard they hit. Instead, he told us to watch their feet, positioning, preparation,
and recovery.
While we were walking through the crowd, something really memorable happened. My coach
suddenly noticed a player walking among everyone else. At first, I did not realize who she was,
but my coach looked more closely and realized it was Paula Badosa. It was crazy seeing a
professional player walking through the crowd like a normal person. I got the opportunity to
meet her and get her autograph and signature, which became one of the highlights of the entire
trip.
Late Morning — Watching the Pros Practice
Later in the morning, we watched professional players practice. My coach opened our eyes to
the fact that even the best players in the world make mistakes. Instead of only watching their
best shots, he pointed out moments when they were late, lost balance, hit the ball too close to
their body, or recovered too slowly.
He explained that these mistakes were actually useful for us to study. If a professional player
can make a mistake because their spacing is slightly off, then we can understand why spacing
is so important in our own games. My coach kept reminding us that professional tennis is not
about being perfect. It is about making the correct movement over and over again and knowing
how to adjust when something goes wrong.
He also had us pay attention to the split step. He explained that the split step should happen
around the time our opponent makes contact with the ball so that we are ready to move in either
direction. We watched the players' feet and noticed how quickly they transitioned from the split
step into their first movement.
Around Noon — Studying Forehands and Backhands
Around midday, we focused more on groundstrokes. My coach pointed out the importance of
spacing and contact point. He explained that professional players usually create enough space
between their body and the ball so that they can swing freely. If we get too close, our swing can
become cramped and we may lose control.
On the forehand, he told us to notice how the pros load their legs, rotate their hips and torso,
and accelerate the racket through contact. He explained that the power does not come only
from the arm. It comes from a kinetic chain involving the legs, hips, core, shoulder, arm, and
racket.
He also showed us how the racket drops below the ball before moving forward and upward.
This helps create topspin. He explained that topspin is not simply "brushing up" on the ball. The
racket path, racket-head speed, contact point, and body rotation all have to work together.
We also looked at backhands and noticed how players stayed balanced through the shot. My
coach told us to watch whether the player was getting their body into position early enough. He
explained that preparation is one of the biggest differences between an easy, controlled
backhand and a rushed one.
Early Afternoon — Learning About Serves
In the early afternoon, we watched several players serving. My coach broke the serve down into
different parts instead of treating it as one giant motion. We looked at the ball toss, leg drive,
trophy position, shoulder rotation, contact point, and follow-through.
He explained that the serve starts from the ground. The legs help generate force, which travels
through the hips and torso before reaching the shoulder, arm, and racket. He told us that trying
to create all the power with our arm would make the motion less efficient.
We also watched the ball toss carefully. My coach explained that a consistent toss is extremely
important because the player needs to reach the same general contact area repeatedly. We
tried to figure out whether players were setting up for a serve wide, down the T, or toward the
body.
Mid-Afternoon — Court Positioning and Point Construction
Later, my coach started focusing on court positioning. He told us to watch where players stood
after every shot. We learned that professional tennis is a constant battle for court position.
He explained the importance of depth. A ball does not necessarily have to be extremely fast to
be effective. A deep ball that lands close to the baseline can force an opponent to hit from an
uncomfortable position. A shorter ball can sometimes give the opponent an opportunity to
attack.
We also watched how players recovered after attacking. My coach called it "hit and recover." He explained that after hitting an offensive shot, a player cannot just watch where the ball goes.
They immediately have to prepare for the opponents response.
We also learned about patterns such as serve-plus-one and return-plus-one. The server is often
thinking about what shot they want to hit after the serve, while the returner is trying to make the
first shot difficult enough to prevent an easy attack.
Later Afternoon — Seeing Different Professional Players
Throughout the day, I got to see several incredible players, including Novak Djokovic, Denis
Shapovalov, Tommy Paul, Paula Badosa, Coco Gauff, Leylah Fernandez, Alexander Zverev,
and Learner Tien.
Each player had a different style. My coach encouraged us not to decide that one players
technique was automatically "the best." Instead, he told us to figure out what made each
players game successful.
We watched Djokovics movement and balance, especially how efficiently he recovered after
being pulled around the court. We looked at Shapovalovs aggressive left-handed game and
how he uses his forehand and backhand to create openings. We watched Tommy Paul and
discussed his movement and ability to change direction. We also compared the different ways
players generated pace, topspin, and depth.
My coach reminded us that we should not try to copy a professional player's entire game.
Instead, we could take individual ideas from different players and apply the ones that fit our own
style.
Evening — Exploring the U.S. Open Museum
One of the most interesting parts of the trip was visiting the U.S. Open Museum. I had already
spent the day watching modern professional tennis, so walking into the museum gave me a
completely different perspective. Instead of seeing only the sport as it is today, I was able to
learn about how tennis developed over time and how the U.S. Open became one of the most
important tournaments in the world.
The museum helped me understand that tennis has changed dramatically throughout its history.
The equipment players use today is very different from what players used decades ago. I
learned about the development of tennis rackets and how technology has affected the way the
game is played. Older rackets were made from materials such as wood, while modern rackets
use much more advanced materials that allow players to generate more power, spin, and
control.
That made me think about what my coach had been telling me earlier in the day. We had been
watching professional players generate huge amounts of racket-head speed and spin, and I
realized that modern equipment is part of that story. However, the museum also showed me
that equipment alone does not make someone a great player. Players still need incredible
timing, footwork, technique, anticipation, and consistency.
I also learned more about how the U.S. Open itself has changed. The tournament has a long
history, and it has gone through different eras of tennis. The museum helped put the players I
was watching into a much bigger context. When I saw modern stars such as Djokovic, Gauff,
Zverev, Badosa, Shapovalov, Fernandez, Paul, and Tien, I was seeing the newest generation of
a sport that has been developing for more than a century.
One thing I found especially interesting was seeing how the style of tennis has evolved. Older
generations of players often played with equipment and techniques that were very different from
today's game. Modern players can generate tremendous topspin, pace, and racket-head speed.
The athletic side of tennis has also become extremely demanding. Players have to sprint,
change direction, recover, and maintain their technique even when they are pushed far outside
the court.
The museum also made me appreciate the mental side of tennis. Throughout the day, my coach
had been pointing out that professional players make mistakes just like everyone else. In the
museum, I was reminded that the history of tennis is filled with players who had to deal with
pressure, expectations, difficult opponents, injuries, losses, and changes in the sport. Winning
at the highest level is not only about physical ability. It requires patience, discipline, confidence,
and the ability to keep improving.
Another thing I learned was how much technology has become part of modern tennis. Today,
players and coaches can analyze matches using detailed statistics and video. They can study
serve placement, rally patterns, shot direction, speed, spin, and court positioning. Even small
technical differences can be measured and studied. That connected directly to what my coach
had been doing with us throughout the day. He was essentially teaching us to analyze tennis
rather than simply watch it.
The museum also helped me understand the importance of tennis history. Seeing the
equipment, stories, and memories from earlier eras made me realize that the professional
players we watch today are part of a much larger timeline. Players from previous generations
influenced the way the game is played now, and today's players will eventually become part of
tennis history themselves.
I also started thinking about my own future as a tennis player. Obviously, I am nowhere near the
level of the professionals I was watching, but the museum made the sport feel like a journey
rather than something that has to happen all at once. Every professional player started
somewhere. They had to learn basic technique, develop their footwork, compete in matches,
lose points, make mistakes, receive coaching, and gradually improve.
That was probably my biggest takeaway from the museum. Tennis is constantly changing, but
the fundamentals remain important. Players still need good footwork, balance, timing,
preparation, a reliable contact point, and the ability to make smart decisions under pressure.
The technology may change, the rackets may change, and the playing styles may change, but
the basic challenge of getting the ball over the net and finding a way to win the next point
remains the same.
After spending the day studying professional tennis from the courtside perspective, the museum
gave me the historical perspective. It showed me where the sport came from, while the players
and my coach showed me where the sport is today. Putting those two experiences together
made the U.S. Open much more meaningful to me than simply going to watch professional
matches.
Late Evening — An Unexpected Meeting and a $10 Bet
Later that evening, we had one of the most unexpected experiences of the entire trip. A row
below us, we met Tommy Paul's childhood coach. It was really cool to meet someone who had
coached a professional player when he was young and to hear a little about Tommy's
development. We ended up talking with them for a while, and what started as a quick
conversation turned into us becoming friends with them. It was amazing to think that we were
sitting only a few rows away from someone who had been involved in Tommy Paul's journey
from childhood tennis to the professional level.
The conversation also made me think about how much work goes into becoming a professional
tennis player. Tommy Paul obviously did not become a professional overnight. His technique,
movement, decision-making, and mental game had been developed over many years. Meeting
his childhood coach made the professional game feel much more connected to the tennis we
play ourselves.
Later that evening, we made watching Djokovic even more interesting by creating our own little
challenge. We had a $10 bet where we each tried to guess where Djokovic was going to serve
before he hit the ball. We could predict that he would serve wide, down the T, or toward the
body. Whoever guessed correctly would win $10.
It quickly became much more competitive than we expected. We started paying extremely close
attention to Djokovic's serving patterns. Instead of simply watching the ball, we watched his
positioning, the returner's position, the score, and even what had happened on the previous
point. My coach explained that these are some of the same things professional players and
coaches look at when trying to predict an opponents next shot.
He also explained that serving is not completely random. A player might go wide to pull the
returner off the court, serve down the T to jam the returner or use the shortest path through the
court, or go toward the body to make the returners swing uncomfortable. The choice can
depend on the score, the opponents return position, previous points, and whether the server
thinks the opponent is expecting a certain location.
The $10 challenge turned into a fun way to test what we had learned throughout the day. Every
time Djokovic started his service motion, we had to quickly make our prediction. When we got it
right, it felt like we had actually read the point before it happened. When we got it wrong, my
coach would sometimes explain why our prediction made sense but why Djokovic chose
something different.
By the end of the evening, I realized that professional tennis involves much more strategy than I
had previously understood. A serve is not just about hitting the ball hard. Players are constantly
trying to disguise their intentions, recognize patterns, predict their opponent, and make
decisions based on the situation. What started as a $10 bet became another tennis lesson that I
will probably remember for a long time.
Throughout the Day — Practicing What We Learned
Throughout the trip, my tennis friend and I tried to use some of the things our coach was
teaching us. At different times, we practiced our split-step timing, shadow swings, recovery
steps, and positioning. We would sometimes watch a player and try to identify something
technical before asking our coach what he noticed.
Eventually, we started noticing details ourselves. Instead of just saying that a player had a
"good forehand," we could talk about their contact point, spacing, racket-head speed, rotation,
and recovery. That made us feel like we were studying tennis instead of simply watching it.
End of the Trip — What I Learned
The biggest lesson I took away from the U.S. Open was that professional tennis is built on
thousands of small details. The pros are not perfect, and they do not win every point because
they hit the hardest. They win because they can repeat good technique, move efficiently, make
smart decisions, recover quickly, control their emotions, and adjust when something is not
working.
My coach opened our eyes by showing us the mistakes that even professional players make. It
made me realize that making a mistake does not mean I am a bad player. Instead, I need to
understand why the mistake happened and figure out what adjustment I can make.
Going to the U.S. Open was therefore much more than just seeing famous players. I got to
watch some of the best players in the world, unexpectedly meet Paula Badosa and get her
autograph, see the legend Michael Chang, visit the U.S. Open museum, spend time with my
coach and tennis friend, and learn technical details that I can actually use in my own game.
I came home thinking about tennis differently. Instead of only asking, "Who won the point?" I
started asking, "Why did they win the point?" That change in the way I watch tennis may end up
being one of the most valuable things I learned from the entire experience.
