'Disgrace to men's tennis': Why tennis fans are left with a bitter aftertaste after US Open finals

In the world today, the number of clicks or views something gets is most people's model of success, and that's no different when it comes to elite sports.

The US Open wrapped up the final Grand Slam event of the 2024 calendar with two incredible finals. Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner beat American opposition to cap off 2024 with Australian and US Open titles.

Since the Grand Slam season ended, there has been a debate about who stole the show at the US Open. Was it Jannik Sinner or Aryna Sabalenka?

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The immense disparity in viewership of the finals' highlights on YouTube would suggest that Sabalenka is the much bigger star, with the women's final having over 1.7 million views and the men's final having 700,000, according to the US Open YouTube channel.

Was the final too easy for Sinner against Taylor Fritz? The Italian was on the court for only two hours and 16 minutes, winning 6-3, 6-4, 7-5. For a final that possessed a local boy, people expected it would go to the wire.

One tennis supporter took to X to share his views, saying: "Disgrace to men's tennis. No words." Another said: "I'm not going to lie I like Sinner, but the final was dead man for some reason. It's not about his game at all. His game is amazing to watch but it's just that the final felt bland."

Essentially Sports reports that many of the negative comments stem from anger at Sinner's involvement in the tournament. The Italian tennis star tested positive for low levels of Clostebol during the Indian Wells this year and was fined.

The men's French and Australian Open finals were thrilling five-set matches, and Wimbledon was played between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, two of the sport's biggest box-office names. The US Open final didn't quite live up to both bills in those respects.

On the other hand, Sabalenka's final with Jessica Pegula was a rollercoaster of emotions, with Sabalenka scrapping through, winning 5-7,5-7. Sabalenka won five games straight to go up 5-2 at one point before Pegula took the set to a tiebreak.

One X user said: "The women's final was better, and that's not something I say often." Another stated: "Real ones watched the women's." A third person wrote: "Wow, misogynists won't like that."

It's now three Grand Slam titles for Sabalenka and two for Sinner. Was the win more important for Sinner as he attempts to rebuild his popularity amidst the chaos of a cheating scandal?

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