Top 10 Viral Moments from the US Open

On August 28, 2024, the official U.S. Open Tennis Championship account tweeted out what was (possibly) an awkward view into the personal life of a poor, random US Open attendee. The video, which now has over 27 million views, shows a man returning to his seat with two drinks. He sits down and appears to reach out to hand one of the beverages to the woman beside him — before another man beats him to it. “This is cinema.” reads the caption posted alongside the video. Personally, we’d rather watch “Challengers”.

Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi have one of the most iconic rivalries in tennis — one that led to more than a few memorable matches. But there’s a reason their 2001 quarterfinal match is still considered one of the greatest ever played at the US Open. While neither player was in their prime, they defied odds and delivered an exceptional display of tennis. Every single set of the match was decided by a tiebreak, resulting in an incredibly tense game that eventually went to Sampras. As he said after defeating his rival, “It was probably as good as it gets.”

In 2019, at 15, Coco Gauff made her Arthur Ashe Stadium debut and was defeated in straight sets by then-defending champion, Naomi Osaka. Left in tears following the match, she was comforted by her opponent. In a post match press conference, Osaka stated that wanted to give Gauff the opportunity to address the fans who came to see her play. Years later, Gauff had not forgotten, shouting her out in 2023 following a win over Karolína Muchová that landed her a spot in her first US Open final. Gauff shouted out Osaka’s gesture after the match.

During the 2024 US Open, video was posted to social media that seems to show Yulia Putintseva ignoring a ball girl throwing balls in her direction during a match against Jasmine Paolini. The footage was retweeted by six-time major winner Boris Becker, who expressed that Putintseva’s behavior towards the ball girl was “terrible”. On her own Instagram account, Putintseva responded to the controversy. She said she was deep in her own thoughts and wasn’t trying to humiliate or disrespect the ball girl and ultimately apologized. She also added that, “It's kind of scary the way the world can judge someone from just a three second video.”

In the 2011 US Open semifinals, Novak Djokovic was down two sets against tennis great Roger Federer. It seemed unlikely he would be able to turn things around but he did, delivering an improved performance and winning the entire match. From there, he went on to beat defending champ Rafael Nadal and emerge victorious in the final. What’s extra remarkable is that Djokovic had pulled off a similar feat a year prior, reaching the final at Flushing Meadows after saving two match points in the final set. It was also the second time in 2011 Federer lost after winning the first two sets, following a loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at Wimbledon.

Former tennis star Maria Sharapova is remembered as one of the greatest players of all time. But that doesn’t mean her illustrious career was without controversy. Take this particularly bizarre instance from the 2006 US Open. During a match that saw Sharapova win her second Grand Slam title, her father was spotted on more than occasion holding a banana. The tennis player insisted that her father was only doing what a good father does by trying to remind her to eat during the final. That didn’t stop the rumors from spreading, with Sharapova and her father being accused of using the banana for secret coaching tactics.

At the 2006 US Open, Billie Jean King was honored opening night at Arthur Ashe Stadium with the renaming of the United States Tennis Association’s stadium complex to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Alongside a jubilant New York crowd and several of her fellow tennis stars, King appeared incredibly proud as the facility was rechristened. Even then-mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg was there to deliver some remarks, and singer Diana Ross treated the audience to a performance. All in all, it was an extravagant and very well deserved celebration of a groundbreaking and exceptional athlete.

Between 2004 and 2008, Roger Federer was an untouchable titan, winning five consecutive US Open titles. Federer is the only male player in the Open Era to pull off this feat, winning 40 consecutive matches at the US Open in the process. Some have gone so far as to call the record “unbreakable”. Did we mention that this guy pulled off five straight Wimbledon titles as well. And these are just two of his accomplishments - Federer holds a bounty of other records as well, including 30 from Guinness World Records.

At the 2014 US Open, Serena Williams once again made history by securing her sixth title win, her third consecutive at the time. With this remarkable feat, she became tied with Chris Evert for most wins by a woman at the Open. This was also her 18th major win, again putting her on par with Evert, along with fellow tennis legend Martina Navratilova, for most US Open singles titles won by a woman in the Open Era. Winning both the US Open and the US Open Series, Williams netted $4 million — that’s the biggest payday in history of the sport. Four years later, Serena was the subject of another viral US Open moment when her outburst against an umpire was caught on camera.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Pete Sampras’ Career Closer
Sampras Recovered from Tournament Drought Right in Time, Making It to the Final

Justine Henin-Hardenne’s ‘03 Victory
Despite Exhaustion, Henin Took Home the Title in a Memorable Match

A Victory for Moms Everywhere
Leaving Tennis in 2007 to Start a Family, Kim Clijsters Returned in ‘09 to Capture the Title

In 2001, the Women's Final was showcased in prime time for the first time ever at the US Open, a signifier of how far the women’s game had come at the time. It was a Grand Slam clash between sisters — the first of many to come — as Venus and Serena Williams duked it out in a display that needed as many eyes on it as possible. Since then, women’s tennis has come to even more prominence, in no small part thanks to the continued success of the Williams sisters on the court, alongside several other incredible female players.

Did we miss your favorite moment? Lob it to us in the comments!