We have to talk about the U.S. Open. First of all, congratulations to Ben Shelton for his epic win against Carlos Alcaraz Tuesday night. The match went five hours and ended at 3:33 in the morning. A friend of mine was there and joked, “I’m waiting for them to start serving breakfast.”
Tiafoe vs. Michelsen
The U.S. Open has been really entertaining so far. The quarterfinal match between Americans Frances Tiafoe and Alex Michelsen, who is only 22 years old and unseeded, was remarkable from start to finish.
Like Shelton-Alcaraz, it also went five sets and could have gone either way. Michelsen won the first two sets, but Tiafoe ended up pulling it out in a fifth set tie-break. In the moment when Tiafoe did win, he initially started celebrating before seeing his opponent emotionally approaching the net for the customary handshake.
The two of them ended up sharing an emotional hug at center court that was really moving. It was such a feel-good moment. Tiafoe, who has a great backstory of his own, saw his competitor needed him. Michelsen looked up to Tiafoe, we were told by the reporters, and clearly was overcome with emotion.
I don’t play tennis, but my whole family does. It is really like two gladiators going at it. There is no teammate to blame. There is no place to hide. It is just the two of you on that court. Your fortunes rise and fall so quickly; the emotional swings are huge; and it builds so much character.
It is one of the things I see in my own kids. Being out there, fighting for it against all odds, and, at times, losing in humiliating fashion, builds character. On the flip side, winning and trying to be a gentleman or a lady about it also builds character.
Michelsen has nothing to hang his head over. What a run he has had. He almost beat the twelfth best player in the world (based on the ATP rankings) to move on to the semifinals. He couldn’t quite hold in the emotion of it all, which I thought was very sweet and moving. Good for both of those guys. We’ll be rooting for them. Tiafoe has another tough match on deck against Shelton.
Naomi Osaka
There is one other thing I want to mention, and it involves Naomi Osaka. She and I have gone round and round. A couple years ago, she chastised a reporter for having the nerve to ask her about the fact that she doesn’t perform as well on clay. She had some meltdown on him, and said she didn’t want to do press anymore. I have also called her out for issues with sportsmanship and self-centeredness.
And by the way, notwithstanding how she really doesn’t want to deal with the press, she was all about the Black Lives Matter protests back in 2020. She made that very clear on the tennis court and off. She was fine using the media for that messaging, but when we have to talk about why she’s not a great clay court player, it is intrusive and bullying. Got it?
Osaka was back at the Open this year. She has had a comeback since having her first child in 2023. Good for her. I applaud it and respect it. But she is apparently now an Anna Wintour protégé. Like at Wimbledon where she wore a kimono to enter the court, she wore a series of ‘high fashion’ looks that had nothing to do with tennis.
I thought we struggled with social anxiety. I thought we couldn’t deal with cameras or attention. Because of this woman, they had to create some special anxiety room at all the Grand Slams where the players can go, but now we are going to be a fashionista? Suddenly we are Linda Evangelista or Naomi Campbell?
She had a different outfit for each round and guess what happened when she reached the round of 16 and had to face world number two Elena Rybakina who was focused on tennis instead of herself? She was beaten roundly. It was a decisive victory, and she is now out of the U.S. Open.
I am just curious about whether we are now at a place where we are allowed to comment on Naomi Osaka. Is she back to courting the press? I sense that she wants attention again, and I am willing to give it to her.
I want her to know that I think, just based on what I have seen from other pro tennis players, the best thing to do when performing at a Grand Slam tournament is to dress like a professional tennis player and to focus on one’s game because she were a disaster in that last match that she lost.
You can check out Megyn’s full analysis by tuning in to episode 1,394 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s The Megyn Kelly Channel (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.