The 2017 US Open proved to be a very entertaining event. Rafael Nadal won his 16th grand slam title while Sloane Stephens won her first. Below is my list of 10 things to take away from the final grand slam of the season.
#1. Rafael Nadal put himself back in the conversation for greatest of all time: Rafael Nadal has already established himself as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, so it's not like he has anything more to prove. However, if we are talking about who the greatest of all time is, every grand slam title matters. With 16 now under his belt, Nadal is only three grand slam titles shy of Roger Federer's all-time record of 19. Federer still deserves the title of greatest of all-time, but Nadal is making a very compelling case for himself after winning the 2017 US Open.
#2. It's only the beginning for Sloane Stephens: At just 24 years of age, Sloane Stephens continues to get better, breaking through to win her first grad slam title at the 2017 US Open. After suffering a stress fracture in her right foot and falling outside of the top 100, nobody saw this coming. Sloane Stephens' comeback and ability to persevere through adversity speaks very highly of her determination and perspective. It would have been easy for her to give up or think this isn't the year she'll win a grand slam. Instead of listening to the odds, she listened to her heart and it paid off. I have a feeling that we'll see Sloane Stephens win at least a few more grand slams before her career is over.
#3. Kevin Anderson was the feel good story: After having never gone further than the 4th Round at any grand slam, Kevin Anderson had the run of his career all the way to the final before falling to Rafael Nadal. At 31 years of age, Anderson has been through a lot in his career, so it was nice to see him get rewarded with a trip to a grand slam final. I don't know if he'll ever break through to win a grand slam, but even if he never does, this run will be something he'll be able to proudly reflect on for the rest of his career.
#4. Madison Keys will be back: Madison Keys choked in the final against Sloane Stephens. As much as I hate to say it, it's the truth. As well as Stephens played, Keys shouldn't have gone down 3-6, 0-6. There's really no excuse for that. The good news is that at 22 years of age, Keys is still very young and can use this grand slam final as a great learning experience. I'm very confident that the next time she's in a grand slam final, she won't let the moment overwhelm her like it did against Sloane Stephens, who just happens to be one of her closest friends on tour.
#5. Juan Martin Del Potro had a fantastic run of his own: While he wasn't able to get past Rafael Nadal in the semifinals, Juan Martin Del Potro still had a fantastic two weeks at the US Open, taking out Roger Federer in the quarterfinals. As the #24 seed, a lot of people thought he was past his prime and not capable of making another run like this. Del Potro proved that he still has what it takes to do damage at a grand slam. He's definitely a guy to look out for in the 2018 season.
#6. Maria Sharapova had a pretty good comeback: Maria Sharapova did better than a lot of people thought she'd do, upsetting #2 ranked Simona Halep in the first round and making a run to the 4th round. Now that she has her first grand slam back from her suspension behind her, I expect Maria Sharapova to do big things in 2018.
#7. Roger Federer didn't have the tournament he was hoping to have: Falling to Juan Martin Del Potro in the quarterfinals isn't what Roger Federer was planning on when he began the tournament. However, I don't sense this as anything to worry about if you're a Fed fan. He came up short this time, but I expect him to contend for slams in 2018 and possibly beyond.
#8. Simona Halep has to do a lot of soul searching after this one: I don't want to take anything away from Maria Sharapova's tournament, but if you are Simona Halep, you cannot go down in the first round to anyone as the #2 seed. Halep is yet to win a grand slam despite two trips to the French Open final and trips to the semifinals at Wimbledon and the US Open. In the summer, I said Simona Halep needed to step up and break through at a slam in the near future. Right now, I'm not sure if we'll ever see her win one. She's starting to look like another Caroline Wozniacki.
#9. Is this the beginning of something great for Pablo Carreño Busta? Pablo Carreño Busta reached the semifinals and it looks like that may not have been a fluke. He put together his best season on tour, reaching the quarterfinals of the French Open earlier in the year. At 26 years old, he is just starting to enter his prime. Don't be shocked to see more deep runs from this guy in future grand slams. He just might be the real deal.
#10. Serena Williams' absence didn't loom large: Don't get me wrong, women's tennis needs Serena Williams. But with the way things unfolded, it really does look like the future of women's tennis, especially American women's tennis, is very bright. All four semifinalists (Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, Venus Williams, and CoCo Vandeweghe) were Americans and generated plenty of buzz without Serena. I found this to be a very encouraging sign for women's tennis and where it's heading in a post Williams sisters world.
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