US Open: Why is it so difficult to win a second grand slam?
There’s the US Open at Flushing Meadows, the US Open at Eastbourne, the US Open at Wimbledon, the US Open at Cincinnati, and the US Open at Atlanta, but what makes it so difficult?
The US Open was held at the original tennis stadium in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park for the first five years of its existence (1958-1965), and then at the Queens Cricket Club for the next nine, before finally settling into the Flushing Meadows complex in 1972.
How difficult is it for players to win a second Grand Slam at the US Open?
It’s quite difficult, yes, but if you look at the numbers it’s even harder. At the US Open alone, there have only been five grand slam titles in the Open Era, and three of those have come from players born in the US.
At least the US Open has been as good as Wimbledon with its 20 Grand Slam championships since the Open Era (1961-2014), and at least has one of the best Grand Slams for men and women of all time, with the US Open in 2012 being the best Grand Slam yet.
In the Open Era, there have been 24 grand slam titles by US players at the US Open, only two of which were won by Americans. Only six other men’s players have won Wimbledon or the US Open: Rod Laver Jr. (1962), John McEnroe (1970) Roger Taylor (1970), John McEnroe (1973), Jimmy Connors (1978) and Andy Roddick (1997).
Only two women’s players have won the US Open at the US Open: Steffi Graf, who won in 1978 and 1981, and Martina Navratilova, who won it in 1985. If you look at the four women that have won Grand Slams at the US Open since the Open Era, you only get three, which is still pretty good.
Why is it so difficult for players to win a second Grand Slam at the US Open?
With the US Open beginning in