US Open: Why is it so difficult to win a second grand slam?
The US Open has been around for 72 years. The first edition was established in 1926, but the US Open has only been held once since then – in 1949 – despite the best efforts of the US Open Committee and several sponsors.
Why?
There has been much speculation over the years about why the US Open is so rare. This piece of writing is not intended to try to make sense of the US Open, as there is lots of information on the internet. Also, a lot of this information is not really pertinent to the discussion at hand. I am, however, convinced that the reason why it is so rare, is because for many decades in the history of the tennis game, it has existed under the shadow of a much more important US Open.
The US Open was established in 1913 in the US state of New Jersey, with a new tournament, the US National Championships. The new tournament did not initially win many fans, and the first edition in 1926 only drew 4,543 spectators; and then only on a grass court. The US Open did not receive a single new sponsor until 1933; and for the next 70 years the US Open did not hold a single Grand Slam tournament. The US Open Committee was powerless to change this situation; and for many years, the US Open Committee only discussed the future of the tournament on the golf course, at the annual club meetings.
The first Grand Slams
Grand Slams are not new terms in the history of tennis; with both the French and Wimbledon being considered the first major by the sport, respectively in 1877 and 1881. The first US Open, however; although it was established in 1916, was not a Grand Slam. The US Open was established in 1913, and won by American Frank Shields; who also won the men’s singles title at the event. However, the US Open and the American Championships were separated, and the US Open only lasted for two years, until its final edition in 1921.
That being said, there were several important events in the history of the US Open dating back to 1913. For example, the first US Open draw included players from Argentina, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, and Tunisia. The first winner of the tournament included a player from Serbia; and the first non American to