Louis Armstrong Stadium was abuzz on Friday, as some of the sport’s top performers gathered to share their thoughts on the 2019 US Open.
USOpen.org presents the best quotes from a busy Media Day:
“There is no place in the world like New York. You come here and you just take it in stride. You enjoy it. There’s no point fighting it.” — Ashleigh Barty
“Everything is bigger in America. I come from a small, small country, so coming to the States and playing has always been a big thrill for me.” — Roger Federer
“You never know what to expect.” — Simona Halep on New York
“You never know what you're going to see on the streets. There is always just something to do. It's literally the city that never sleeps.” — Bianca Andreescu on New York
“Being an American at the US Open is probably the coolest thing you can do.” — 2017 US Open titlist Sloane Stephens
“I have been kind of blessed with this media attention.” — Defending champion Naomi Osaka
“It's been surreal. I have enjoyed every moment out there. I didn't expect anything to come this quickly, but I do believe that I'm capable of doing big things.” — 19-year-old Canadian Bianca Andreescu, who this year has captured titles in Indian Wells and Toronto
“I need to get my game back.” — Alexander Zverev
“Now I know that when I play my best tennis I can beat basically everybody.” — Daniil Medvedev, who reached consecutive finals in Washington, Montreal and Cincinnati, where he captured the first Masters 1000 title of his career
“I’m happy to be back with Kamau.” — Sloane Stephens, who is again working with coach Kamau Murray, with whom she teamed up to win the 2017 US Open
“I hope I can come back to that stage again, playing the final of a Grand Slam.” — 2014 US Open finalist Kei Nishikori
“Speaking loud and me don't get along.” — Defending champion Naomi Osaka
“I'm still a young guy, only 22 years old. There are still a lot of things that I need to learn, not only on the tennis court, but in life in general. Those things I think every young person has to go through. The only difference between me and other young people is that I have to play in front of 20,000 people.” — Alexander Zverev
“When I saw the draw, I kind of refreshed my feed and saw that first round pop up.” — Ashleigh Barty on the first-round blockbuster between Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova
“What's happening in Canadian tennis right now is unbelievable.” — Bianca Andreescu
"Life is not always easy. You need to be prepared for the tough moments." — Rafael Nadal
“I'm not a favorite in any way at a Grand Slam.” — Alexander Zverev, who has suffered opening-round losses in three of his last six tournaments
“I’m kind of a closed person, not that open.” — Daniil Medvedev
“I'm not putting extra pressure on myself. I know it's going to be tough. I'm not coming in as the overwhelming favorite like maybe I did back in 2006 or 2007. I'm very much aware of how I need to approach this tournament mentally.” — Roger Federer
“Nadia was an inspiration for all of us.” — Simona Halep on countrywoman/gymnast Nadia Comăneci, a five-time Olympic gold medalist
“I see them sprinting back and forth, and I'm just, like, ‘Wow.’ I kind of want to offer them water sometimes and a towel.” — Naomi Osaka on the US Open ballpersons
“It is amazing how returning has improved in the last 20 years since I started in the game. There were some shocking return players back in my day when I started. Now you rarely have them. Everyone can make returns at all times. I don't know if there's really a safe place to go to.” — Roger Federer
“They are definitely knocking on the door big-time.” — Roger Federer on the rising generation of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alex de Minaur, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov, etc.
