Music booming in over the loudspeakers is a feature of most big-time sporting events. And a handful of anthems have become crowd-amping favorites. (Think Queen’s “We Are the Champions.”) In baseball, players choose their own walk-up songs that play when they go to bat, and they often become known for their signature songs. After a fellow journalist made a crack about Leylah Fernandez after her big win over Angie Kerber – “Layla, you got me on my knees,” a reference to the Derek & the Dominos hit of 1970 (and a line repeated to the young Canadian in her on-court interview by Renee Stubbs) – it got me thinking: Why can’t tennis players choose their own songs to walk out to?
Here are some suggestions:
WOMEN
Leylah Fernandez “Layla,” Derek & the Dominos
“Layla, you got me on my knees / darling won't you ease my worried mind”
An obvious, perhaps, but inescapable anthem for the 19-year-old (who surely has never heard of Eric Clapton or Derek & the Dominos).
Angelique Kerber “Angie,” The Rolling Stones
“Angie, Angie / You can't say we never tried.”
Tried, Kerber did, but she was felled by a redlining teen, Fernandez.
Simona Halep “My Sharona,” the Knack
It’s close enough, and it wouldn’t take much to get the New York night crowd to sing “M-m-m-MY Simona.”
Serena Williams “Formation,” Beyoncé
Just seems like this powerful song about strong and independent women deserves to be Serena’s anthem.
Emma Raducanu “Don’t Stop Me Now,” Queen / “Emma,” Hot Chocolate
The 18-year-old teen queen, into the quarterfinal at just her second major, has to go with Freddie Mercury & Co’s other anthem. Although the Hot Chocolate tune is also spot on: “I’m gonna make you the biggest star / you’ve ever seen.”
.
Shelby Rogers “American Woman,” Lenny Kravitz
Rogers was the last American standing in the Round of 16, so she gets this stadium favorite.
Naomi Osaka “Amazing (Naomi),” WWE & CFO$
Stating the obvious. But if Osaka wished to soundtrack her commitment to racial and social issues, she could always go with “A Change is Gonna Come,” Sam Cooke; “Talkin’ Bout a Revolution,” Tracy Chapman; or, echoing the different masks she wore on court at the 2020 US Open, “Hell You Talmbout,” a Janelle Monae song performed by David Byrne.
Coco Gauff “Hot Stuff,” The Rolling Stones / “Savage,” Megan Thee Stallion (featuring Beyoncé)
Because the 17-year-old is both.
Ash Barty “Power and the Passion,” Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil is an Australian band that was outspoken about issues facing Aboriginal Australians, something near and dear to Barty. Or the world No. 1 could always take the clichéd route and play “Down Under,” by another Aussie band, Men at Work.
Belinda Bencic “Gold Rush,” Taylor Swift
Perfect for the Olympic gold medal champ from Switzerland.
Maria Sakkari “Everything in its Right Place,” Radiohead
After Sakkari’s third-round victory, she was asked about her hair – the perfectly coiffed bun she sports atop her head. Sakkari said her secret was “lots of hairspray” to keep it in place. If that’s too esoteric, she could always go with “Maria Maria,” a Brazilian Tropicalismo classic by Milton Nascimento.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova “Anna Stesia,” Prince
A player who habitually flies under the radar, walking on to one of Prince’s lesser-known songs.
Garbiñe Muguruza “Aserejé,” Las Ketchup
Just because. A trio of Spanish sisters. A ridiculous song (in Spanglish!) that’s ridiculously catchy.
MEN
Novak Djokovic “The Joker,” Steve Miller Band
Too obvious, of course. But perfect. But in recognition of his historic quest for the Grand Slam, this year Djokovic might opt for “Once in a Lifetime,” by Talking Heads.
Matteo Berrettini “Dolce Vita,” Ryan Paris
Cheesy as all heck, but c’mon, how fun would it be for big Matteo to walk on to this? You know what else would work? “Più bella cosa” (“The best thing”) by Berrettini’s countryman, Eros Ramazzotti. If the Italian were to make the final of the US Open, we might have to play “Tu vuo fa l’Americano” (“You Want to Be American”) by Renato Carosone.
Alexander Zverev “Golden Years,” David Bowie
Perfect for the gold medal champ on a hot streak, although when Zverev said on-court that since he doesn’t have a girlfriend he sleeps with his Tokyo gold medal, I thought of a perhaps more appropriate song: “Girlfriend is Better,” Talking Heads.
Jenson Brooksby ”Fight the Power,” Public Enemy
Because the unseeded 20-year-old American from Sacramento gamely took on Novak Djokovic on Ashe and showed some real fight against the most dominant player in the world.
Carlos Alcaraz “Everything I Wanted,” Billie Eilish / “Mi Gran Noche,” Raphael
The 18-year-old wonderboy from Spain has no doubt got everything he ever wanted, streaking into the quarterfinal on his first try. But a retro classic from his home country, “Mi Gran Noche” (“My Great Night”), which goes like this: “What will happen? / What mystery awaits? / It could be my great night” couldn’t be more perfect to describe his epic defeat of No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Daniil Medvedev “Rude Boy,” Rihanna / “We Found Love,” Rihanna + Calvin Harris
The impish Russian played the villain a couple years back, then found love with the New York crowd. So a pair from Rihanna. Will Medvedev find his elusive first major title?
Stefanos Tsitsipas “The Waiting,” Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
After Tsitsipas’ long, controversial bathroom breaks at the US Open, this is a no-brainer.
Botic Van de Zandschulp “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” Wham / “Die Hard the Hunter,” Def Leppard
From the “Zoolander” and “Die Hard” soundtracks … it’s just something about the name of the surprising Dutchman.
Andrey Rublev “Der Kommissar,” Falco
"The Commissioner." “Don't turn around, oh oh oh / (Ja ja) Der Kommissar's in town, whoa oh oh”
Is it just me or does Rublev give off a kind of Stasi vibe?
Lloyd Harris “The Stroke,” Billy Squier
From the “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” soundtrack. Hard to deny, as my friend Mark said, Harris’ Jeff Spicoli vibe.
Diego Schwartzman “En la Ciudad de la Furia,” Soda Stereo / “Adios Muchachos,” Carlos Gardel
Just really didn’t want to go with Randy Newman’s “Short People.” So we chose a couple from his home country of Argentina. The first is appropriate for fast-paced New York City, the second for, well, Schwartzman’s exit from the tourney after a loss to Boric Van de Zandschulp.
Jannik Sinner “It’s a Sin,” Pet Shop Boys / “Sinnerman,” Nina Simone
Both a bit on the nose, perhaps – although given where Sinner comes from, northern Italy near the Austrian Alps (Sudtirol), maybe something from the “The Sound of Music” would be more appropriate.
Gael Monfils “Alright,” Kendrick Lamar
It just seems to fit the cool, laid-back attitude of the French showman, who no matter what seems like he is gonna be aiight.
Reilly Opelka “Tall Cool One,” Robert Plant / “Stand Tall,” Childish Gambino / “Taller Than You,” Mamamoo / “The Dreamer,” The Tallest Man on Earth
So many to choose from for the 6-foot-11 American!
Frances Tiafoe “Let’s Go Crazy,” Prince
Tiafoe proved himself expert at whipping the night crowd on Ashe and Armstrong into a frenzy, ripping off his jersey and doing his best imitation of LeBron James.
SPECIAL MENTION
Roger Federer / Serena Williams “When We Were Young,” Adele
A tribute to the two 40-year-olds sadly absent from this year’s US Open.
AND...
If 19-year-old Leylah Fernandez were to play 18-year-old Emma Raducanu in the final, there would be little choice, of course, but to blast Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” I’m sure the DJ would be all over this.
