On a night where tennis' biggest stars gathered on one of the sport's biggest stages, the message was simple: peace.
Rafael Nadal, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff led a star-studded exhibition event at the 2022 US Open in support of Tennis Plays for Peace, an initiative started by the sport's seven governing bodies this year in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
US Open Tournament Director Stacey Allaster was joined by former players Sergiy Stakhovsky and Olga Savchuk on-court to begin the evening. Savchuk serves as captain for Ukraine's Billie Jean King Cup team, which played the U.S. in an April qualifying tie for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
That tie, held in Asheville, N.C., raised approximately $250,000 in support of Ukrainian humanitarian relief efforts thanks in part of the efforts of the USTA and its corporate partners, the Asheville tennis community, and fans in attendance.
On Wednesday night, ribbons in the colors of the Ukrainian flag, blue and yellow, were distributed for players and fans to wear.
Young Ustyn Chornyy sang the Ukrainian national anthem to start the ceremonies, and soon, the stars came out under Louis Armstrong’s closed roof. Fans cheered as the first two mixed doubles teams Nadal and Swiatek, and McEnroe and Gauff, headed toward the net.
With thunderous applause for all, staff members from Veselka, Manhattan’s popular Ukrainian-themed restaurant, also took to the court and discussed their efforts to raise money and awareness for their home country.
Wearing bright yellow head and wristbands, Nadal provided a brief tennis lesson to the Ukrainian restaurateurs as Patrick McEnroe climbed the umpire chair.
The camera later zoomed in on Gauff’s shoes, which read “Play for peace.” (“I like to speak out for what’s right,” she later said.)
After winning the coin toss, Nadal and Swiatek opted to serve first. Within seconds, the 22-time Grand Slam winner smacked a shot that sent Gauff and McEnroe running to the baseline.
Each player showed flashes of the athletic brilliance that propelled them to the top of the sport, but also made sure to entertain with trick shots and – in McEnroe’s case – jokes.
When McEnroe’s request to view an electronic review of a missed shot was denied “It never works!” he mock-shouted. Later, down 5-7, he playfully tossed his racquet at the net.
In the end, Nadal and Swiatek won a tiebreak, 10-8 – then embraced their opponents and spoke during a post-match interview, where Poland's Swiatek discussed how the situation in neighboring Ukraine is close to her heart.
Following the tiebreak three of the four players exited – and John McEnroe briefly replaced his brother as umpire, at least temporarily – the second set of mixed doubles teams arrived on court.
Ben Shelton, a rising star from the University of Florida who recently announced his decision to turn professional, teamed with his Top 10 compatriot Jessica Pegula, who wore a Ukrainian ribbon on her visor.
On the other side of the net, Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime teamed up with countrywoman Leylah Fernandez – the 2021 US Open women’s singles runner-up.
Fernandez fielded a number of blazing shots. But when it was Auger-Aliassime’s time to return on set point, the world No. 8 whacked a ball into the net. The Americans defeated their neighbors to the north, 10-8.
The third match saw Matteo Berrettini of Italy pair with Katarina Zavatska of Ukraine, playing Greek stars Maria Sakkari and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Halfway through the tiebreak, Tsitsipas pledged to donate $10,000 personally to the cause if his partner hit an ace – which she did.
Next up: Spain’s teenage sensation Carlos Alcaraz and American partner Frances Tiafoe played Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz. Playing a winner-take-all point at 9-9, Paul and Fritz won the closest tiebreak of the night.
For the fifth and final tiebreak, American Sebastian Korda and Ukrainian Daria Snigur played their compatriots Tiafoe and Dayana Yastremska in a symbolic and emotional finale.
Draped in a Ukrainian flag, Yastremska spoke from the heart and looked toward a brighter future: “One day … every single person is going to live in peace. And everything is going to be OK.”
View more photos from the event below.
