We came, we saw, they conquered.
Three weeks of pulsating tennis concluded in Flushing Meadows on Sunday, with champions crowned and champagne flowing. Along the way, blood, sweat and plenty of tears were left on the gritty hard-court canvas of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, as the 2026 Grand Slam season came to a close.
With another magical US Open behind us, let’s look back at the moments that moved us most.
Federer’s return
For more than two decades, Roger Federer made tennis fans swoon with the elegance and poetry of his game. Here in New York, his five consecutive men’s singles titles remain a feat untouched.
The Swiss maestro returned to walk in his own indelible footsteps, kicking off a week of celebration that ended with his induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Having Federer back in Arthur Ashe Stadium for a special evening alongside Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and John McEnroe allowed us all to stroll down memory lane and revisit the glory of peak Federer.
Michelsen’s heartbreak, Tiafoe’s heart
The most poignant moment of the tournament, hands down.
Frances Tiafoe had just completed an extraordinary comeback from two sets down against Alex Michelsen when, in the middle of his celebration, he noticed his devastated countryman across the net. Tiafoe stopped and went to console him, putting his own euphoria aside after handing Michelsen a crushing defeat.
Michelsen’s tears were all our tears. Tiafoe’s gesture was a reminder of the humanity that has made him such an important tone-setter and mentor among the American men.
Sometimes the best moments in tennis have little to do with who won.
Williams sisters reunited
Friday night lights. Venus and Serena. A packed Arthur Ashe Stadium. Cocktails in hand, dressed to the nines, everyone came to see the greatest sister act the sport has ever known.
It ended in defeat, but the Williams sisters’ first-round loss to Maya Joint and Hao-Ching Chan was anything but downbeat. Instead, it became a celebration of their greatness—and a reminder of how their iconic journey to superstardom began.
Together.
Ram’s farewell
There wasn’t a dry eye in Louis Armstrong Stadium on Thursday.
Rajeev Ram, a pillar of American doubles greatness for more than two decades, had just completed his record 26th consecutive appearance in the US Open men’s doubles draw.
The 42-year-old fought through tears as his remarkable career was celebrated, thanking those who had helped him along the way—including his dearly departed father, Raghav.
For a player who spent so much of his career sharing the court, it was fitting that Ram’s final moments on it were shared with so many people who loved and admired him.
Stan bids adieu on Grandstand
Whether you call him Stan the Man, the Stanimal or just plain Stan, there’s probably a tinge of sadness in your voice when you say it now.
2016 champion Stan Wawrinka played his final Grand Slam match on Grandstand on Day 2, with fans filling the seats and flooding the standing-room-only ring around the court.
Wawrinka pushed Matteo Berrettini to tiebreaks in the first two sets before falling in straights, but the result hardly mattered. Those who elbowed their way in to see the 41-year-old take his final Grand Slam bow will cherish the memory forever.
Keys breaks it down
Tennis and heartbreak go hand in hand, and there was no more painful reminder than Madison Keys’ emotional press conference after squandering a 5-0 lead against Qinwen Zheng in the third set of the third round.
Recently crowned a Grand Slam champion, Keys spoke candidly about the pressures she places on herself and the battles that can rage inside a player’s own mind, even after reaching the heights she spent a career chasing.
It was difficult to see one of the game’s kindest and most thoughtful players in such a state. Here’s hoping smiling Madison isn’t gone for long.
Terrific Tuesday
A tumultuous, terrific Day 10 finally came to a close—on Day 11.
At 3:33 in the morning, Ben Shelton claimed the biggest victory of his career, dethroning defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a stunning five-set epic that left those still inside Arthur Ashe Stadium delirious.
Electricity. Euphoria. Exhaustion.
After a day and night that seemingly had everything, Shelton supplied the exclamation point. There hasn’t been a better day of tennis at the US Open since the original Super Saturday.
Townsend’s career Slam
An inimitable force for good, Taylor Townsend represents women, mothers, people of color—and, most importantly, herself—with a joie de vivre and philosophical bent all her own.
Watching the Chicago native win her first US Open title in women's doubles and complete the career Grand Slam felt like another hard-earned chapter in a story Townsend has authored on her own terms.
Chapter by breathtaking chapter, she keeps making the story better.
The man, the myth, La Monf
Gael Monfils celebrated his 40th birthday by becoming the oldest man to win a US Open singles match since Jimmy Connors in 1992. Because simply doing that wouldn’t be Monfils enough, he also reached the mixed doubles semifinals alongside his wife, Elina Svitolina.
For two decades, Monfils has treated a tennis court as part sporting arena, part playground and part movie set. Watching the magical, cinematic Frenchman push the envelope one more time in New York was one of the blessings of this year’s US Open.
Long live La Monf.
