4 most emotional moments from Day 1 of US Open 2024 ft. Maria Sakkari's tearful exit, Yoshihito Nishioka’s collapse
The 2024 US Open kicked off on August 26 with high-voltage action from tennis' biggest stars. Day 1 of the year's last Grand Slam had several moments that had fans on the edge of their seats and growing teary-eyed.
Reigning champions Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff began their title defense without a hitch, registering comfortable wins over Radu Albot and Varvara Gracheva respectively.
Taylor Fritz, Aryna Sabalenka, Casper Ruud, and Zheng Qinwen also safely navigated their path into the second round. Day 1 of the tournament also produced many emotional scenes, with some players forced to retire from their matches due to injury and others bidding farewell to their Grand Slam careers.
With that said, let's take a look at four emotional moments from day 1 of the 2024 US Open:
#4 Dominic Thiem's Grand Slam goodbye
Austrian star Dominic Thiem ended his Grand Slam career at the 2024 US Open. Thiem won the biggest title of his career at Flushing Meadows in 2020 and played his last ever Major contest at the same venue four years later. The former World No. 3 will retire from tennis at his home tournament in Vienna this October.
Thiem was granted a main draw wildcard at the US Open and faced 13th seed Ben Shelton on August 26. The talented American was at his best and defeated his Austrian counterpart 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. After the match, Shelton urged the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium to cheer for Thiem, and the crowd obliged, sending him of with a raucous standing ovation.
The 30-year-old was also honored with a special ceremony after the match. He was gifted a collage of the best moments of his US Open career, including his title triumph in 2020. Thiem was grateful to receive the special reception and happy to play in New York for one last time.
"It has been 10 years since I first played here. It is actually a really important moment for me, because I had my greatest success here on this court. In that weird 2020, in strange and different circumstances. I had this success unfortunately without any of you [the fans] here. It was an amazing moment but on the other hand a bit sad, so I am super happy I got the chance to play my last US Open match on this court," Dominic Thiem said on the court (via ATP Tour).
#3 Diego Schwartzman grows emotional after last US Open appearance
Like Dominic Thiem, Diego Schwartzman also played his last US Open match on August 26. Schwartzman has announced that he will hang up his racket at the Argentina Open in February 2025 and qualified for his farewell US Open main draw via the qualifying route.
The Argentine faced Gael Monfils in the opening round and played gritty tennis to take the first set. However, the Frenchman recovered well over the next three sets to emerge victorious 6-7 (2), 6-2, 6-2, 6-1. A two-time quarterfinalist in New York, the 32-year-old broke down in tears as he soaked in the "special moment" after his final contest.
In an emotionally charged post-match on-court interview, Schwartzman found himself lucky to have a loyal fanbase who have consistently supported him over his 11 consecutive US Open appearances.
“It's difficult to speak, I'm a guy who cries a lot, (sobs), not supposed to cry now, I have to be strong, special moments like you see before on the screen once again playing here 11 times in a row, playing in a grand slam in the US Open, I did great but I think the entire crowd today, and all the years before, all the Latin American people, the American people. I don't know why they take care of me too good, every year, I'm not sure if I deserve it or not but I'm really grateful for the whole years," Schwartzman said.
#2 Maria Sakkari's tearful exit
Maria Sakkari's campaign at the 2024 US Open came to an emotional end as she retired midway through her first-round match on day 1 of the tournament. Sakkari was seeded ninth in the women's singles main draw at Flushing Meadows and faced Wang Yafan in her opening contest.
Sakkari had not played a match since her third-round exit at the Paris Olympics and looked out of sorts in New York. She struggled with first and second serves and could not convert any breakpoint opportunities. Wang played well enough to break Sakkari twice and take the first set 6-2.
The match ended prematurely as the Greek No. 1 retired from the contest in tears after struggling with a shoulder injury. The loss prolonged Sakkari's wait for a second-week appearance at a Grand Slam for the first time since the 2022 Australian Open.
#1 Yoshihito Nishioka collapses on court
Yoshihito Nishioka and Miormir Kecmanovic played an enthralling first-round match at the Flushing Meadows. Kecmanovic took the one-set advantage via the first set tiebreaker only for Nishioka to stage a roaring comeback by winning the next two sets.
The Serb restored parity in the fourth set to force a decider. However, tragedy struck early into the fifth set as Nishioka collapsed on the court in excruciating pain. After Kecmanovic won the first game of the fifth set, Nishioka was seen clutching his left thigh and arm in agony at the net and then fell to the ground at the back of the court.
Doctors rushed to court for medical treatment as the Japanese player lay on his back. Kecmanovic rushed to Nishioka's side and stayed there as medical personnel did their assessment. Despite receiving extensive medical attention, Nishioka remained on the court for a long time. He retired from the match, handing Kecmanovic a 7-6 (2), 2-6, 5-7, 7-5, 1-0 (ret.) win.