ESPN Tennis commentators Mary Joe Fernandez and Patrick McEnroe previewed the 2026 US Open on an August 24 media conference call.
Q: With the general uncertainty around the men’s draw, is this the best chance for some of these American men like Shelton and Fritz to maybe win a major for the Americans? Also, what do you think and where does a guy like Tommy Paul fit in with that?
McENROE: 100%. I would say this is a golden opportunity. Obviously if Alcaraz comes back and gets through a few matches, looks good, he’ll quickly become the favorite. I mean, he’s the favorite right now, but he’d quickly become a bigger favorite.
There’s no doubt the fact he hasn’t played since the spring, with Sinner out, this is a monster opportunity. I mean, Shelton had another big win in Canada. Fritz has been pretty rock solid this summer. A lot of matches under his belt. Let’s throw Frances Tiafoe in the mix after getting to the final in Cincinnati. He thrives with the New York crowd.
Tommy Paul is certainly capable. I’d put Shelton as the top guy. For me, he’s the best chance with his serve. I liked what I saw from him a lot in Canada. I thought the return game looked a lot better. To me, that’s always been the thing that he’s got to improve upon the most if he wants to win one of these big ones.
Not only for the Americans, but Zverev who has gotten the proverbial monkey off the back by winning Paris. He’ll be a big-time threat.
Maybe some of the younger guys. I love Jodar, what he’s done this year. Fonseca. Mensik got to the semis in Paris.
These players have to be looking at this as a huge opportunity.
FERNANDEZ: I agree. Of all the men’s majors, this is the one that’s most wide open for the Americans. A big opportunity for sure. All the ones that Patrick mentioned, at the top of the list. Nakashima had a great summer as well. Look to him to maybe continue. I like Learner Tien a lot, too.
The other one I think we need to mention, maybe this is his best last chance, is Novak Djokovic. If he can be 100% physically, this would be the one, not knowing exactly how Carlos is going to get out there and play.
Big opportunity, for sure, for the American men.
Q: On Novak, he couldn’t get through one best-of-three in Cincinnati. Is it realistic to think this guy can win seven best-of-fives here?
McENROE: It’s definitely possible. I wouldn’t bet on it myself personally. He’s certainly capable. He’s played well in the majors this year. Beat Sinner in Australia. Arguably he’s played the three best matches of the year. Two he won against Sinner, the won he lost against Fonseca, second- or third-round match. A great match. Then one against Auger-Aliassime.
I think a lot of things have to break right for him. Weather-wise, avoiding a long match. I think the Felix match took a lot out of him even though he had two days off before he played Sinner.
Certainly, the way he’s played in the majors, he’s playing well enough to be a factor. For me, there’s too many things that have to go right, that have to break right for him to win it.
Q: Who do you see as the favorite on the men’s side to be crowned champion? Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev have to be considered in the conversation. Then what about an outsider like Arthur Fils? On the women’s side, who do you think can emerge victorious? Aryna Sabalenka or Elena Rybakina or Coco Gauff, or two-time US Open champion Naomi Osaka, as well as Alex Eala?
FERNANDEZ: You just mentioned all the possibilities. I think you answered the question.
They’re both wide open. There’s a lot of chances for the players you just mentioned to win a major. Nice to see Zverev take advantage. Sinner went out early, Alcaraz wasn’t there. Can he do it again?
I’m with Patrick, a lot of things have to break right for Novak, then we’ll see.
The Americans have a chance. Ben played well in Canada. He didn’t recover quick enough in Cincinnati. The opportunity is there.
For the women, Sabalenka is going for a three-peat. She hasn’t reached a final since winning Indian Wells and Miami back-to-back. She struggled a bit winning the big points. She’s lost a couple big leads in some events. So, she’s vulnerable.
I thought Coco Gauff played exceptional tennis in Cincinnati. She played well in Canada, as well. To me she’s the one that’s playing the best tennis. You have Pegula, Rybakina if she’s healthy, who reached the finals in Canada. Eala was outstanding in Washington. She beat a lot of top players there. A lot of players you mentioned have a chance.
I agree, Fils played great to beat Tiafoe in the finals. I would go with him as well.
McENROE: I would go with Iga Swiatek on the women’s. I think she is the favorite. I like the way she’s playing. She is playing with a little bit more margin, not quite as offensive, which I think is actually very good for her. That’s sort of why I’m picking her.
I don’t think she’s the favorite. It would probably be Sabalenka. I think Mary Joe is spot on about Coco, in Cincinnati looked great the last couple matches.
I’m not going to say it’s wide open on the women’s side, but there’s probably six to eight players that could win it.
The men’s side, Alcaraz is still the favorite. He shows up, he’s the favorite. He’s not as big of a favorite as he would be if he had been playing. If he had been playing most of the year, he’d be a huge, huge favorite.
Because of the question mark about how he’s going to feel physically, how he’s going to play, then you put probably the second favorite, I mean, I guess if you went by the odds makers, it’s probably Djokovic or Zverev would be my guess. I haven’t looked at them lately.
I’m picking Big Ben. I’m going for it. I like Shelton to win the Open. I can stop getting this question after 20-some years: When is the next American going to win a major? I’m sick of it! I’m tired of it (laughter)!
Q: For the women’s doubles, do you think Su-Wei Hsieh can win her first US Open title at the age of 40?
FERNANDEZ: Yeah, I mean, she’s been a tremendous player. She’s been a tremendous doubles player through the years. The two hands on both sides, has great feel. Even though she’s up there in age a little bit, yeah, there’s no reason why she can’t do it in doubles.
McENROE: Who is she playing with in doubles?
Q: I think it might be Jelena Ostapenko.
McENROE: A little firepower. She’s got the feel.
This is the first time we’ve ever gotten a question on doubles before a major. Congratulations. I give you some props for that.
Q: The reemergence of college tennis as a pathway to the pros. Used to be popular, then it declined, now it’s back. What do you make of both the decline and why that’s reemerged over the past decade or so?
McENROE: I think it’s great. I love college tennis. I’m not crazy about the amount of international players, but that’s a topic for another day, another story.
There’s no doubt that college tennis has gotten a lot deeper, a lot stronger, partly because of the international players. No doubt about it.
Also, they’re able to stay in college a little bit longer, which I’m not a huge fan of. They have guys that are 25, 26 not just in tennis but in all college sports, which to me is insane. I’ll be discussing that in DC when I go in front of the Congressional committee after the Open. I’m looking forward to doing that.
I like to see the players from college, both male and female. The reason is because of the great facilities, great coaches, great competition, and the players have a little more time to mature physically.
Although we’re starting to see more teenagers come through, Iva Jovic is another I like on the women’s side, a young American who could do well at the Open. For the most part it’s trending towards the players in their mid-20s hitting their peak.
I think that’s making the players stay in college for at least a year or two. Ben Shelton went for two years. Most of the top players that you see making it like, Jodar, Nakashima, they went to college briefly. They didn’t stay there for that long. It’s certainly a steppingstone for them. Peyton Stearns, Emma Navarro played college tennis.
I think it’s great for the college tennis players that that pathway is sort of back, to me stronger than it’s been in a long time.
FERNANDEZ: The competition is fantastic now. It’s a great steppingstone. I think what Patrick said is spot on. There’s time now. There’s no rush to play in the professional tour immediately because the careers have been extended. They’re longer. Why not go and get great coaching and the training facilities and all that, and the education while you’re at it. Then you can determine, are you ready for the tour after a year or two or do you finish the four years of school? Like Patrick said, now they can stay a little bit longer.
It’s been great to see how many college players, more on the men than the women, but both are transitioning really well onto the pro tour.
McENROE: Now you can even make some money in college tennis. Not quite the money they make in football and basketball.
What do you think? I’m sort of considering, maybe I go back to Stanford, I can get another year of eligibility. Do you think I can make the team?
McENROE: I saw the football players, like 25. He played in the NFL. He’s going back to play in college football. I mean, this is a joke.
Q: Why do you think it went away for a while, why did the strength of college tennis decline for a while?
McENROE: Look, the players that make it for the most part in the history of tennis, that made it to the top, I’m talking about top-10 type players, most of them still didn’t go to college. So, the route is sort of go into the pros at 16, 17. You kind of work it when you’re that good. Like a journeyman player like I was, you stay in college.
Still, most of the players that make it out of college are not top, top players. Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul. I was there at the USTA when they were all coming up. They all debated what they should do.
In those years it was a better progression to go straight to the pros. That paid off for those guys. They’re obviously very successful players.
If you’re someone that’s going to be, say, a 30 to 100 player, like I was for most of my career, then I think it makes more sense to go to college.
I think you’re seeing a few now, Shelton is the exception, he’s a legitimate top, top player. Jodar, again, I think he’s going to be a top player. He went for a cup of coffee to college basically. Arthur Fils, who someone mentioned, is a great call. A guy like that is not thinking about going to college.
Most of the European players are not thinking about going to college as much. Nowadays the ones like are on the cusp of making it, they’re really good players, but are not top 100 players, they’re 150 to 400 players, which are pretty damn good now. Some players are saying I might as well go to college, make some money, go to the pros at 24, 25.
Q: Do you have thoughts on the group of top players who have been organizing for the last year and a half, working with Larry Scott to lobby with the Grand Slams, the headline has been for higher play, the prize money to be administered as a percentage of tournament revenue, but also a players council to negotiate with the Grand Slams on player issues, pension contributions. US Open prize money is the highest it’s ever been. There’s a new players council, welfare fund. What do you think of their level of coordination, the progress they’ve made? Are there historical comparisons for this or is this pretty novel?
FERNANDEZ: I think they made a lot of progress. I think it’s hard to get the top players together and behind the same cause in a room discussing the issues, what they think is fair for them. I think they’ve been consistent.
I think the US Open did a phenomenal job of increasing the prize money I believe by 20%. Now the council is being formed. A lot of the things that they’ve wanted to happen earlier in the year is coming through now. I think they should be proud of that fact.
I think there’s the other side as well from the Grand Slams. They do a lot for the sport, a lot for the grassroots. But the players just want a fair shake of it.
I think the US Open put them on that trend right now, for sure.
McENROE: I would agree. What I’d say is hallelujah, it’s about time that the players got organized in a way. I actually thought for a while the only way they could really make significant change would be a boycott, which nobody wants to see. I think they threatened that enough. I think the fact they did come to the table organized with one clear voice.
The majors are making so much money now, which is great for tennis, right? But the players got to get a bigger piece of the pie, that’s the bottom line. They’re getting way too less. They shouldn’t get 50% like the NFL gets, it’s a different model obviously. You’re talking they’re getting 14%, 15%, and the revenues have exploded in the last couple years for all four of the majors.
The players, in my opinion, should be getting at least in the 20s range, but mid 20s. Right now they’re saying they’re going to get 20, 21. That’s going to help a lot of the players, not just the top players, more importantly the players from 30 to 150, 200.
Q: Obviously you’ve been around tennis a long time commentating on different platforms. From your perspectives, what have you seen in terms of what the fan experience watching, whether it’s TV or streaming, how has it evolved over the years? What do you think the state of it is now and where can or should it go in the future for fans either who are deeply ingrained watching tennis or maybe the casual fan?
McENROE: Thanks for the question. It’s a great question. In some ways it hasn’t evolved that much, but it’s starting to.
RedZone to me is going to be amazing. We’re going to see how it goes. But I think that’s going to be super fun for the fan.
I mean, we have a lot more information now, meaning graphics, we have a lot more graphics, look at the replays and all that stuff. That’s made it a lot better.
We have to be honest, we need to keep reaching out to younger people. They want to see lots of stuff. They want to get a lot of information. I think they also want the ability to communicate, put in their comments maybe up like they do on YouTube when you do a stream, something like that.
I’m hoping we can try some of that stuff with RedZone because I think it’s the first time that we’re doing it at ESPN for tennis. That’s going to be super exciting, bounce around, jump around. Hopefully that will be an enjoyable experience for the tennis fan.
Tennis, it’s sort of like that one shot, right? Talking about the camera shot. Camera one is from up top, you look down. I like to see sometimes a little more from a lower angle that’s not as easy to get for the technology and the production.
I think RedZone is a major step forward for us. I’m excited to see how that turns out.
FERNANDEZ: Me, too. I’m excited for RedZone. I think the attention of a lot of fans always want to see a match from start to finish. To be able to go to the big points, the big moments, I think that’s fantastic.
What Patrick said about the youth, I mean, that’s who we need to attract, right? The next generation. I was back where I used to live in Cleveland last week at our club. There were a lot of young people. A lot of them are watching it on their phone. They were tuning into Cincinnati and watching it on the phone.
Interactive for the young fans. It’s great if you can make comments like Patrick said. But everything now has to be easy, right? Have to be able to find it fast, get to the highlight quickly.
You’re always going to have your hardcore fan that wants to watch matches from start to finish, like myself. I love watching tennis all the time.
I think that’s the future. We need to keep improving and keep making it accessible on all platforms.
Q: In other sports there’s been a lot of conversation with the rise of streaming services. There’s a lot of choice, but a lot of cost, increasing cost in order to tune into as much sports as they want to. Do you feel that might happen in tennis?
McENROE: I mean, we heard about this in all sports obviously with Amazon, streaming services. ESPN, we have the ESPN App. You can pay extra to watch any court you want. Tennis isn’t going to be as much money as some of the other sports. But it’s a business, too. It’s a business. Yeah, that’s going to continue to happen.
We have ESPN, ESPN2. If you want to go extra and do ESPN +, you can do that through the ESPN App, as well. Tennis is going a similar way. Maybe not as all in as some of the other sports are. Certainly the availability is there. I think that will continue in tennis.
We’re lucky at ESPN. We have three of the four majors. We used to have all four, which we wish we still did. That’s the reality of the business. We used to cover Cincinnati back when I started at ESPN, all these tournaments in the summer. Things change. Networks change.
I think tennis is going to be just like every other sport.
Q: What is your firsthand experience with the Alex Eala phenomenon? How big of an opportunity is it for the WTA to unlock such an interesting market?
FERNANDEZ: Yeah, it’s remarkable. I experienced it last year in Miami when she played there. Her following, the fans that just come to watch her not just play her match, but to watch her practice, is off the charts. It’s just gotten bigger and bigger everywhere she goes.
Watching her at Wimbledon was a little bit different because we called her matches on Centre Court. That was a little bit more protected and not as loud.
Watching even on TV when she won in DC, when she played in Canada, I mean, it’s almost like she’s playing a Billie Jean King Cup match when she’s out there. Every point is loud. Every point she wins, it feels like she’s won more than a point. It’s remarkable.
Another opportunity, a big star to highlight. By the way, her game’s really good. She backs it up. She’s improved tremendously I think in the last 12 months when we saw her break through. She’s getting better and better.
It’s exciting for the game in general.
McENROE: The USTA better make sure they put her on big courts. In New York, I think the crowd is going to be wild for her. It’s going to be a great story. Better make sure they don’t put her on one of those side courts early in the tournament.
Q: Andy Roddick, how do you think he did at Wimbledon? What will it mean for him to be at the US Open helping you guys with broadcasting?
McENROE: He was awesome. He’s smart. He’s funny. He tells it like it is. I think he fit right in. Obviously, he’s been doing his podcast for a while, which has been hugely successful. I think he kind of brought that to our coverage at Wimbledon.
Having him at the Open, if I’ve heard it a lot, he’s heard it a lot, about the last American to win a major. It will be cool to have him be part of that conversation.
He always coming back the Open every year. Now that he’s with us, it’s a huge, huge upgrade to our entire team.
FERNANDEZ: He was terrific. He was so much fun to be around. He’s so witty and quick. He knows his tennis inside-out. I think the US Open is going to be a blast with him. Like Patrick said, he’ll be able to talk about the last American to win a major here. He’s going to play a little tennis, too, tomorrow night with Roger Federer. That will be fun to watch him out there.
Q: Regarding negotiations going on with the Grand Slams and the players, you both have known Larry Scott from different stages in his tennis career, what do you make of his emergence in this role? Does it tell you how serious the players are?
FERNANDEZ: I remember when he was at the head of the women’s tour. He cares about what he does. He’s passionate about it. I saw him briefly in Paris when it really started to heat up a bit with all the players.
He’s been a good representative for them because he’s been on it, been able to consistently get them to come together, which as Patrick said has not been easy in the past. So to finally have this unified voice trying to make a change. He’s been there to look after them.
McENROE: Yeah, I mean, I think he’s done a great job because you didn’t really hear much about it publicly about what he was doing. We all sort of heard the rumblings, but he wasn’t out there in the forefront, which means he was doing a lot of work behind the scenes, obviously meeting with I am sure the leadership of the majors, the tour.
He knows a lot having been in the position he was in about how much these tournaments are actually making. I think he was able to get to the heart of the matter, which is getting players to understand it and to have a little more of a singular voice as players.
As Mary Joe said earlier, that’s not always easy to do because you’re an individual, you’re an independent contractor basically as a tennis player. Getting the players to agree is a challenge. He obviously did a pretty damn good job at that.
Q: Do you think his Pac-12 experience has contributed?
McENROE: That wasn’t received as well just from the public. I don’t know much about it. You’re out there. Obviously having that experience of being the head of the Pac-12 for all these years, it couldn’t have hurt.
Q: Please indulge a non-tennis question here. Patrick, your brother has been mentioned for a role on 60 Minutes, similar to the one Andy Rooney had years ago. Has he dropped that in any family conversation? Have you heard about this?
McENROE: I have not heard about this. Suffice to say he doesn’t tell me everything.
Q: He should.
McENROE: He should. That would be fun. I’d love to see that. That’s a lot to live up to. Andy Rooney was an all-timer. Better get ready, do some good writing for that.
Q: He hasn’t mentioned he’s been talking?
McENROE: He hasn’t mentioned it to me, no.
Q: You talked about Novak, his opportunity. Given the lengths to which he’s gone in terms of various methods of staying fit, recovering, playing at a high level, what impact have you seen that have on the next generation of competitors, things that people pick up from him, how that’s going to change the way players handle their bodies?
McENROE: That’s a great question. I mean, I don’t think there’s any doubt that’s trickled down to players. I even see it at our tennis academy that my brother and I run in New York for kids. All the flexibility, all the movement stuff. Obviously, what he did with his diet, we’ve heard about that. It’s been discussed. So, I think it’s had a huge impact.
One of the things that I saw in the years I worked with the Laver Cup, having all the top players from both teams there for the week preparing for three, four days before the competition, was how much time these players put in off the court, the stuff they do to get ready just to practice, the things they do after practice. I think those kind of things have become much more important for the players.
You see it at all the big tournaments now. The facilities for the players, the workout rooms, all the things that they do before the match and after the match is like we’ve never seen. It’s necessary.
The other issue we’ve talked a lot about this summer is the injuries to the top players, particularly when it’s the top two players, at least in men’s tennis. The physicality of the game is at an all-time high. It’s like a pinball game, the speed of the game at the highest level. That means that the players have to be fitter, they have to be faster, stronger, be able to recover better.
That’s another issue that’s facing the tour, which comes up all the time, is are the players playing too much. I think that’s another area where the players having a seat at the table in this players council will be helpful.
FERNANDEZ: I think he’s had such a big impact, he’s such an influence to the tour and the next generation of players.
He’s someone when he started, he wasn’t the fittest. He wouldn’t last the distance all the time. He did, he transformed his body, the way he practiced, the way he recovered.
Just like Patrick said, I mean, I see it now with my son. They take so long to warm up, to just warm up. It’s unbelievable. Then cool down. Just taking it to another level.
I also think the mental side of it as well. He got stronger as his career progressed. He did a lot of meditation, talked about how important the mental side of things have been for him. A true inspiration in how he evolved and the impact he’s leaving behind.
McENROE: Speaking of 60 Minutes, that reminded me of that great interview that he did with Jon Wertheim that was on 60 Minutes.
Jon sort of said: You have always have been known for your mental toughness.
Novak stopped him and said, wait a second, I had to work on that. I had to improve on that.
I think that was an insightful comment from him that muscle that, yeah, that is something like a muscle that you can train. He wasn’t just born being like the toughest guy on the planet.
I think when you look at that, in addition to all the physical stuff he’s done, that’s another area where players are trying to constantly improve.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Mary Joe and Patrick, for taking the time. This concludes our call. Thank you all for joining.
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Media Contact: Christine Calcagno, Christine.B.Calcagno@espn.com