US Open: Why is it so tough to win a second grand slam?

'Depth of self-belief in contrast to the rest'

Alongside Williams, tennis has been dominated for 20 years by gamers for whom dropping appears harder than profitable -- Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Profitable significantly multiple grand slam has turn into normalized, even anticipated, considerably obscuring the difficulties of claiming that first one.

In tennis, a lonely particular person sport requiring fixed journey for 10 months of the yr throughout completely different time zones and environments, the psychological stress of profitable a grand slam is completely different in comparison with different sports activities.

"However [when] it is simply one-on-one, you look to your left and your proper and also you notice that you simply're alone. That requires a depth of self-belief that's in contrast to the rest."

And with a novel scoring system that creates jeopardy on nearly each level, a lot of taking part in tennis is "really up within the head," as Eurosport professional and former world No. 7 Barbara Schett tells Muricas News.

Profitable would appear to create a virtuous circle, deepening self-belief which in flip builds confidence to be deployed at essential factors in tight matches.

"Once I was high 10," Schett says, "I used to be on the stage the place I went on the court docket and I assumed, 'I am not going to lose this match. There's completely no likelihood.' I can solely think about how ... the legends of our sport would really feel once they're stepping on the court docket."

Schett performed Williams thrice in her profession and by no means defeated her. They met for the final time on the French Open in 2003 and Schett misplaced 6-0 6-0.

"I had already misplaced the match earlier than I performed towards her as a result of her presence on the court docket was simply unbelievable," Schett remembers.

"I simply felt like, 'How am I going to beat this lady? She's bodily so significantly better. She performs a lot more durable. She believes in herself. And I had higher simply go to the locker room.'"

However profitable can result in a way of fallibility in addition to invincibility, creating a brand new set of expectations and objectives to be reckoned with.

'Perfection would not exist'

Within the aftermath of Raducanu's US Open triumph, pundits rushed to hail her as a future a number of grand slam winner on account of her highly effective groundstrokes and persistently aggressive return of serve.

A succession of accidents has marred Raducanu's first full yr on tour with blisters, again points, aspect strains and hip accidents all forcing her to withdraw from varied tournaments all through the season.

In her three grand slam appearances since these magical two weeks in New York, Raducanu has reached simply the second spherical, falling to gamers ranked decrease than her every time.

"There's a whole lot of expectation externally on her," Schett says. "Clearly, she desires to win one other one. She desires to show to everyone that she wasn't a in the future marvel or a two week marvel and that she will be able to do extra, however the stress and the expectations are extraordinarily excessive in her case."

For a 19-year-old competing in her first yr on the WTA Tour, it has been a strong, if unremarkable season, however the stratospheric expectations surrounding the Brit have reframed each loss as one thing resembling a catastrophic failure.

'That time of satiation'

Objectives, in addition to expectations, alter within the aftermath of a significant victory like a grand slam title.

Dominic Thiem has skilled the same trajectory to Raducanu since profitable his maiden grand slam on the 2020 US Open, plummeting out of the higher echelons of the sport to a rating as little as world No. 352.

A lingering wrist damage hampered the Austrian, as did coming to phrases together with his new standing as a grand slam winner.

"Nonetheless, in tennis, every thing goes very quick, you do not have time to benefit from the victory, and in case you are not 100%, you lose. It occurred to me this yr."

To elucidate the psychological results of attaining a significant objective, Spencer compares it to a extra on a regular basis expertise -- consuming.

"While you're hungry, you may do no matter it takes to get some meals," he says. "After which when you attain that time of satiation the place you simply really feel full, then it is like, I am unable to eat one other chew, I do not need something for fairly a while."

"And so it's extremely regular and pure, similar to consuming an enormous meal that generally an athlete, after they win one thing actually vital may simply lose somewhat little bit of drive for a short time."

The emotional prices of elite sport have gotten extra evident yearly as athletes start to speak overtly about psychological well being and its significance.

Iga Swiatek, in the meantime, hailed her sports activities psychologist Daria Abramowicz for the position that she performed serving to her win the French Open in 2020.

'Many, many issues have occurred'

Managing the "emotional vitality" which sport depletes is vital to recalibrating an athlete's objectives and expectations, Spencer explains.

Thiem has begun to rebuild after his yr within the wilderness, profitable his first ATP Tour match in 14 months with a victory within the first spherical towards of the Bastad Open towards Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori in July 2022.

"Many, many issues occurred. It was powerful, but it surely was additionally an excellent expertise, I believe, for all times basically. I am so completely satisfied that I obtained this primary victory right here right this moment."

In current weeks, Raducanu too has proven glints of the shape that propelled her to tennis stardom with victories towards Williams and Victoria Azarenka on the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati earlier than she misplaced to Jessica Pegula within the third spherical -- simply her second ever match towards a high 10 participant.

She's going to face Alizé Cornet within the first spherical of the US Open as she begins her title protection, whereas Thiem -- additionally showing on the event for the primary time since profitable it -- will play Pablo Carreño Busta.