Reimagining the U.S. Open National Playoff: Outside the ATP Week 7
A Leftist Approach to a Bygone Event
Anyone Can Play the U.S. Open
Greetings from the post-Wimbledon lull. We’re in the dreary weeks before the Masters Series events roll around, and the top players start gearing up for the U.S. Open. It’s the time for American hardcourt-ers to feast on their yearly allotment of ATP and WTA points at the smaller 250s, and the desperate clay specialists (sorry Casper), sneak in a few extra events on the dirt1 before departing for the states.
It’s a quiet time the tennis world. Even if some of the games great thinkers are doing important work.
For many American junior players, however, this is the most important stretch of summer. The Boys and Girls USTA 18 and Under Championships, which award the winners U.S. Open Main Draw wildcards, begin in just a few days.
This got me thinking about another, far stranger, high-stakes tournament that used to finish up around this time in July: The U.S. Open National Playoff.
A Little History
For those unfamiliar, the U.S. Open National Playoff, which ran from 2010-2016, was a nation-wide competition open to literally anyone over the age of 14 that awarded the winner a wildcard into the U.S. Open Qualifying (or, in the doubles divisions, directly into the Main Draw). It was all pretty straight forward: various regional qualifiers, winners congregate for the “finals,” a champions are crowned. None of them made it out of qualifying (or won a doubles match in main), but that’s besides the point. For those craving a slightly more comprehensive history, Cult Tennis did a solid explainer.
What Went Wrong
To understand why this supposedly fun, and arguably leftist, event went kaput, we need to do a little material analysis…
Especially in the early years, this thing was wildly popular. It drew juniors, college players, random recs, and even a few celebs—consummate tennis hanger on and bad dance music uncle Red Foo, along with pro skier Bode Miller.
The winners, on the other hand, were incredibly predictable. Let’s think about it, if an event awarding a wild card into a grand slam qualifying draw is open to literally anyone, and players in the top 250 of the rankings generally get into qualifying on their own, who is then incentivized to participate in the U.S. Open National Playoff? If you guessed a ton of people between 300-600 in the world, you’d be correct.
Predictably, interest dwindled and the USTA stopped making money, so they canned the whole thing.
I think this was a grave error.
While the U.S. Open National Playoff, as it existed, was pretty half-baked and not exactly sincere in its motives, I think within the tournament are the seeds of revolution. I have a few ideas for the USTA big wigs.
A Leftist Proposal
Proposal #1: No players actively in the top 750, and no one who has ever been top 100.
This one is pretty simple. The purpose of a national playoff like this should be to provide opportunities for players otherwise excluded from competing for a spot in a slam. I’ve written about this ad nauseam already, but ascending through the minor leagues isn’t exactly cheap. Giving a shot to players with ATP rankings, but who are financially excluded from traveling or playing full time seems appropriate. While 750 is a relatively arbitrary cutoff, I’ve decided on it.
As for the second part, I don’t want this event to be a comeback tour pipeline or a chance for retired vets to flex. I personally do not care, hypothetically, if 40-something Andy Roddick thinks he could still win three matches in the qualifying. He can, hypothetically, grovel for a wild card on his own time.
Proposal #2: Free Entry
Not only is this an issue of access, but one of intention. I have no interest in the USTA profiting here, and, in doing so, muddying the motive behind what should be both a deeply leftist and deeply absurd endeavor.
Which brings me to my next point…
Proposal #3: Doing Away with the Tennis Entirely
Making the wild card the subject of a tournament, in affect means testing the recipient under the guise of a false meritocracy, defeats the entire premise of this whole thing. The U.S. Open National Playoff posits that anyone can have a shot to play at the U.S. Open. Implied in that promise, is that they will lose. So, who cares if someone of relative qualification loses instead of someone totally random. I would like to extrapolate that premise to its most literal conclusion.
The U.S. Open National Playoff should return as a free to play single entry lottery, open to any party member of the USTA regardless of age, ability, means, or possession of a tennis racquet. This is an opportunity for any member of the leftist tennis collective to experience the U.S. Open as a player (and lose).
Proposition #4: Main Draw Wild Cards Only
Taking things a step further, I think the singles wild cards, like the ones in doubles, should provide main draw entry.
The five2 U.S. Open National (Lottery) Playoff Champions could headline the action on Ashe for one of the tournament’s first nights. Would it be a blood bath? Yes. Would it put a first round mixed-doubles match on prime time national T.V. for the first time ever? Probably. Would it be wildly entertaining? Undoubtedly. Could the USTA use the associate ticket sales, merchandising opportunities, and gambling prop-bet revenues to bring tennis to under funded communities? Undoubtedly.
Let’s make it happen.
Final Thoughts
Readers, now is the time to take collective action. Write your local section chairs. Call the national office. Make campaign flyers to appoint me, The ATP Insider, the inaugural Czar of Gimmick Events. Change tennis forever. Then enter the lottery.
Remember when Fed played these to experiment with new racquets and lost to Delbonis?
Both singles divisions, both doubles, and mixed