Hello again, friends, and thank you once more for joining me here at Bounces for the recent U.S. Open and beyond.
Those three weeks in New York were a ton of work without much sleep, but the grind was also hugely rewarding in many ways: in terms of new subscribers and growth here, the 2026 U.S. Open was the biggest tournament so far in the nearly two years of Bounces’ existence. I’m very heartened and glad that my work here can keep reaching new people, and thanks again to all of you for helping spread the word about Bounces to your friends and social networks.
After getting some much-needed rest after what felt like running daily marathons for three weeks—roused briefly by some big WTA news—I’m back to put a bow on an incredibly bountiful U.S. Open.
Honestly, 2026 had felt like a pretty forgettable season in tennis for much of this year—particularly on the men’s side—but this U.S. Open really brought the juice, particularly off-court. The U.S. Open, as you’ll read below, was more of a sensory overload than ever, and this one had a surplus of storylines to go with that.
I wrote a lot here at Bounces, but at times it felt like I was only scratching the surface of this sprawling cross-cultural colossus. So I’m happy to bring back a favorite feature: a post-tournament notebook dump.
Here are all of the topics you’ll get to read about below over the course of roughly 7,000 words of fun:
Under the Influencers (and other generalizations about unappreciated behaviors by attendees);
A different buzz: the brief-but-successful guerrilla sex toy operation inside Ashe;
The Sound: bad acoustics, nonstop chatter, and rights-free music;
The Taste: green beans, French dips, and Honey Deuces;
The Sights: bright sun, red lights, and a rearranged Ashe;
The Smell: weed and sewage!
The treachery of the boardwalk;
A different sort of media leak issue;
The fines list, and who should have been hit harder;
A pressing issue: on the players who fall through the gaps in the current ranks;
My minor social media gains;
The U.S. Open’s riddler is a hero, not a villain;
How betting broke tennis stars of yore;
Ads around New York City;
Major Juniors: the big smile of Marcel Latak;
Too young for mixed drinks;
Two men out: the historic all-gay final in Austria;
Grand Again: Niels Vink keeps history rolling;
Further U.S. Open reading from lots of great writers;
A musical ode to Carlos Alcaraz’s nipples.
To read all of that and more, please get yourself a Bounces subscription! Or gift one to a friend and bring them along!