Authors: Marika Thwin, Raven Furber, & Will Henderson
Overview:
The first week of the 2020 US Open ran from August 31 st – September 6th . It is the 140th edition of the US Open and 2 nd Grand Slam of the season. In the midst of a global pandemic and other situations going on, the tournament looked a little different this year. It took place without any spectators and the players had to follow a strict protocol, including wearing masks and random COVID-19 testing. Social media had its fair share of conversation relating to the exciting tournament due to some notable actions by top tennis players.
The conversation included over 100k posts across Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Reddit, with nearly 90% of the conversation held Twitter with (84.7l tweets). September 6th , 2020 held the peak of the posts, with nearly 23k on just Twitter alone. Most of the tweets were in regard to the top male player, Novak Djokovic, for being disqualified after accidentally hitting a lineswoman in the neck in a fit of anger. Some other hot topics include Naomi Osaka and other players wearing face masks with names of those in regard to Black Lives Matter and Serena Williams having more US Open singles wins than any other player since 1968. The majority of the sentiment was neutral with 91% of posts reporting on tournament events. There was a negative sentiment of 5%, mainly around Djokovic’s accidentally disqualification, and a positive sentiment of 4%, noting Osaka’s activism at a predominantly white event.
Full Analysis:
Purpose: To analyze the thoughts and sentiments of US tennis fans around the trends during the first week of the US Open.
Analysis Time Frame: August 31st, 2020 – September 6, 2020
Keyword group:
● #usopen, #tennis, #usopen2020, US Open, US Open 2020
Trends in Conversation:
● There has been a lot of talk around the week, but with notable days being August 31 st and September 1st. The highest peak being September 6th.
August 31st
- Naomi Osaka walks out onto the stadium wearing a mask with “Breonna Taylor” written on it. It was a huge statement by a young tennis player.
- From WTA Insider, Osaka states “I have 7 (masks) and it’s sad that 7 masks aren’t enough. Hopefully I’ll make the finals and you’ll see all of them”.
- The majority of the sentiment around the mask was neutral, with most posts being journals and new channels reporting on it. There were more positive tweets than negative. It shows how politically divided tennis fans can be as most comments around it swing either right or left.
- This statement by Osaka is very important as it shows that the WTA, ATP, and US Open allow their players to openly express their thoughts on whatever movements or ideas they follow. Regardless of how fans react, no tennis associations have put a stop to it. Other players have also shown their support for the movement by doing the same. It also gives good media coverage to the whole BLM movement and wearing masks.
September 1st
- Serena Williams wins her 102 nd US Open match, making it the most matches won by a man or woman since 1968. Williams is regarded as one of the best tennis players of all time and has set another record.
September 6th
- Novak Djokovic is disqualified from the US Open after hitting a ball at a line judge in a fit of anger.
- Djokovic was angry after losing a serve to Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta, he hit a tennis ball behind him, hitting a line judge in the throat.
- According to the Grand Slam rulebook, because he intentionally hit the ball behind him, he is disqualified for negligent disregard of consequences.
- Some of the words in reference to his disqualification:
- Neck
- Line Judge
- Anger
- Reckless Behavior
- While most of the sentiment was neutral, there was more negative than positive. Half of the tweets are saying it was unfair for Djokovic to be disqualified as it was an accident, the other half saying he and other tennis players need to watch their tempers.
- Djokovic did put out a statement after the event.
Other Notes:
- Williams’ baby made tennis fans everywhere hearts melt when she pointed out her mom during a match. It shows the lighthearted side of big tournaments.
- The @usopen Instagram page posted a video of Osaka’s comments on the masks, with the description “Naomi is playing for a bigger purpose” showing that the association is in support of her showing her views.
- Tennis fans are making fun of Djokovic for his accidental disqualification saying the only player who could beat him is him.
- Sumit Nagal becomes the first Indian man on Sept. 1 st to win a match in 7 years. This is huge for India as it takes them to the second round of Grand Slam singles.
- The top post on the r/tennis subreddit was a video of the lineswoman getting hit with Djokovic’s ball.
