2025 US OPEN MEN'S FINAL REACTION | Quick Served with Andy Roddick

Summary

Podcast Summary: 2025 US OPEN MEN'S FINAL REACTION | Quick Served with Andy Roddick

Podcast: Served with Andy Roddick
Host: Andy Roddick
Guests: Jon Wertheim (JW), John
Release Date: September 8, 2025

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Episode Overview

This spontaneous “Quick Served” episode features Andy Roddick, Jon Wertheim, and John offering rapid-fire reactions to the 2025 US Open Men's Final. Recorded in transit, right after leaving the venue, the episode captures the raw, immediate excitement of the championship. The discussion centers around Carlos Alcaraz’s historic win over Jannik Sinner, the state of their rivalry, and the significance of Carlos's performance in the context of the sport's recent history.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Immediate Context: Chaotic Atmosphere & Devoted Coverage

• Location: Andy is at the airport; JW is in a car; both are leaving the tennis facility, still fully immersed in the day’s events.
• Special Circumstance: Security was unusually heightened, with references to machine guns and crowd management.
  • Notable Quote:

    “I saw no less than 47 machine guns today, guys.” — Andy (01:47)

2. Carlos Alcaraz’s Triumph & Emotional Resonance

• Alcaraz’s Mood: Ecstatic, “glowing” more than after previous major wins. He immediately connected this victory’s significance to his earlier Wimbledon loss and the improvements he made since.

  • Notable Quote:

    “This was a level of glow on Carlos I don't think I've ever seen before.” — JW (02:52)

• Performance Analysis:

  • Displayed enhanced variety, including a “Federer-esque” slice and a noticeably more powerful serve.
  • Made effective mid-match adjustments, particularly changing tactics when faced with Sinner’s adaptations.
  • Aggressively came forward, capitalizing on openings with athleticism.

• Serve Evolution:

  • Andy describes direct locker-room info from Carlos:

    “He’s rounded out the bottom...it’s so much better. It’s insane.” — Andy (08:52)

3. Assessment of Jannik Sinner: Poise in Defeat

• Physical Concerns: Some speculation about lingering shoulder issues and possible impact on serve speed, but Sinner’s power seemed improved from previous matches.
  • Notable Quote:

    “He hit 124 in the first game…I was on that like a hawk.” — Andy (06:06)

• Class & Resilience: Sinner displayed “a level of class” in defeat, gracious even after a tough loss.

4. The Emerging Rivalry: Tennis’s Bright Future

• Changing of the Guard: Emphasized how lucky the sport is to have such talented young stars immediately following the era of the “Big Three + Serena.”
  • Notable Quote:

    “How lucky are we to kind of fill the gap...with these two right away? What a gift to tennis.” — Andy (04:45)

• Balance of Power:
  • Both players have shared the last eight majors (four each).
  • The rivalry is shaping itself as the next defining narrative of men’s tennis.
  • Margin for error is slim: “If one of them is a little off…and that was Sinner today, that's just not going to cut it.” — JW (05:13)

5. Technical & Tactical Insights

• Carlos’s Level:
  • Only lost one set all tournament and broke serve just three times, reflecting an unprecedented level of dominance.
  • Showed improvement in managing rallies, knowing when to play spectacular vs. efficient tennis.
    • Notable Quote:

      “This is, start to finish, the most dominant slam that I’ve seen him play...which is Looney Tunes and crazy and scary all at the same time.” — Andy (09:28)

• Serve Development: Side-by-side comparisons with prior tournaments reveal evolution in both serve mechanics and decision-making.

6. Tournament & US Open Organization Reflections

• Organizational Praise:
  • Shout-outs to Michael Fuhrer, “Buddha,” and Stacey Allaster for running a transformative tournament in challenging circumstances.
  • Andy notes the US Open’s ability to deliver a top event despite unusual chaos.

7. Fun Anecdote: Ivan Lendl Encounter

• Comic relief: Andy shares a humorous moment where Ivan Lendl corrects Brad Gilbert’s recollections of their matches.
  • Quote:

    “Brad’s memory is messed up…there’s no way I would ever let Brad Gilbert get up 4–1 in the third.” — relayed by Andy (11:15)

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• "I saw no less than 47 machine guns today, guys." — Andy (01:47)
• “This is just goes to show how devoted we are to our audience…we are going to give you a little bit of a breakdown on this men's final.” — JW (01:29)
• "This was a level of glow on Carlos I don't think I've ever seen before." — JW (02:52)
• “His serve is getting bigger and better, like, all the time.” — Andy (03:16)
• “How lucky are we to kind of fill the gap of the big three, plus Serena with these two right away, I mean, what a gift to tennis.” — Andy (04:45)
• “If one of them is a little off and that was Sinner today, that's just not going to cut it.” — JW (05:13)
• “He hit 124 in the first game. I was on that like a hawk.” — Andy (06:06)
• "Is this the best tournament that Carlos has ever played?...He lost one set and got broken like three times." — Andy (07:10)
• “If he can play better, if there are more levels. Holy hell…that’s really scary for the rest of the field.” — JW (07:57)
• “This is, start to finish, the most dominant slam that I’ve seen him play…which is Looney Tunes and crazy and scary all at the same time.” — Andy (09:28)
• “Carlos takes over number one. He’s eclipsed $50 million in career prize money. He wins a second major, last eight majors. These two guys are now four.” — JW (09:48)

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Important Timestamps

• 01:07–02:19: Context, atmosphere leaving the US Open, security, logistics
• 02:19–03:35: Carlos’s post-match mood & technical improvements
• 03:35–05:48: In-match tactics, Sinner’s year, the rivalry
• 05:48–06:27: Sinner’s possible injury and serve assessment
• 06:27–08:14: Technical/tactical evolution in Carlos’s game
• 08:14–09:39: Serve development insights, tournament dominance
• 09:39–10:34: Career context—Carlos becomes world #1, prize money, rivalry stats
• 10:34–11:42: Tournament organization praise & Ivan Lendl anecdote

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Tone and Style

The podcast keeps a conversational, informal, and often comedic tone. Remarks fly back and forth among Andy, JW, and John with humor, camaraderie, and deep tennis expertise. The immediacy of the setting (airport, car) adds authenticity to their analysis, making listeners feel they’re part of the post-final buzz.

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Takeaway

This episode offers a passionate, insightful, and entertaining debrief of the 2025 US Open Men's Final. It underscores Carlos Alcaraz's ascendance, the exhilarating Sinner–Alcaraz rivalry, and the robust state of men's tennis as it steers into a new era. Even amidst the madness of a major final’s aftermath, the hosts' tennis IQ and chemistry shine—making for a must-listen recap for any tennis fan.

Transcript

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[Andy]

Hey everyone. Welcome to Quick serve. I can't talk real loud because I'm walking around an airport right now. So this is gonna be the douchiest quick served ever.

[John]

Can we say that Andy's in the airport, John is in a car. They are leaving the tennis facility right now. They've. They've exited the security zone. And now, John, Free speech zone.

[Andy]

Hey, John, don't. Don't say anything. I think you're still under censorship.

[JW]

The. Yeah, we can. We can get to that. I'm looking for a neck pillow, though. Maybe you can pick me up one. I think this is just goes to show how devoted we are to our audience. That in transit, we are going to give you a little bit of a breakdown on this men's final.

[John]

John, are you committing. Are you committing traffic violations right now?

[JW]

Should we probably.

[John]

We should have public.

[JW]

The police here have. The police here have other priorities.

[Andy]

God forbid.

[John]

Mortgage violations.

[Andy]

Yeah, I think. I think we save the general weirdness of the day. Like, I don't know that I've ever been at the US Open when. I mean, I. I saw no less than 47 machine guns today. Guys. Like, I. We'll walk. I think we walked through all of it on Tuesday. It was strange. I was doing sweet visits. It was like. It was strange. Delay to final because I guess let's go through all of that on Tuesday. But jw, you actually got to talk to Caritos after the match a little bit. What. What. What did he have to say?

[JW]

Yeah, he. Not surprisingly, he's ecstatic. And this is Major number six. He's made it habit of this, but I think we've spoken to him after Major wins before Paris was a much different kind of match. He was thrilled, I think a by his level of play. But also he brought this up sort of unbidden. I just asked the general question, you know what, what makes this made, when you look back, what's going to make this one special? And immediately he went back to the Wimbledon final, which I thought was really interesting. And the way he turned this around, the way he played such a cleaner match, a more organized match, and was just a flat out better player. Today you seldom see winners of majors looking gloomy, but this was a level of glow on Carlos I don't think I've ever seen before. Yeah.

[Andy]

And I'm there in person. And he was unleashing on the ball the slot short, kind of Federer esque slice was a different play. You have to think he kind of watched that Dimitrov match or at least it made an impact where he was hitting that, mixing it up out of the zones. His first serve. I hate to tell earth this because it's not fun. His serve is getting bigger and better, like all the time.

[John]

I was gonna ask you about that. I mean, the speeds were bombs.

[Andy]

Oh God, you can't, you can't say bomb in an airport, dude. Oh no.

[John]

The speeds were ferocious.

[Andy]

They were, they were. It was, it was intense. The way he served, that was a mistake. I mean, I feel like I'm like I've never seen Meet the Parents or something. Oh my goodness, what a miss that was. But listen, it's just he has so much variety. And also the mid match adjustments, right, he hits that slice early, center adjusts, he's getting away with kind of that fade away ball up and away, center adjusts and starts taking it early in the second set. And then Carlos, he started just kind of pounding and anytime he had center bled to a corner, he was in behind it. Like he, he was as aggressive coming forward as, as I've ever seen him before. And the athleticism is just off the charts. And while we're celebrating Carlos like Yannick Sinner, it's been a hell of a year. Like there's been a lot of stuff going on. You can agree with me, you cannot agree that you can have your own opinions. What I don't think should be in doubt is the level of class he continuously shows when he loses. Like French Open was a had to be a dumpster fire of emotion. And he was great today. He just knew he was he not close enacted accordingly. I just have more respect for both of these guys. And how lucky are we to kind of fill the gap of the big three, plus Serena with these two right away, I mean, what a gift to tennis.

[JW]

We have a rivalry to rival the other rivalries. And I think we talked about this at Wimbledon. You had a feeling this was a little bit of an encroachment by center. Hey, he took down the two time champion on grass. That's a statement. And then Carlos comes right back, beats center on the hard courts. I, I think the other thing about this rivalry, if, if one of them is not at their best, I mean it seemed as though they both played well in pockets, but not at the same time. If one of them is a little off and that was center today, that's just not going to cut it. And it was in, in a lot of ways I thought this was sort of a reverse, this was a mirror image of Wimbledon and, and center, center did not play he nice tournament overall as, as you say this, this was a year in amber for anyone else. He just didn't quite have it today. And that's not good enough in this rivalry for either of them.

[John]

Can I, can I bother that? Do you think there was something to the twinge that sinner felt in his shoulder? Last match he said he went under. Like it, it seemed, it seemed to be a different guy. And even at the end of the match he seemed to be very gracious about it. Like it wasn't, like it was unexpected.

[Andy]

Yeah, I mean I was watching. I mean the difference was, was that against Felix, average first server speed was like 113, largely weighted by the second two sets, which had to be average serve speed of like 105, 106. He hit 124 in the first game because I was on that like a hawk. Like that was one of the big things.

[John]

They both ended 120 average first speed.

[Andy]

Yeah. So which, which it was 119 when he was going into the semis against FAA. So listen, I, Carlos would be the only person to tell you if it was getting its normal movement right. We're not gonna be able to see that from, from where we're sitting. But at least power wise it was significantly better than it was against faa. So I'm, I fear that's a question we're never going to know the full answer to. But just from optics I saw him pop 124, which I don't think he did for the last hour and 15 minutes of the FAA match. So it seemed better than it was. But you know, I don't know that anything. I mean the question I want to pose to Ujw as we kind of look forward to our Tuesday recap episode, maybe we can all think about this. Is, Is this the best tournament that Carlos has ever played? Oh, screw uta. Announcer. Come on. Is this, is, is this Carlos's best tournament ever? His most did. I mean, he lost one set and got broken like three times.

[JW]

Yeah, and then that, that wasn't until the final. And then he quickly reset and won the next step. Six 1. If, if, if there are more levels to this, that's scary sometimes. I mean, if there's any critique on Carlos, it's that sometimes he plays for the fantastic when the routine, well, would be just as good a shot. I, I gotta say this was not. I mean he, he, there were some pyrotechnics and there were some great shots. There was that one rally with, you know, actually Sinner won it. But when Sinner hit, hit that volley, that with a side spin and then Carlos tracked it down. I mean there were, there were the highlight reel points, but I thought this was really extraordinary match generalship. I mean it looked like a completely different player than Wimbledon final. If he can play better, if there are more levels. Holy hell. I mean, good, good for us as, as observers, but that's really scary for the rest of the field.

[Andy]

Well, one, one of the drums that even Andre and Jim Courier and we all talk about and they've kind of led the discussion on is like if he, if he stops, you know, having to be master spectacular to win points, like he was just cheating points left and right by bleeding him. That recognition of when to get in was, was otherworldly because you don't have any, any time to make that decision. Like that's something that you almost have to decide before you do it. And he starts recognizing that and winning a charge after, you know, when it wasn't an approach shot. You know, many times the serve is like if you did a side by side of served and if we actually were a big enough show to afford TD rights, which we probably never will be, we could show you a side by side. Right? And I actually talked to him about it this morning in the locker room and he mentioned it and he was like, yeah, it's something that we've been working on is like it used to go kind of straight up and down. So he had to kind of shove it one way. Didn't get a lot of turn on the wide one. He's rounded out the bottom and he's like, it's, it's so much better, right? I'm like well, well, yeah. Like, it's so much better. It's insane. And then he goes and put on that, that serving display that we saw tonight. I mean, it was just dominant start to finish. I, I, I need to get into the numbers a little bit. And obviously, you know, this is like my research department right now, so I don't really have much, but.

[JW]

But we see it reflecting in your shades.

[Andy]

Yeah, yeah, right, exactly. But to me, this is start to finish, the most dominant slam that I've seen him play, which is, which is Looney Tunes and crazy and scary all at the same time.

[John]

I think at this point, that's. Then it's befitting that when we do the recap show tomorrow and then when it airs on Tuesday, we will have a new world number one, if I'm correct, right?

[JW]

You're correct. Yep, that's right. Carlos takes over number one. He's eclipsed $50 million in career prize money. He wins a second major, last eight majors. These two guys are now four.

[Andy]

Four.

[JW]

We're really lucky. And maybe we'll dig a little deeper on the numbers. We can talk about career slams, but I think everyone is just sort of. It's so funny that the president went to this match and the last half hour, nobody talked about it. Everyone from, from the guys in the tunnels to people on the court. Carlos stole the day. And this will be the lasting image of men's final Sunday. It will not be a presidential visit, even, but it will just be that, that dizzyingly high level of play from the guy who won the tournament.

[Andy]

Yeah, I will, I will say just the US Open is just, I know it was chaotic today. I'm not sure what else could have really been done. You know, I think it was just going to be a mess. But they just do such a good job. Michael Fuhrer is just an animal. Buddha's animal. Stacey Alistair has just transformed this entire event in such a good way. Guys, I'm gonna leave you with, with this one that I found pretty fun to do today. So I saw Ivan Lendel today. Oh, man, it was so good. And so he comes like, Andy, Andy, Andy. I said, sure, I can come over. He goes, hey, hey, hey. I need to, I need to correct you about something. He goes, Brad, Brad's memory, Brad Gilbert's memory is, is messed up. I said, what do you mean? He goes. He goes, man, was, I listened, and there's no way I would ever let Brad Gilbert get up. Four one in the third. All right, guys, this is, this is quick serve. We appreciate you all watching us for the last two weeks. I feel lucky to be a part of this sport. I feel lucky to be next to a place where I can buy a pretzel that looks fantastic. It's going to be in my face very shortly. You guys are awesome. Good work the last couple weeks, guys.

[John]

Now that's it. Great job, guys. And this has been quick served.

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[JW]

Happy price.

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