NEW YORK – The day before the 2017 U.S. Open started, Rafael Nadal practiced inside Arthur Ashe Stadium adjusting to a court that had been resurfaced only days prior. As Nadal took the court and technicians played with the arena sound system, you could hear the strains of the “Winds of Change.”
With all due respect to Shania Twain, the tournament’s official songstress, this Scorpions metal ballad may as well be the tournament’s anthem. Through three rounds, seeds have been bounced like moonballs; hot prospects have been cooled; and the bottom half of the men’s draw looks like eight names picked at random from the ATP media guide.