Opinion: Emma Raducanu hoisted the singles trophy, but tennis was the big winner at this US Open
NEW YORK — It is a brutal thing that tennis does to the losers of Grand Slam finals. First, they have to sit in a chair for several minutes while a stage gets assembled when they’d probably rather be anywhere else.
Then, they have to go up on that stage and accept a runner-up trophy they don’t really want, address the crowd and compliment their opponent, then retreat to the background of a party where they’re the only one not celebrating.