Live From US Open 2023: ESPN's Jamie Reynolds on the Rise of a New Generation of Players and Mic'd Up' Audio The Open and tennis in general are revitalized by young folks making a mark By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director Monday, September 11, 2023 - 12:00 pm
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The 2023 US Open will be remembered as much for the rise of a new generation of tennis talent as for Novak Djokovic's record 24th major championship. SVG Editorial Director Ken Kerschbaumer caught up with ESPN VP, Production, Jamie Reynolds to discuss the new era in tennis, new ways to connect players to fans, and the, literally, sticky situation when a protestor glued his feet to the ground and delayed play for more than an hour.
ESPN's Jamie Reynolds: Our goal has always been to help the USTA recognize that [miking players] is a benefit for the audience, for the transition of this sport moving forward.
You and I have talked over the years about the eventual generational shift in tennis, and it seems that it has really arrived.
There has absolutely been a shift. And the US Open itself has got this renewed vitality, this new energy of the generation that's coming through. They are dynamic, they're athletic, they're robust, they have grit, they have charisma. This new wave of energy has just overwhelmed all of us.
It has been a fascinating exercise to go through that journey this year specifically from Carlos Alcaraz's tipping point last summer and the energy of Ben Shelton and Coco's maturation and her range of ability and her charm, which is a very valuable resource to rejuvenate tennis. It's great. We're in a brilliant period right now when, all of a sudden, these young guns with their own unique personalities, especially on the American side, are an unexpected gift that keeps on giving. It was just day after day, hour after hour here at the Open. When you looked at that first week and the draw and saw all the American flags in each quarter, it was like, wow, we just have to get out of the way and let them start making their statement. That has been really powerful.
Technically, you had Mic'ed Up this year with players on the practice courts. What has that meant to you and the team?
We pushed this initiative at the All England Club [and Wimbledon], and Head of Broadcast, Production, and Media Rights Paul Davies and the club were very open to the technology and our approach. We have so much real estate, we have so many hours, and we have this conduit of connection to do things from the warmups to the practice sessions. Many of the players became very comfortable with it as they have been hitting with [the head sets] to either listen to music or talk to family. So it's not a foreign concept to them. Now we get this two-way dialogue.
I think they are appreciating this connection to the fans. We're not necessarily doing it on the field of play during competition but during warmups, getting a texture, a tone, for how are they feeling, and that adds a whole other dimension.
The tide turned during qualifying week when they were saying, When is it my turn? They were actually inviting us to stop by and say hello during a practice session. Once we got to that tipping point, things headed in a great direction. They recognize the amplification; they recognize this connection that they're getting. I think it's valuable for the sport and the fans. It's breaking down this wall of feeling isolated in their own bubble through the fortnight.
What potential do you see for it beyond practices?
Our goal has always been to help the USTA recognize that this is a benefit for the audience, for the transition of this sport moving forward. The USTA has a challenge because they have a couple of mission statements: they've got to manage the competition, and they have to manage access to the players. They have to find that middle ground. Do the athletes still have a safe haven that they can retreat to when they don't feel like they have to be on stage? We're kind of pushing the edges on practice, courts, hallways, warmup rooms, cool-down rooms.
Ben Shelton was one of the players who embraced wearing Bluetooth headsets for live interviews during US Open practice sessions.
We like to get that intimacy because, at the end of the day, players are using their devices to separate their own unique brands already. They're taking selfies, they're posting images, they're engaging with their fanbase. We want to take that experience and get it out to a broader audience on a linear platform.
Arthur Ashe Stadium has a lot of coverage right now with cameras and such. Is there anything else you would like to add or expand on?
I think we're getting more creative with a lot of the tools and a lot of the assets. I think audio is emerging as probably the most attractive ingredient this year, especially with the advent of coaching. You're now hearing the players' boxes more aggressively. That texture, that consciousness is woven into the match, and I sometimes have to get some of our talent to lay back a little bit so you can take advantage of what Ben Shelton's dad is saying to him.
One thing we need to overcome is the language barrier. We have a translation problem, certainly with Carlos Alcaraz, who has a very dynamic exchange with his coaches that happens almost point by point, game by game. I've asked [analyst] Mary Jo Fernandez to sit close in an isolated position, just listening to that audio and weave back for us what she's hearing: what is the texture, what are the unique things she might be hearing that those who are not fluent in Spanish can understand and appreciate?
Last question. We did have a unique situation with protestors during the women's semifinals that delayed
