The Arthur Ashe Stadium is set to illuminate in light blue from dusk until dawn this Friday as the US Open honors the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. American flags will fly at half-mast in New York City to mourn the 2,977 victims who perished when hijacked planes struck the Twin Towers in 2001.
The 2001 US Open had already concluded two days prior to the attacks, with Lleyton Hewitt capturing the men’s singles title. For American player James Blake, who lost in the second round that year, the events of that day fundamentally altered the mindset of athletes who view themselves as part of a mobile community.
Blake, now a former world number four, was in Augusta, Georgia, for a sweat test at the time. He described the attacks as shattering the “guides of safety” that many Americans and professionals felt they lived under. “It was something that I just couldn’t believe could happen in the States,” Blake told BBC Sport. “I don’t know if we were all naive… but it kind of shattered that for a while.”
With telephone networks overwhelmed, Blake faced a tense wait to confirm his father, who remained in New York for work, was safe. Following the grounding of flights, he rented a car and drove back to his home in Tampa, Florida. Boarding a flight to Hong Kong for his next tournament two weeks later proved daunting.
“You feel like the little bubble you are in, where you are a kind of travelling circus, is normal,” Blake explained. “And then when you realise how restricted travel can be, it wakes you up a little bit to the reality and how quickly things can change.”
Major sporting events, including the Ryder Cup, were suspended or postponed in the aftermath. Blake noted that the resumption of competition played a crucial role in national healing, recalling President George W. Bush throwing out the first pitch at a Yankees game as a deeply moving moment that signaled a return to normalcy.
As the anniversary falls during the current tournament, a minute’s silence will be observed before Friday’s men’s semi-finals. Before the all-American match between Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe, a large flag will be unfurled on court as JoJo performs the national anthem. Blake called the ceremony a poignant opportunity for reflection, noting that while anthems can sometimes feel routine, the context of 9/11 makes it a special moment for the international field of players.
Did anyone else notice the irony? The Open ended two days prior, so players were scattered everywhere when it happened. Pure chaos.
JoJo performing the anthem during this specific anniversary must have been incredibly powerful. Those moments connect sports and history deeply.
Interesting he called them a ‘travelling circus.’ I always thought pros were more like diplomats. Makes you wonder about their sense of security back then.
Twenty-five years. Time moves so fast, but we must never let these memories fade. Rest in peace to all victims.
That detail about Blake driving from Augusta to Tampa is haunting. It really shows how isolated they felt before modern connectivity.