TVSquad

Are you like me and you really enjoy the two weeks of U.S. Open coverage that USA Network has every year at this time? Well, don't get too used to it, because after tonight's match (Roddick vs. Djokovic!), the USA Network will no longer carry the annual tournament.

This probably isn't a shock to regular tennis fans, but USA's contract for the U.S. Open is up this year, after 25 years of carrying the two week tournament. Of course, TV fans don't have to worry, because ESPN and The Tennis Channel that will start airing the tournament next summer. I just hope that most of the coverage is on ESPN and ESPN2 because, well, I don't have The Tennis Channel.

This is actually a very sad thing. There is no other sporting event I look forward to more than the U.S. Open. I'm sure that some of the announcers that are currently on USA will go over to ESPN to cover the tournament (some of them actually pull double duty now anyway) and I'm sure they'll provide comprehensive coverage. But I wonder if the coverage will have the same "feel" on ESPN as it did on USA? I wonder if having the tournament on an all-sports network will make it lose that vibe that it has on USA? Though ESPN has all of the other grand slam tournaments now (and the U.S. Open Series), and that coverage seems to be just fine (except for that horrible scoreboard - which I hope they change before their tennis coverage starts next year).

Still, it's an amazing amount of history leaving USA: the matches going until 1 or 2 in the morning; John McEnroe making statements that make him have to stand on his head (literally) in the broadcast booth; Michael Barkann roaming around the stadium and getting interviews with people like Barbra Streisand (who can forget her calling Agassi a "Zen master?"); the phone calls and questions to McEnroe during rain delays.

I think this is a much bigger deal than, say, the Super Bowl leaving one network for another. I mean, really, is it that much of a difference in an event that happens one day a year? This was a two week event every year, and took up over 90% of USA's schedule during the day and night for those two weeks. That's a massive event. And while I'll definitely switch over to ESPN to watch it next year, it won't be quite be the same.

I don't know if USA wanted to renew their contract with the U.S. Open and didn't bid enough or if this is something that the USTA decided to do regardless of whether or not USA wanted to continue to show the event. I really hope it's not a case of where characters are welcome on the network but tennis players no longer are.

Check out this from last year, Novak Djokovic imitating Maria Sharapova and Rafael Nadal: