ESPN US Open play-by-play man Chris Fowler talked to The Post’s Justin Terranova about the Serena effect, calling matches with John McEnroe, and why Roger Federer isn’t the favorite at Flushing Meadows.
Q: You grew up a tennis fan. How is the adjustment calling matches with some of the greats of the game?
A: I think of them more as colleagues now. I grew up watching John’s matches, knew exactly where I was when he played (Bjorn) Borg. John is an interesting guy to work with. He operates in his own plane. He makes observations that others don’t and expresses (them) in a way others don’t. It’s very challenging, but really fun. Once he gets to know you and trust you, he’s a great partner.
Q: How do you handle calling one of these marathon five-set matches — you had two at Wimbledon — once you are in the middle of one?
A: You have to over time develop the ability to focus for that long. In football, you can decompress during a three-minute commercial break and in tennis you don’t have a chance to do that. There’s really nothing quite like it. You are even spent the next day a little bit, and you obviously didn’t play the match, so you don’t have the physical part of it. The focus is hard to explain. Your mind will wander for a point or two, it’s impossible for it not to, but you need to be ready to snap in quickly. I don’t know what else is quite like that. Tennis is not difficult to do, it’s just difficult to do well. Knowing when to shut up — and I know for some people we don’t shut up enough.
Q: How different does a grand slam feel when Serena Williams isn’t there?
A: Serena just brings a charisma, a focus, an attention. It feels bigger — even the U.S. Open — when Serena is in it. She is one of the most compelling personalities we’ve had in sports and gets more so as her career lengthens. Having said that, women’s tennis is at a fascinating time. There are so many names getting ready to kick the door in.
Q: How has the dynamic of the men’s field change with Novak Djokovic’s resurgence?
A: He casts an enormous shadow and arrives here as the man to beat. But I watched him in Cincinnati and every match was an adventure. His play rose and dipped from set to set. The people closest to him had no idea what to expect. They told us that. Novak is an incredibly complicated athlete. He’s one of the most thoughtful people I’ve ever interviewed. Nothing is simple and nothing is straightforward with him.
Q: He’s the favorite, even over Federer?
A: If Roger can serve great, it covers up a lot of things and one shot can carry him a long way, but he would have to play a lot better than he did in Cincy to win the Open. Roger had a terrible day returning against Djokovic in the final.