Rustin Dodd

As admirers paid tribute at the U.S. Open, Williams had something of an epiphany. She couldn’t lose, because she’d already won.

As a teenager, he was touted as the next American star. Eight years later, the star was officially born at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Frances Tiafoe always loved tennis. But it took a new coach and a focus on the little things to spark this continuing run at the U.S. Open.

Carlos Alcaraz, a 19-year-old phenom from Spain, ended Tiafoe’s tournament just short of the final with a five-set victory Friday.

These two weeks in New York made a star out of Carlos Alcaraz, solidified Iga Świątek’s place at No. 1 and showed off tennis’ bright future.

As the season winds down, The Athletic is taking stock of the year that was: the top performances, the superlatives and the players who made an impact. This week we’re looking at the most valuable players for each club. For some clubs — like the , and — it’s obvious. For others, it requires a closer look. Advertisement The good news: We don’t have to decide between and . They are both recognized here. (All statistics are as of Sunday, unless otherwise noted.) Team MVP:, outfield Here is the l…

Fans, fantasy experts, front-office evaluators and ballwriters spend a lot of time each offseason speculating about which players will break out in the coming year. When we’re right, we spend all summer annoying those around us: I told you! I called it! When we’re wrong, we pocket that same prediction for the following season and figure we just jumped a year too early. Advertisement But the beauty of the baseball season is there are always standouts we never saw coming. It could be a starter tur…

In the summer of 1980, August A. Busch Jr., the chairman and president of the , summoned Whitey Herzog to Grant’s Farm, the family estate on the outskirts of the city. Herzog was 48 years old and had spent the previous five seasons managing the before taking over as Cardinals manager before 1980 season, but Gussie Busch, as he was known, had an idea. He needed a new general manager. He wanted Herzog. He offered a simple mission. Advertisement “Whitey,” Busch said, as the men talked over a coupl…

The made a move Tuesday in the three-team race for baseball’s worst team. The opened the season with just three wins in their first 25 games, and the have the worst record in the National League at 7-24, but the Rockies may have accomplished something even more dismal than either, trailing in a record 29 straight games to begin a season on their way to a 7-22 record. Advertisement Colorado surpassed the record set by the 1910 St. Louis Browns, who trailed in their first 28 games that season.…

Before was a potential ace, he held down another crucial job: “standardization and evaluation” cadet at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Skenes was only a sophomore, two years removed from high school in Orange County, but he embraced life in the structured confines of a service academy. As a freshman he completed a six-week basic training, majored in chemistry, memorized customs and courtesies and recited elements of military history. In the mornings he endured the tradition of runni…