With missteps at the US Open, is ESPN really committed to tennis coverage

ESPN is the official broadcast partner for the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and US Open Grand Slam tennis tournaments.

Owning the US rights to three of four Grand Slams would force the network to step up the professionalism, presentation, and accuracy of information shared. At least, fans would expect that to be the case.

Advertisement

Missteps at the US Open continue to beg the question if ESPN is really committed to quality tennis coverage.

MORE: Did a prematch decision derail Ben Shelton's US Open title hopes

Malika Andrews is more in tune with basketball

Andrews is a competent professional, but basketball is where she thrives.

She does not possess the depth of tennis knowledge of her predecessor Chris McKendry, who is now stuck in the broadcast booth for an occasional match.

ESPN continues to force fit Andrews into this position. Mispronouncing Sasha (Alexander) Zverev's name, calling him Sausage Zverev is just one example.

Advertisement

Andrews told us that Aryna Sabalenka had a 9-2 head-to-head record over Jessica Pegula. It is actually 9-4.

MORE: Tennis season continues after 2026 US Open with tournaments through November

More noteworthy missteps

ESPN loves spending time at the desk talking with its analysts. That's fine when there is not live tennis going on.

The worst offense was during the Learner Tien and Gael Monfils match. It was Monfils last match ever at the US Open. He is retiring at the end of the season. ESPN viewers did not see it live.

September 3, 2026; New York, United States; Learner Tien of the U.S. embraces France's Gael Monfils after winning his second round match. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Advertisement

Graphics were an issue as well because proofing the player photos evidently did not happen.

Biased analysis

Aside from Andy Roddick, Sam Querrey, James Blake, and Genie Bouchard, fans were in for a lot of biased analysis from the ESPN group.

The Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff semifinal match may have been the tipping point. Mary Joe Fernandez said that Rybakina only had an A game and could not adjust. Rybakina's skills throughout that match were either glossed over or minimized. In addition, Chris Eubanks is too close of a friend to Gauff to be an unbiased analyst in her matches.

Less talking and more silence would be prefered by most fans. Muting the sound is an option; however, viewers cannot hear the true sounds of the game, fault and out line calls as well as the sound of the ball making contact with the racquet.

— Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories with The Big Lead Newsletter —