美国国家公共电台 NPR--This year's U.S. Open is in the books and many call it one of the greatest

This year's U.S. Open is in the books and many call it one of the greatest

Transcript¹

The tennis tournament saw players on both the women's and men's side winning the championship for the first time, and Serena Williams may have played in her final tournament.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

The U.S. Open has wrapped up with a new men's tennis champion who seems destined² for even more greatness. Spain's Carlos Alcaraz beat Casper Ruud of Norway to grab his first Grand Slam singles title at the age of 19. Alcaraz also earned the world's No. 1 ranking, the youngest man to ever do that. It ended what many are calling one of the great U.S. Opens, with an emotional goodbye to Serena Williams and strong indications of change in both men's and women's tennis. NPR's Tom Goldman joins me now.

All right. So let's start with the teenager, Carlos Alcaraz, who's being called a generational player. Is the hype worth it, Tom?

TOM GOLDMAN, BYLINE³: We will have to see how he does over the next decade, obviously, and whether he stays healthy. But he looks so good now and complete - his speed and court coverage⁴, his powerful groundstroke, strong serve and volley game, deft⁵ touch. And like his countrymen and idol⁶, 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafa Nadal, Alcaraz shows a relentlessness⁷ that we saw in the three straight five-set marathons he won leading up to yesterday's final.

MART?NEZ: Yeah. He definitely looked good. And he didn't exactly come out of nowhere. I mean, he's been building to this even though he's very, very young.

GOLDMAN: Yeah. A good indication came in May, when, in three straight matches at the Madrid Open, Alcaraz beat Nadal. He beat then-world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 3 Alexander Zverev. It was like, OK. Something's going on. And we found out exactly what over the last two weeks in New York.

MART?NEZ: And it also seems like we have a player on the women's side separating from the pack.

GOLDMAN: World No. 1-ranked Iga Swiatek of Poland won the women's final at the Open - her third Grand Slam singles title. She's only 21. She's planted herself at the top with some really good up-and-coming players, including 18-year-old American Coco Gauff, who will keep pushing her.

MART?NEZ: All right. Let's pull back a bit and talk about this just-finished U.S. Open. Of course, the first week, there was really only one player, woman or man, that anyone was talking about. Will this always be remembered as Serena Williams' tournament?

GOLDMAN: It will, at least the first week. And while it may have been unfair to ignore everyone else, she earned it, right? So much was said about her impact on tennis, on culture. And I thought it was great - the continuity from Week 1 to Week 2. There was almost this torch passing because after Serena Williams lost on the first Friday, American men's player Frances Tiafoe started to emerge.

He would, of course, become a huge story in Week 2. And Serena Williams was kind of the connective tissue. Tiafoe, who's Black, talked about as a kid, he watched Serena and her sister Venus and was inspired by them. That's an important thing to remember. The Williams didn't just get girls excited about the game. And then Tiafoe, who's only 24, took up the mission, if you will, of motivating young players who look like him. He talked about that after his win in the quarterfinals.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

FRANCES TIAFOE: You know, at the end of the day, I mean, I love that because of Frances Tiafoe, there's a lot of people of color playing the game of tennis. I think that's obviously a goal for me. And yeah, that's why I'm out here trying really hard.

MART?NEZ: And now Tiafoe came up short, lost in the semifinals. But you think he and the others who consistently thrilled the New York crowds represent maybe a changing of the guard in the men's game?

GOLDMAN: You know, I'm not the only one saying this, A, but it appears to be the beginning of the change. The big three - Nadal, Djokovic, Roger Federer - are all planning on coming back next year. But they're in their mid-30s. Fed's 41. So they won't be around for long. And what this U.S. Open showed us is there's a really good crop of young, personable men players who are ready to take this game to even higher levels - the way they hit the ball so hard, flick⁸ winners from anywhere on the court. They're so fast around the courts. Can't wait for the next Grand Slam - the Australian Open in four months.

MART?NEZ: Oh, to be young, strong and fast. That used to be Tom Goldman from NPR.

Tom, thanks.

GOLDMAN: (Laughter) Ouch. You're welcome.

(SOUNDBITE OF MAKAYA MCCRAVEN'S "BUTTERSCOTCH")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 destined   

adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的

参考例句：

• It was destined that they would marry.他们结婚是缘分。
• The shipment is destined for America.这批货物将运往美国。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

5 deft   

adj.灵巧的，熟练的（a deft hand 能手）

参考例句：

• The pianist has deft fingers.钢琴家有灵巧的双手。
• This bird,sharp of eye and deft of beak,can accurately peck the flying insects in the air.这只鸟眼疾嘴快，能准确地把空中的飞虫啄住。

6 idol   

n.偶像，红人，宠儿

参考例句：

• As an only child he was the idol of his parents.作为独子，他是父母的宠儿。
• Blind worship of this idol must be ended.对这个偶像的盲目崇拜应该结束了。

7 relentlessness   

参考例句：

• Scully: are in the basement because they are afraid of you of your relentlessness. 史考莉：你在地下室是因为他们怕你，怕你的义无反顾。
• Although the rain pours the utmost relentlessness, ceasing all outdoor activities, the manthethe heavens and smiles. 尽管无休止的倾盆大雨迫使所有户外劳作停止，但农民会为此兴奋不已。

8 flick   

n.快速的轻打，轻打声，弹开；v.轻弹，轻轻拂去，忽然摇动

参考例句：

• He gave a flick of the whip.他轻抽一下鞭子。
• By a flick of his whip,he drove the fly from the horse's head.他用鞭子轻抽了一下，将马头上的苍蝇驱走。