The new American tennis takeover, plus an Aaron Rodgers debate

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There was a long period of time when the top of the tennis world was rather static.

The best players were legendary, yes, but one downside was that the names winning major tournaments repeated over and over and over again.

On the womens side, the United States was part of that static generation simply because of Serena Williams.

The best tennis player ever won six U.S.

Opens from 1999 to 2014.

That era is largely over, never more evident than at this years U.S.

Open, where upsets have become the norm and the semifinal rounds have been crashed by a surprising crew: a group of Americans largely unfamiliar with this territory.

This is the first U.S.

Open with two American men and two American women in the semis.

A new era? Maybe not yet.

But at this tournament, things feel very fresh.

Thats a good thing.

Clark nets another triple-double Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark scored 24 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out 10 assists to record her second triple-double of the year.

Shes the only rookie ever to log even one, and now the fifth WNBA player with multiple in one season.

Clark also became the only rookie and fastest player ever to reach 100 3-pointers in a season.

The playoff-bound Fever are an incredible 15-6 since an awful start.

Advertisement Surtain gets paid The Broncos and star cornerback Patrick Surtain II agreed to a four-year, $96 million contract extension that comes with $77.5 million in guarantees, making Surtain the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history.

Hes plenty worthy of the honor, and the Broncos mediocrity these last few years has shrouded how good Surtain has been.

See the full backstory here .

Commanders suspend employee A video on social media showed Commanders vice president of content Rael Enteen making callous comments about players and fans, prompting the team to suspend him.

The video was posted by the activist OKeefe Media Group, and appeared to be recorded by an undercover citizen journalist on a date with Enteen.

Read the bizarre details here .

More news I wanted a tidy five Pulse Predictions before the season begins, so here we are, hours before kickoff, betting our final coins on an imaginary prize.

The subject: Aaron Rodgers .

For all the NFLs pageantry, there may be no man who drives more conversation inside the sport and out than Rodgers.

(Other than Travis Kelce over the past year, of course.) On-field wizardry and off-field ...

interests ...

fuel the aura around him equally.

Put him in the countrys biggest media market, and a frenzy appears.

The funny thing is, for all the New York headlines, Rodgers has played just four snaps as a Jet.

Hes 40 years old.

The franchises playoff hopes and those of the coaching staffs future employment likely hinge on his output.

Therein lies our overall question: Will Rodgers actually be good this year? Two factors at play: Weve seen multiple people predict a huge year for Rodgers.

In these digital pages , our Dianna Russini said he could win his fifth MVP.

So heres the actual, zoomed-in question: Does Rodgers finish top-five in MVP voting this year? Make your voice heard here .

Its a late entry, but Ludacris may have claimed the Best First Pitch of the Year award with this effort last night in Atlanta: It's #LudaNight in ATL #GetBack pic.twitter.com/XMyA7F5srm The Athletic MLB (@TheAthleticMLB) September 5, 2024 Yes, those big, fake arms are in the style of his iconic Get Back video from 20 years ago, which makes me feel ancient.

The only other entry Ill entertain for the award is Decoys toss last week .

NFL: Ravens at Chiefs 8:20 p.m.

ET on NBC/Peacock All of football is officially back.

Rejoice.

We get two of the best five quarterbacks in the NFL and maybe the AFCs two best teams.

Remember last year, when the Lions announced themselves as legit with a win at Arrowhead in Week 1? Baltimore has less to prove, but I expect a good game nonetheless.

Tennis: Emma Navarro vs.

Aryna Sabalenka 7 p.m.

ET on ESPN This will be Navarros toughest test yet with a trip to the final on the line.

Jessica Pegula plays Karolina Muchova directly following this match.

Get tickets to games like these here .

Andrew Marchand has the inside story of how Tom Brady prepared for his debut season as a Fox commentator.

Super interesting.

Brady is a rookie again .

We have other Rodgers content today, too: Matt Schneidman wrote a wonderful story on how Jordan Love became the Packers franchise QB, and it all started with a friendly call from the guy Love thought might hate him.

Chris Vannini returned with his weekly ranking of college football teams from No.

1 to No.

134.

See where your team landed .

Speaking of Caitlin Clark , her rookie cards have already become gold .

Aaron Portzline was in attendance as the Blue Jackets gathered at Nationwide Arena to share emotions and memories following Johnny Gaudreaus death.

Heartbreaking and moving stuff .

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday : Our NFL Hope-O-Meter .

Catch up if you missed it.

Most-read on the website yesterday : David OBriens story on Whit Merrifield, who unloaded after Tuesdays game, in which the Atlanta infielder was hit in the head by a 94 mph fastball.

His full comments are worth a read .

Sign up for our other newsletters: The Bounce | The Windup | Full Time | The Athletic FC | Prime Tire | Until Saturday | Scoop City (Top photo: Kimberly P.

Mitchell / USA Today).

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