Tennis star Dominic Thiem won his first-ever Grand Slam title on Sunday, after a thrilling five-set victory over Alexander Zverev that capped off a 2020 U.S. Open tournament like no other.
"It feels great," Thiem told Cheddar from Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday. "What happened last night was a match that had everything [including] huge, huge drama at the end. I think it was a super great finals."
After losing the first two sets to 23-year-old German phenom Zverev, Thiem battled back to win the next two sets and, ultimately, close out the fifth set in a tiebreaker.
Adjusting to playing in a pandemic, Thiem admitted that taking the court without fans in the stands was a "little bit sad."
"Fans just give amazing energy to us," he continued. "It's one of the nicest things an athlete can experience…to enjoy an atmosphere of 23,000 people in this nice Arthur Ashe Stadium, but it is what it is."
This victory is the first Grand Slam title won by any men's player that isn't named Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, or Novak Djokovic since 2016, ending a dominant streak of 13 straight tournaments.
While Federer and Nadal chose to skip the tournament over coronavirus concerns, Djokovic was ejected from the U.S. Open when he inadvertently struck a lineswoman after hitting a ball in frustration towards the fence. He later profusely apologized for the incident.
"I think it's very good for men's tennis if there are fresh faces in the winning list of majors," Thiem said. "Younger players like us, I think we really have the potential to continue the story of what Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic started."
As for the celebration, the 27-year-old Austrian says he plans to fly back to Vienna to have a "big party" with family and friends, before looking ahead to the French Open set to begin on September 21.
"The French Open is one of my favorite tournaments," Thiem said, knowing the big three will be there to greet him. "Already now, I'm super pumped to play there."
Facebook is facing more backlash after a New York Times report revealed the social media company shared user data with at least 60 device makers. It turns out Facebook shared information with four Chinese firms, including Huawei. The Chinese company Huawei is the third largest smartphone maker in the world and has also faced intense scrutiny from U.S. government officials.
Tesla shareholders voted to keep Elon Musk on as chairman of the electric carmaker. At the annual shareholder meeting, Musk said the company is on track to deliver 5,000 Model 3 vehicles per week by the end of this month. Tesla will also open a new gigafactory in Shanghai, its first outside of the U.S.
And we talk to WNBA legend and Olympic gold medalist Lisa Leslie. She stars in the new film 'Uncle Drew' alongside Kyrie Irving, Chris Webber, Shaq, and other comedy and basketball greats. Leslie also weighs in on the NFL kneeling controversy.
Denying people the right to express their opinions doesn't represent America's democratic values, says Lisa Leslie. Trump "focuses so much on trying to be the dictator of our country," Leslie tells Cheddar.
The U.S. didn't qualify for the World Cup this year, but Tab Ramos, who played in three championship events, is still "bullish" about the sport's future in America. "We have a lot of young players -- 18, 19, 20, 21 -- who are ready to take that step and ready to take the U.S. to new heights," he tells Cheddar. Ramos is now the U.S. under-20 national team coach.
The media exec points out that people will pay for sports content before they even pay for dinner. Discovery inked a $2 billion deal Monday to broadcast golf tournaments internationally, across platforms.
Facebook is under fire again for its privacy practices after reports that it gave device makers like Apple, Amazon, and Samsung access to user data. The New York Times claims that over the past 10 years, the social media site struck deals with at least 60 companies for user information. This latest report is just another setback for Facebook as it tries to repair its reputation following the Cambridge Analytica data scandal.
Apple's developer conference, or WWDC, kicks off today in San Jose, California. This year, the tech giant is focusing on software developments rather than new hardware. Cheddar's Hope King reports live from the conference about what we can expect ahead of the keynote speech.
The 2018 World Cup is just days away. We're joined by Tab Ramos, soccer legend, head coach for the U.S. Men's National U-20 team, and World Cup analyst for Telemundo Deportes, to talk about the big event.
Tab Ramos, soccer legend, head coach for the U.S. Men's National U-20 team, and World Cup analyst for Telemundo Deportes, previews the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
The NFL's decision to ban players from taking a knee during the anthem propagates the narrative that the athletes belong at the bottom of a hierarchy and are just supposed to "do as we say," says ex-Giant Victor Cruz. "I think you'll still see some kind of protest," he tells Cheddar.
The skateboarding legend, who became the first person to land a '900' trick back in 1999, has successfully turned his sporting career into a business empire. It all boils down to perseverance and taking risks, he tells Cheddar's Jon Steinberg.
The social media network's live video platform will help grow its monthly active users, especially as consumers rapidly ditch cable for on-demand content, says Motley Fool analyst Jason Moser.
Frank Zaccanelli, a former owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, says the NFL's decision to adopt a new policy on the national anthem without consulting the NFL Players Association was, "one of the dumbest things I've ever heard."
