Carlos Alcaraz has followed through on a post-final pledge, adding fresh tattoos to mark his 2025 US Open victory. The world No. 1 unveiled new ink on his right arm over the weekend, incorporating two New York City landmarks: the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge.

The tattoos complete a promise Alcaraz made after his four-set win over rival Jannik Sinner — the pair’s third straight Grand Slam final against each other. After that match he famously dyed his hair platinum blond and told reporters, “I’m gonna do two things,” he told press in New York.

“I had a bet at the beginning of the tournament: the Brooklyn Bridge. And obviously the Statue of Liberty.

“I’m gonna do both. And the date. Because this one is special. I have to get a tattoo twice.”

Alcaraz visited his regular artist, Ganga, and posted images of the tattoo process in an Instagram carousel captioned “my week lately.” The new pieces join a growing set of commemorative marks: he first recorded his initial US Open title with “11.09.22” on his left arm, later adding the Eiffel Tower for Paris, a strawberry for Wimbledon, and his personal motto, cabeza, corazon y cojones.

The 22-year-old captured two majors in 2025, defending his Roland Garros title in a five-set final and securing his second US Open crown, bringing his career major total to six. Off the court, Alcaraz announced last week that his seven-year partnership with coach Juan Carlos Ferrero had ended, a separation that drew attention because of its timing during the off-season.

That split arrives just weeks before the Australian Open, the only major Alcaraz has yet to win and the only one where he has not gone beyond the quarterfinals as he chases a career Grand Slam. There are plenty of questions surrounding Alcaraz heading into 2026, but his focus is already shifting to Melbourne. When asked what tattoo he would get if he ever wins the Australian Open, his answer came quickly.

The fourth-round meeting between Barbora Krejcikova and Taylor Townsend at the US Open emerged as one of 2025’s most gripping encounters. Ranked 62nd and 139th respectively at the time, the two former doubles No. 1s combined varied shotmaking and net instincts on Louis Armstrong Stadium to deliver an emotional classic.

Townsend dominated the opening set 6-1 and surged in the second, breaking to lead 3-1 with an immaculate backhand topspin. The crowd rallied behind the American after a recent on-court controversy had prompted public support. But Krejcikova, known for a low-margin game that can swing wildly, refused to fold.

Down a set and a break, Krejcikova steadied. She broke back at 1-3, held through a long, multi-deuce game at 2-3 and forced a tiebreak. Townsend reached 6-3 in the breaker, then what followed became the match’s defining stretch. Over roughly 15 minutes, Krejcikova saved eight match points and ultimately won the tiebreak on her fourth set point.

She did not survive by playing safe. At 3-6 she struck an inside-out forehand for a winner. At 4-6 she attacked and Townsend erred on a forehand pass. At 6-7 Krejcikova landed a backhand into the corner that barely stayed in. At 10-11 she reached a delicate backhand volley down the line. At 11-12 she returned with an inside-out forehand near the sideline. Finally, up 14-13, she closed the set with a smash. Krejcikova reflected, “At all those match points, I was just very, I mean, brave as well, but also lucky at certain points, because we had great rallies, and I was facing them when I was serving, then when I was returning.”

Townsend pushed again in the third, saving a match point and reviving the crowd at 3-5, but Krejcikova prevailed 1-6, 7-6 (13), 6-3. “It just stings, because I literally gave everything,” Townsend said. “She came up with some really, really great tennis in moments where she was down, and I thought I had it.” Townsend added with a smile that she “took 10” minutes to sulk after the loss, per a coach’s rule allowing three minutes. Krejcikova, meanwhile, embraced the Armstrong stage despite having been cast as the day’s antagonist.

Ben Shelton has expanded his public presence with the launch of an official YouTube channel and a short-form digital docuseries titled “The Long Game.” The series’ first episode runs 11 minutes and focuses largely on his 2025 campaign, which the 23-year-old former college player called the best season of his career to date.

The episode is set primarily at the US Open and revisits a season in which Shelton won his first Masters 1000 title, qualified for the season-ending ATP Finals for the first time, and rose to a career-high ranking of No. 5. Shelton is identified in promotional materials as the world No. 9 and uses the episode to address the rapid change in his trajectory.

“If you would’ve told me three years ago that I’d be in the position I’m in now,” Shelton begins in the episode, “I probably wouldn’t believe you. Now, I think anything is possible in this sport.”

A central thread in the episode is the premature end to his run at the US Open, when he retired against Adrian Mannarino in the third round because of a shoulder injury. Throughout the episode Shelton speaks plainly about the relationship between health and longevity in the game, the influence of his girlfriend Trinity Rodman, and a process-driven approach where results are described as “an afterthought” relative to incremental improvement.

“This story isn’t fully written yet,” Shelton says at one point, a line that frames both the episode and his larger career outlook. He closes with a reminder of how quickly his rise has accelerated: “It’s only my third year out on tour, and I forget sometimes that I finished last year [2024] outside the Top 20,” he says in closing the episode. “I’ve got big goals, dreams, aspirations in this sport. Every year I feel a little bit closer.”

Speaking to Front Office Sports ahead of the show’s debut, Shelton said he and team behind the show hope to keep presenting his story “as uncut as possible” in future episodes.