“Made me feel bad for Alcaraz and Sinner” – Andrea Petkovic says Donald Trump’s US Open presence was a ‘distraction’ from the tennis

September 8, 2025

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Andrea Petkovic recently opened up about how Donald Trump’s presence affected the atmosphere of the men’s US Open tennis final. The final took place on September 7, between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

US president Trump, returned to the US Open for the first time after getting booed by the audience in 2015. This year, he arrived at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York just before Alcaraz and Sinner were set for their showdown. After his arrival, he posed for the media, waving from the stands.

Shortly after the conclusion of the match, the former German tennis player, Petkovic, claimed that the President’s presence was a distraction from the tennis match in her recent newsletter. Comparing the atmosphere at the men’s and women’s finals, she said:

"I won’t get into it too much but I just prefer it when things don’t distract from the tennis. Seeing the atmosphere in Arthur Ashe be weird made me feel bad for Jannik and Carlos, particularly because I had been at the women’s final the day before where the spirit was so lively. Good thing is, chances are very high they will get a re-match in another major final soon."

Meanwhile, the showdown between Alcaraz and Sinner was a treat to watch as both of them went toe-to-toe for two hours and 42 minutes. Eventually, the Spaniard lifted the trophy after claiming a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 win.

Andrea Petkovic made her feelings known about Carlos Alcaraz following the 2025 US Open

In the aforementioned newsletter, Andrea Petkovic discussed several things about the 2025 US Open, including her thoughts on Carlos Alcaraz. Lauding his skills on the court, she called him unpredictable and shared a deep analysis of how he plays on the court to assert dominance.

"He is unpredictable. He is capable of playing at the net and from the baseline, he can attack with forehand slices like he did yesterday to throw Jannik off -usually a fantastic passer - and Carlos can suddenly take the pace off his shots and instead put heavy rotation on it. He does everything and anything to keep changing up strike zones for his opponent who is known to be the best in-tempo player in the world," said Petkovic.

She added that figuring out Alcaraz is a task that can only be done by Sinner:

"So basically, Carlos is life. If you can figure out life, you can figure out Carlos. I’m pretty sure we can’t but if anybody can, it’ll be Jannik. If only for a little while."

Andrea Petkovic won a total of eight career WTA titles, including seven singles titles and one doubles title.

About the author

An English Honors graduate, Nancy is a journalist at Sportskeeda covering US Olympic sports. She has a total experience of 4 years, having previously worked as a Marketing Executive for BYJU’S before finding her footing at SK.

To deliver the best content, Nancy keeps herself updated by reading as much as possible about the athletes and the sport, and believes that researching and trusting credible sources is the key to reporting ethical and accurate information.

Track and Field events particularly interest Nancy, and she is a fan of Allyson Felix. While she cherished each of her victories, her favorite Olympic moment happens to be the retired athlete’s 10th medal at the Games.

Nancy believes that covering the personal lives and training sessions of the Olympic athletes, and showcasing old podcasts or interviews would help bridge the coverage gap of the sport in its off season.

When away from her keyboard, Nancy spends most of her free time reading books. She also writes poems and plans on publishing a book.

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