The drought of men’s singles titles for the United States at the US Open is notable. Since Andy Roddick’s victory in 2003, no American tennis player has managed to lift the trophy at the tournament held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The era of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic has dominated the circuit, preventing the success of American players, although figures like Roddick, Andre Agassi, and Taylor Fritz reached the final on different occasions. In contrast, American women have performed outstandingly. Coco Gauff was crowned champion in 2023, Sloane Stephens in 2017, and Serena and Venus Williams accumulated eight titles between 1999 and 2014. Gauff could be a strong contender this year. Let’s go back in time to remember what the world was like in August 2003, when Roddick defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Musical and Box Office Hits
In August 2003, Beyoncé’s song “Crazy in Love,” featuring Jay-Z, was dominating the charts. The single, with its iconic beat and Beyoncé’s voice, stayed at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks.
Mars at its closest point
In 2003, Mars and Earth were closer than at any other time since the year 57,617 BC, a proximity that will not be repeated until the year 2287.
This proximity generated the false belief that Mars would look as big as the full Moon. However, although Mars is twice as wide as the Moon, the distance between both planets was more than 34 million miles, much greater than the approximately 238,000 miles that separate Earth from the Moon.
