Michael Jordan Attends the US Open to See Roger Federer
There was an odd moment toward the end of Marinko Matosevic's entertaining, but ultimately fruitless, first-round match against Roger Federer. He seemed to become distracted - not by a cellphone ringing, or a plane landing, or a bee buzzing, but by someone in the stands.
'I want to be like Mike!' Matosevic, an Australian, cried, pointing toward Michael Jordan, seated a few rows off the court.
It was a bit like the right fielder in a Little League game turning his head toward the distant sounds of an ice cream truck. Matosevic, waving and pointing at Jordan, the former N.B.A. star, might have momentarily forgotten that he was still in a match, still on center court at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
And he might not have understood that Jordan was actually there to watch his opponent, Federer, a 17-time Grand Slam winner and the No. 2 seed in this year's United States Open.
More specifically, Jordan was there to see how Federer would hold up wearing his brand of sneakers, a hybrid modeled after the Air Jordan 3, transformed for tennis (complete with Federer's own logo) in what could be considered a cross-promotional first.
The shoes drew plenty of online buzz, while Federer did his thing on the court, advancing past Matosevic, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4).
With his black bandanna, five o'clock shadow and animated personality, Matosevic looked and played almost the complete opposite of Federer's style. When Matosevic won his match during the first round of the French Open, ending an 0-for-12 skid in Grand Slam contests, he rolled around in the clay as if his shirt were on fire.
On Tuesday, he played a strong net game but was wild with his serve, double-faulting four times and committing 44 unforced errors.
Matosevic did not get his first break-point opportunity until he led, 40-15, in the fourth game of the third set. But Federer answered with four straight unreturned serves and came back to win the game and even the set, 2-2.
The top of the net was also not very favorable to Matosevic, who had several shots that clipped the tape, including a wide-open drop shot that prompted Matosevic to shout angrily into the air. He then missed an overhead smash to give Federer the 4-3 break in the third set, paving the way for an easy finish.
Federer looked especially strong using his backhand, and he did not allow Matosevic to break his serve until later in the third set. He won 88 percent of his first-serve points and finished with 10 aces.
Federer grew up in Switzerland as an avid fan of Jordan's - he had posters of the six-time N.B.A. champion on his bedroom wall as a teenager - but they had not met until Monday night. Jordan, on the other hand, had never seen a live tennis match at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Seated in Federer's box, he could not remain inconspicuous for long.
Trailing, 4-3, in the third set, looking tired and mostly defeated, Matosevic finally noticed Jordan, dressed all in white. And he did what he could to get Jordan to turn his attention away from Federer for a moment.
Earlier in the evening, the always entertaining Frenchman Gaël Monfils, the No. 20 seed, advanced in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4, over the 17-year-old Rhode Island native Jared Donaldson, who had earned a wild-card entry into his first career Grand Slam event.
Donaldson was the top seed in last month's United States Tennis Association national championship, but he was no match for Monfils, who was broken only once and returned 82 percent of Donaldson's serves in play.
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