By the time New Yorkers had begun to count down to the U.S. Open’s first serves, Racquet magazine and LALO Tequila had already staged their own match.
Eduardo “Lalo” González, who was born into a proud and storied family of tequila makers, did not waste time with mythology. “I grew up around agaves and distilling, and I always had this dream of creating something special and authentic,” he said. LALO began in 2014 as a private batch in Guadalajara; by 2020 it was on shelves in the U.S., but still only in one form. “We launched officially with only Tequila Blanco. It’s three ingredient, clean, versatile. You can drink it however you like. At a price point that is fair.”
Why it works for athletes was, he admitted, a question he fields often. “They want to have fun, but they are conscious of what they’re drinking, what they’re eating, what they’re putting into their bodies,” he said. “The fact that LALO is clean, plants fermented and distilled, with no added flavors or enhancers, makes it pure. People that drink it, the next day you won’t feel terrible.” On what to serve while watching tennis: “Ranch Waters are super clean, refreshing, soda water and lime. Or a clean skinny margarita. Both go perfect for the occasion.”
Madison Keys, already a week deep into the Open’s whirl of practices and parties, did not hedge when it came to tequila. “I love tequila. I’m a big tequila fan. I’m a spicy margarita [fan]. I like an espresso martini with tequila. I basically sub everything out for tequila, so it’s my liquor of choice.” She already had history with LALO. “There’s a bar around the corner from our house, and we don’t go out very often, but it’s one of the few places we do. I happened to try it years ago. When all of this came about I was like, wait, I’ve had that brand. I actually enjoy that brand. That’s my go-to when we go to that restaurant.”
As for the Open, Keys was unequivocal. “I love playing here. It’s amazing. It’s loud, it’s fun, there’s lots of energy. It’s literally like nowhere else in the world.” She added, “There are a few moments in my career where the crowd has literally given me goosebumps mid match, and it’s pretty much happened almost exclusively here. It’s just so fun to come back and play.” The difference in the tournament itself, she noted, is striking. “I first played qualies here when I was 15, so that would have been 2010. The dramatic difference, honestly, even in the last five or six years, is crazy. A week before the Open used to be a ghost town. You’d walk to the practice courts, no one was there. And now it is absolutely packed.”
Amanda Anisimova had similar sentiments. “It’s been a really hectic week for sure. My days have been from around 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. most days,” she said. “But I love being busy and I thrive off of having a busy schedule. For me it’s been manageable, but at times I wish I could have more time to practice a bit more. The next few days are going to be less hectic, and I still try and train as much as I can, but I just really want to feel fully ready for the Open.”
What she is looking forward to most: “Honestly, my first round match. I mean, it’s going to be exciting and I feel like I work all year just for the U.S. Open. Obviously there are so many tournaments, but this one means so much to me and I really want to do well here.”
And off the court? “I love tequila. Not when I’m in tournament or training mode, but on a night out when I can, yeah, I love spicy margaritas.” She added, “I really love the brand and I love how it’s such simple ingredients and it’s very clean. I’m someone who tries not to have anything that has too many ingredients. I normally just try and look for something simple and clean. I don’t really want to mix too many things together. LALO feels very aligned with what I look for.”
By the end of the evening, the ping pong tables had gone quiet, the Blanco bottles a little lighter, and the caviar tins scraped clean. The players turned their focus back uptown, to the tournament itself. “As an American, it’s your home slam,” Keys said. “It’s hard to say it’s not your favorite.” Anisimova agreed: “It’s my home tournament. My friends and family come. I really thrive here.”
