US Open Honors Late American Prodigy Braun Levi During Novak Djokovic Match

On May 4, 2025, a tragedy struck the tennis community when an 18-year-old prodigy, Braun Levi, passed away in an accident. He was just weeks away from graduating from Loyola High School, Los Angeles. He was also set to make a name for himself as a professional tennis player. After all, he had broken into the Top 50 of UTR Sports’ Boys HS individual rankings and was No. 33 in California. But none of them came to be as a drunk driver killed him. And now, the USTA, Novak Djokovic, and Jan-Lennard Struff honor the late American star in a pretty heartwarming way. 

US Open Tennis shared a picture of Djokovic and Struff posing with Levi’s parents, Jennifer and Dan, and sister, Adelle, before round 4 of the US Open at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. The USTA welcomed the tragedy-struck family into the court to honor the 18-year-old prodigy by giving his family a shot at the coin toss. Of course, the family seems to be smiling in the photograph, but the grief is still clearly visible. 

Well, Braun Levi had a pretty star-dazzled life ahead of him. He was on his way to attend the University of Virginia in one month’s time. While the Levi family’s eyes are still wet, they have decided to keep the prodigy’s legacy alive by adopting a mantra – ‘Live like Braun.’ This mantra reflects the generosity, kindness, and joy that the high schooler brought into his family.

The coin toss was a reminder that even if the stakes are high, one should always lead on with positivity and compassion. The tribute was fitting because Levi had served on the ball crew when Djokovic played in a UCLA exhibition match in 2013. But Djokovic and Struff weren’t the only ones to pay tribute to the lost soul.

Steve Johnson pays his tribute to the Braun Levi

Speaking on the tragic incident on the Nothing Major Show, Steve Johnson said, “It’s just tragic, I mean there’s really no other way to put it you know as an 18-year-old kid just about to graduate high school go off to Virginia. It’s really hard to fathom…His dad is a doctor at UCLA. He’s one of the head pediatric cardiologists if not in America. He’s an absolute stud of a doctor and we had some health issues with our eldest Emma in her life and it wasn’t heart-related but he was the head doctor at UCLA where Emma was you know being held and being looked at.”

Needless to say, the tragedy took a heavy toll on Levi’s family. Johnson revealed how Levi’s father made Levi’s and his sister’s life a lot less stressful. But the loss of life is a stress that one can’t overcome easily. Johnson continued, “The outpouring of love that this kid brought to so many people, it’s hard to put into words. I can’t thank his parents and his dad enough for the help that he gave us back in the days a few years back. And the kids talk about Braun, the way he was it just make it even that much more tragic.”

And now, Novak Djokovic and Jan-Lennard Struff stepped in to honor the late American star. What are your thoughts on the honor that the USTA gave Braun Levi’s family? 

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