Except for 2020, when the pandemic shuffled the order and number of Grand Slams, the US Open is traditionally the fourth and final tennis Grand Slam of the calendar year. The US Open is the tournament American players look forward to the most. Players aspire to perform under the NYC lights in front of home crowds in night matches. No matter what happened in the grinding months prior, players feel renewed and recharged in New York. In addition, everyone embraces the US Open as the rite of passage between summer and fall.
US Open History
When players take the court on August 26, 2024, they will be part of a tournament originally called the U.S. National Championship, which started in 1881. Men’s singles and doubles were the only events. It was played in Newport, Rhode Island.
American Richard Sears won the first US Open in 1881. He would add one more each year through 1887. The format differed from the modern-day draw format, giving the defending champion an advantage in retaining his title. For this reason, many champions repeated until the tournament abolished the favorable format for defending champions in 1912.
Women’s singles tennis was added in 1887 and played at the Philadelphia Cricket Club. Women’s doubles and mixed doubles were added in 1889 and 1892, respectively.
The first women’s singles champion was 18-year-old American Ellen Hansell. It was her only Grand Slam title. She failed to defend her title, losing to Bertha Townsend in 1888. Hansell retired in 1890 to start a family, giving birth to six children.
All five events were played separately until 1968 when it was renamed the United States Open Tennis Championships. The tournament moved to the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, New York. Grass was the original tournament surface until 1974. The US Open was played on green clay for a brief three-year stint from 1975-1977. Since 1978 when it moved to Flushing Meadow, it became a hardcourt tournament.
Professional tennis players were not allowed to play in the US Open until 1968, known as the “Open Era.” Before that time, only amateurs were invited to play. In the early years, it was a week-long tournament, but it is now played over two weeks, consistent with the other Grand Slams.
US Open Records
With an over 140-year history, many players have graced the courts and made history at the US Open. Bill Tilden remains the record holder for men’s singles with seven US Open titles. The women’s singles record holder is Molla Mallory who won eight times.
In the Open Era, Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras, and Roger Federer each won five times. Novak Djokovic has won four times. Jimmy Connors has the added distinction of being the only player to win a title on each of the tournament’s surfaces with his wins in 1974, 1976, 1978, 1982, and 1983 wins.
Women record holders in the Open Era are Chris Evert and Serena Williams who each won six times. Steffi Graf won five titles, and Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova each won four titles.
Arthur Ashe was the 1968 men’s singles champion. He competed as an amateur because he was serving as a US Army lieutenant. As a result, he could not accept the winner’s check of $14,000. Ashe earned only his $20 per diem rate.
Martina Navratilova was a triple champion in 1987, winning the ladies’ singles and doubles with frequent American partner Pam Schriver, as well as the mixed doubles title with Spaniard Emilio Sanchez. At 30, Navratilova played all disciplines extremely well and accomplished a feat that likely will never be matched. The only player who came close was Serena Williams in 1999, who won singles and doubles with sister Venus, but she did not compete in mixed doubles.
Steffi Graf won the US Open in 1988, culminating in an amazing year where she won each Grand Slam and the Olympic gold medal in the calendar year. Known as the “Golden Slam,” Graf is the only player to win all five events in the same year.
Bianca Andreescu became the first-ever Canadian tennis player to win a Grand Slam singles title at the US Open in 2019. The 19-year-old made the most of her first US Open main draw appearance with a straight-set win over Serena Williams in the finals.
Two years later, in 2021, another first happened when another teenager, 18-year-old qualifier Emma Raducanu, surprised everyone by winning the US Open. She played three qualifying matches and seven main draw matches in 17 days to win the first tournament of her career.
US Open History
The world did not stop for two weeks in late August and early September when the US Open is played. Tragedies occur during play. The most notable one was Princess Diana’s death on August 31, 1997. British player Greg Rusedski made it to the finals, but few British tennis fans even noticed because they were mourning her death.
The 2001 US Open concluded on September 9, just two days before the horrifying tragedy of 9/11. The US Open and the New York Jets and Yankees home games were considered the last “normal” events in New York City. At the 2002 US Open, the tournament held a special Opening Ceremony featuring the Ground Zero “Heroes Flag.” Native New Yorkers Tony Bennett, Queen Latifah, and Judd Hirsch led the commemorative events.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the US Open Grounds housed a temporary 350-bed field hospital that opened on April 10, 2020. It was deemed an unsuccessful and costly endeavor that closed on May 13 after treating 79 patients.
Wars, global events, and pandemics have not stopped the US Open from being played. Even in the COVID-19 year, it was played without spectators, an odd sight for television viewers and an unsettling quiet atmosphere for players used to spectator cheers and encouragement.
US Open Tennis Courts
From the late 1970s until 1997, Louis Armstrong Stadium was the main venue for high-profile matches. Armstrong Stadium was a large rectangular stadium later divided and reconstructed into two venues: the current stadium and the adjoining Grandstand. In 1995, construction began on a new stadium adjacent to Armstrong. Arthur Ashe Stadium was opened in 1997.
Armstrong Stadium and Ashe Stadium are two of the four show courts. The other two are the Grandstand and Court 17. Ashe Stadium is the largest on-site and worldwide, with a capacity of 23,771 people. Louis Armstrong Stadium is the second largest on-site and 11th ranked worldwide with 14,053 people. Grandstand holds 8,125 people, and Court 17 holds 2,800 spectators. These courts are part of the 22 outdoor court area with 11 additional practice courts outside the East Gate.
Ashe and Armstrong Stadiums are now outfitted with retractable roofs. Higher-ranked players are scheduled to play matches in these stadiums because of the spectator capacity. These players have the added advantage of knowing that weather conditions will not impact their match schedules.
Spectators with tickets to a US Open Day session in the early rounds can watch matches or practices at any court. They are assigned seats in Ashe Stadium but have first-come, first-serve seating at the other courts.
Night matches, first introduced in 1975 with American Stan Smith playing in the inaugural match, are held at Ashe and Armstrong Stadiums. One men’s and one women’s match are held back-to-back at each stadium. In later rounds, night match play is exclusively held at Ashe Stadium.
US Open VIPs
The modern-era US Open VIPs are easy to identify because their contributions are immortalized on the grounds of the US Open.
Althea Gibson was the first African-American woman to compete at the US Open in 1950 while the world was still heavily immersed in segregation. She had a successful tennis career resulting in 5 Grand Slam titles including the 1957 and 1958 US Opens. The 50th anniversary of her inaugural win, the first by an African-American woman, was celebrated at the tournament’s 2007 opening ceremony. In 2019, the US Open dedicated a statue in her honor.
Arthur Ashe is the namesake of Ashe Stadium. His legacy went beyond an exemplary tennis career. He is one of two black men who won a Grand Slam tennis tournament. Ashe won three Grand Slams between 1968 and 1975, with the US Open being his first. (Yannick Noah is the other man, winning the 1983 French Open.) Ashe was also a television commentator after his playing career ended in 1980. He was involved in humanitarian efforts, including a 1988 trip to South Africa.
Louis Armstrong is not a name normally associated with US Open tennis. However, the legendary jazz musician has a stadium named after him. He was a New York resident living close to the US Open Grounds. The stadium was built and used as the 1964 New York World’s Fair ‘Singer Bowl.’
Billie Jean King is another US Open VIP. The USTA National Tennis Center was renamed and dedicated to her in 2006. It is now called the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Billie Jean King’s contributions to women’s tennis are massive and extend to all women’s sports. Her playing career spanned 22 years, resulting in 12 Grand Slam singles and 15 Grand Slam doubles titles.
Along the way, she advocated for equal pay for women’s tennis players and famously defeated Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes.” At 80, she continues to crusade for women’s equality in tennis and beyond. Her name comes up often in trophy presentations and speeches of female tennis champions because they know how hard she worked and how far she advanced the sport for women.
US Open Prize Money and Trophy
The 2024 US Open will offer the largest purse in tennis history. $75 million will be distributed to players participating in the qualifying rounds to the main draw. Players losing in the final qualifying round will receive $52,000. Those reaching the first round will earn $100,000.
These early-round payouts are significant for rising players working their way up the rankings, employing a team to assist them physically and mentally, and paying for travel expenses during an 11-month season.
The men’s and women’s singles champions will each earn $3.6 million. Finalists earn $1.8 million.
Fitting the New York vibe, NYC-based luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co. has designed and produced the winners’ trophies since 1987. Making the trophies is very labor intensive. The men’s and women’s singles trophies, which are about 18.5 inches high and weigh nearly 10 pounds, take 4 1/2 months to complete. The doubles trophies take longer. They weigh 5 1/2 pounds and take five months to make.
US Open Memorable Winning Moments From The Past 35 Years
The most memorable US Open moments involve the American players succeeding in front of the home crowd. In chronological order, they are as follows:
- Fifteen days after his 19th birthday, Pete Sampras won his first-ever Grand Slam title at the 1990 US Open. He went on to win 14 Grand Slams, five in New York. Sampras took the baton from US Open champions of the 1960s through 1980s, including Arthur Ashe, Stan Smith, John McEnroe, and Jimmy Connors.
- Unseeded Andre Agassi won his first US Open in 1994. He became the first unseeded player in the Open Era to win the US Open. He defeated five-seeded players en route to the championship. Agassi was a fan-favorite who made five appearances in the US Open men’s singles final. He won two and lost the other three to Sampras.
- Andy Roddick won his only Grand Slam, the 2003 US Open. Roddick’s big serve and powerful game were suited to the hardcourts, but he played in the era of Roger Federer, which curtailed his chances. Roddick is the last American man to win any Grand Slam.
- Three US women were crowned US Open champions in 1998, 1999, and 2000. Lindsay Davenport, Serena Williams, and Venus Williams ushered in the modern era of American women’s tennis.
- Venus and Serena Williams played each other in consecutive US Open finals in 2001 and 2002. The sisters did not enjoy playing each other, finding it bittersweet in victory or defeat. Venus won in 2001 when the first US Open women’s final was played in primetime, and Serena avenged the loss with a victory in 2002.
- The Bryan brothers, American tennis stars Bob and Mike Bryan, won their first US Open men’s doubles title in 2005, which capped off an amazing year when they reached the finals of all four Grand Slams. Mike Bryan holds the record for most men’s doubles US Open titles with six.
- The other All-American final in 2017 between two good friends, Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys, was a bittersweet moment. Fans were torn knowing that both were attempting to win their first-ever Grand Slam. Stephens was crowned the 2017 US Open champion.
- Coco Gauff won her first-ever US Open and maiden Grand Slam title in 2023. Gauff played exceptional tennis during the summer hardcourt season, winning two warmup tournaments in Washington, DC, and Cincinnati. She capped off the “Summer of Coco” by winning in New York, giving the fans an American champion for the first time in six years.
Though it was not a championship crowning moment, Jimmy Connors’s run in the 1991 US Open remains unforgettable. He was ranked 174th and granted a wildcard into the tournament. Connors was already a tennis legend and five-time champion, competing at 39 years of age with nothing left to prove. In hindsight, Connors called the 1991 US Open “the best 11 days of my tennis career.”
He nearly lost in the first round, getting down two sets and 0-3 in the third to Patrick McEnroe. In the fourth round, he dug himself out of a 2-5 hole in the fifth set against Aaron Krickstein. He lost in the semifinals to Jim Courier. Ever the showman, Connors interacted with the crowd and had them screaming for him throughout his miraculous run. Anyone alive and watching the 1991 US Open will say that Connors stole the show and limelight from champions Monica Seles and Stefan Edberg.
US Open Famous Farewells
Because it is traditionally the season’s final Grand Slam, players retiring from the sport tend to pick the US Open as the last Grand Slam they play before walking away from the sport.
America’s sweetheart, Chris Evert, played her final match at the 1989 US Open. She consciously chose the US Open because it was where it all began for her as a rising star in 1971. In her 1989 run, she took out a 15-year-old Monica Seles in straight sets in the Round of 16 before losing in the quarterfinals.
Evert said: “I wanted to end my career at the US Open because it was important to finish full circle in my country’s championship. The US Open at 16 was my coming-out party, so to speak, and it was the first time I was exposed to the life I was going to lead, so it was only appropriate to have it be my last tournament.”
Pete Sampras retired from tennis at the 2003 US Open. Despite being the defending champion, he had been away from the game for the entire calendar year and chose not to compete at the event. Instead, he retired in an emotional on-court ceremony as the tournament opened. He remains the only man to have won the final Grand Slam tournament in which he competed.
Sampras’s frequent rival, Andre Agassi, retired at the 2006 US Open. Battling back pain, he won a five-set thriller in the second round before losing in the third round. Agassi made a beautiful speech that earned a standing ovation from fans and the players in the locker room.
American tennis legend Serena Williams had her famous farewell to the sport at the 2022 US Open. She played singles and doubles with Venus, giving NYC tennis fans the last glimpse of competitive tennis from the greatest women’s tennis player in history.
In 2024, tennis fans will say goodbye to Dominic Thiem of Austria. Thiem, 30, was the 2020 US Open champion. American Danielle Collins, 30, and Argentine Diego Schwartzman, 32, are playing in their final US Open.
US Open Fan Access
One of the most wonderful parts of the US Open is the fan access to the players, whether watching them practice, walking past them on the grounds, or getting autographs after matches.
Making tennis affordable and accessible has been a hallmark of the USTA for years. The week before the beginning round is called US Open Fan Week. Fans are welcome to attend preplanned events; most are free to attend. The events culminate on Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day, instituted in 1993 (six months after Ashe died of AIDS-related pneumonia, less than five years after he received an HIV-positive diagnosis from a blood transfusion). Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day has low-price food, concerts, characters, and giveaways dedicated to kids.
2024 marked the inaugural year of a new Fan Week event called Mixed Madness, a mixed-doubles exhibition. Four teams comprised of Coco Gauff and Ben Shelton, Amanda Anisimova and Taylor Fritz, Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios, and champions and real-life couple Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
This Year’s US Open Defending Champions
Coco Gauff and Novak Djokovic are the 2023 defending women’s and men’s singles champions. Each has had an interesting year following their monumental wins. Gauff won her maiden Grand Slam title last year. She followed that success with one singles title in January and a Grand Slam doubles title with first-time partner Katerina Siniakova at the French Open. Tennis seasons go through ebbs and flows, and Gauff’s will be made with a successful defense of her title.
Novak Djokovic is no stranger to the US Open’s repeated successes, winning his titles in 2011, 2015, 2018, and 2023. Injuries have plagued his 2024 season, which prohibited the 24-time Grand Slam winner from winning a title all year. He capped off the summer in the best possible way, winning the Paris Olympics gold medal in men’s singles. This is the one item that eluded him in a stellar resume that puts him at the forefront of any discussion of the greatest men’s tennis player ever.
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