Tips for the US Open Tennis Tournament: Everything You Need to Know about NYC’s Grand Slam
The last major grand slam tournament of the tennis season is gearing up for a two week run in NYC in a few weeks, and as a pretty avid tennis fan, it’s been on my list for a while to put together a guide for spectators who are planning (or interested in) making the trek out to Queens for the big event.
Tips for the US Open Tennis Tournament
Here’s the thing…unlike going to a football, baseball, or basketball game…going to a tennis tournament can be a little…complicated.
It’s its own little “world” with scheduling and traditions that aren’t super intuitive if you’re not familiar with the setup.
Plus throw a trip to NYC into the mix, and…there are things you need to know ; )
How the Tournament Works
First off, the US Open is one of four majors (sometimes called “grand slams”) played every year (along with the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and Roland Garros/French Open). And it’s the last major of the season, so depending on how the season has developed in different ways, there’s usually a lot of drama.
The US Open is played at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows in Queens in NYC. This year the dates are August 28th-September 10th (2023). The tournament lasts two weeks and it always starts the Monday before Labor Day.
It’s a hard court tournament with 128 players in the men’s draw and 128 players in the women’s draw. There’s also doubles, mixed doubles, wheelchair tennis, and junior tennis going on at the same time.
That’s a lot of matches! The facility has two big stadiums, two smaller show courts, 13 outside courts (with varying amounts of spectator space) and 5 practice courts (with plenty of spectator space) and another 12 practice courts outside the gate.
The first week of the tournament (the first four days especially), it can feel like a madhouse with so many matches being played absolutely everywhere until the field starts to get narrowed down. There are 128 singles matches being played by the men and women just in the first two days!!
And one other thing to know: Players play every other day so don’t expect your favorite player to be playing the day you happen to show up. One half of the draw will start Monday, the other half Tuesday and then they’ll alternate days.
The Best Time to Go to the US Open
So what’s the best time to go to the US Open? Assuming you’re an average tennis fan with a reasonable budget…the first four days of the tournament (1st and 2nd rounds) are when you get the best bang for your buck. The tennis starts at 11 AM and goes until after midnight most nights. That’s a LOT of tennis for the price of one ticket.
Also, with soooooo many matches going on around the grounds, you’re guaranteed to see great tennis being played even if you can’t afford good seats in one of the big stadiums.
I will warn you though…it’s pretty chaotic and crowded. I went Monday-Thursday of the first week last year (and yes, it was the year that Serena Williams was retiring so I’m sure that made it extra crazy), but it was really crowded on the outdoor courts and a lot of the popular matches had lines to get a seat at the court. So if there’s a particular match you want to see on an outdoor court (where there’s no assigned seating), definitely get there early to get a seat.
I’ve also been to the tournament on the first weekend (Friday and Saturday are round of 16, Sunday is the first day of quarterfinals) and that’s also a good time to go. It’s the sweet spot of there still being matches played pretty much all day long (although only 2 or so at a time instead of like 12), but the field has been narrowed so that there aren’t the crazy crowds and most matches are played on the show courts.
The second week is when they start the doubles, wheelchairs and juniors tournaments so there is play on all of the outdoor courts, but it just doesn’t attract as many fans.
Tickets will be more expensive over the weekend (and you’ll likely want to be seats in Ashe stadium-more on that later), but not exorbitant like they will start to get for the semi finals.
Which Tickets to Buy
Okay, this is the most complicated part. Honestly, the first time I went I had to have a little coaching from somebody who goes every year because there are a LOT of different ways you can do it.
Let’s stick to talking about the first week of the tournament (if you’re going deeper into the quarters, semis or the final it’s way more straightforward and you just have to pay $$$).
First, you need to know about the stadiums because it all kind of goes from there.
Arthur Ashe Stadium is the main arena and it seats over 23,000 people. If you want to watch a match that’s being played in Arthur Ashe Stadium, you have to buy a ticket for a seat in Arthur Ashe Stadium. And that’s kind of like the golden ticket. If you have a ticket for Ashe, you can go ANYWHERE on the grounds to any of the other stadiums/show courts or outdoor courts.
There are days where you can buy a general admission grounds pass and that will get you into any match EXCEPT the ones on Ashe.
So you really just have to look up the prices and do the math. When I went last year, the price for the ground tickets over the first week were roughly the same as the cheapest tickets in Ashe. So that’s a no brainer…buy the ticket in Ashe and then you can go anywhere you want.
But if the price is $25 for a ground pass and $125 for a ticket to Ashe, then you have to weigh the pros and cons.
My personal recommendation is to buy tickets for a cheap seat in Arthur Ashe stadium.
1- If you want to see the top players, they’re usually always playing on center court. In the past, if you wanted to see Serena, Venus, Federer, Nadal, or Djokovic, you needed a ticket to center court. With a lot of those retired or on the edge of retirement now, there’s not quite so many “superstars,” but you probably aren’t going to see the world #1 on an outer court.
2- Ashe Stadium has a roof so if it’s a rainy day and you’ve got a ticket to Ashe, you’re going to see tennis. If you don’t, you’ll have to fight for a seat in the upper deck general admission of Armstrong Stadium (the only other stadium with a roof) with everyone else who has a grounds pass.
3-Usually in recent years, the price difference between the cheap seats to Ashe and a ground pass is pretty minimal. So it’s worth it for the insurance policy.
Night Session
Play on the outer courts starts about 11 AM and they’ll play 4-5 scheduled matches on some courts so they just play until they’re done (which could be early evening). But Ashe Stadium and Armstrong Stadium have a separate night session ticket.
Day Session tickets to Ashe include two scheduled matches plus you can enter the grounds when they open and go wherever you want. Night Sessions tickets on Ashe (and Armstrong) can’t enter the grounds until a preset time (they’ll tell you on the ticket but it’s usually about an hour or so before the first match is scheduled to start so let’s say 6 PM).
Here’s a caveat: If you have a day session ticket to Ashe (or just a general grounds pass), you can enter the upper general admission deck for Armstrong Stadium for the night session.
So that day session ticket to Ashe gets you as much tennis as possible plus the guarantee of a roof if it rains.
Night Session tickets get you in for two matches. So it’s not as good of a value, but it’s usually an incredible atmosphere and it’s pretty unique to tennis. Most tennis tournaments (even the majors) are played during the day and they’ll go until dark, but the Night Session on Ashe feels more like an NFL or NBA game atmosphere and in the tennis world it’s considered a pretty unique “American” experience.
I went last year to the first night session which Serena Williams opened (after announcing her retirement) and it was pretty electric.
In general though, I’d rather spend the day watching tennis in person and then go back into the city and watch the night session on TV at a bar (or in the hotel ; )
Geez Louise that is a LOT of info to digest, but in a nutshell, my recommendation is to go during the first four days of the tournament and buy the cheap seats to Ashe and go wherever the good matches end up happening.
OR go during the round of 16 and spring for better tickets in Ashe because the match will be better (during the first few days the matches on Ashe are usually blowouts because it’s a huge star playing a no name).
Buying Tickets in Advance
Tickets usually go on sale in June and they’re pretty reasonably priced if you buy them directly from TicketMaster.
If you’re invested in seeing a particular player though (or watching a specific matchup that develops mid tournament), your tickets may or may not match up to the schedule (remember each player only plays every other day plus there’s a day and night session). So if you wait and buy tickets mid tournament once specific matches are scheduled, they’re usually more expensive.
But generally speaking, since it’s a two week event, tickets are nowhere near as expensive as going to a big NFL/NBA/MLB game.
And one last thing about buying tickets…if you’re buying tickets for Arthur Ashe Day Session for a big match (you’re planning on sitting in your seat instead of wandering the grounds to watch other matches), check online for a “shade map” of the stadium so you can choose a section that won’t be in the sun.
How to Get to Queens
If you’re visiting NYC for the tournament, you’re most likely going to be staying in Manhattan. But it’s super easy to get out to Queens from the city and the best way is on the Subway. You’ll bypass all the traffic and it really couldn’t be any simpler. The 7 train (purple) from Grand Central will take you all the way to Mets-Willets Point station and from there it’s a super quick walk to the front gates.
Even if you’re not jumping on the Subway at Grand Central, it’s such a big connection stop that it’s easy to connect from so many places in Manhattan.
If you’re not used to riding the Subway, I always think it feels really safe since so many people are taking the train out to the US Open.
Where to Stay
Figuring out where to stay in NYC sometimes comes down to budget, but in terms of convenience, any hotel near Grand Central will obviously be your quickest option. But the 7 train also runs through Hudson Yards and Times Square where there are soooo many options.
Last year, I stayed at the New York EDITION (which I loved) and it was a quick transfer from the 6 train at 23rd street.
Things to Know Before You Go
Here’s a few miscellaneous things to know:
AMEX is a big sponsor of the event and they have special access areas and lounges for card members. They also give out a free radio/headphone piece to card members so you can listen to the ESPN match commentary.
The Honey Deuce is the official drink of the US Open and you’ve got to have at least one. The real superstar though is the FROZEN Honey Deuce (a lot like frozen Rose) which I found inside the big AMEX experience center near the front gates, but they may have it in other places.
Concessions inside Arthur Ashe stadium are what you’d expect…burgers, hot dogs, chicken fingers, etc. but there’s a pretty good size food court set up outside in the plaza with a LOT of options.
They kind of go for a foodie vibe with all of the offerings, but just don’t expect too much. It’s still all mass produced.
But the merch is GOOD. There’s a large shop by the main gates that has all the logo gear you’d want plus Ralph Lauren, Wilson, Fila and others have shops around the grounds carrying event merch plus tennis gear.
What to Take for the Day
Backpacks and large bags aren’t allowed into the venue, but expect it to be pretty got so you’ll definitely want to take along a water bottle, sunscreen, hat, fan, etc.
Want to Avoid the Crowds (& Go for FREE)???
I haven’t done this yet, but the week before the tournament starts is Fan Week at the US Open. Besides qualifying matches (lower ranked players competing for a spot in the main draw), there are practice sessions and a lot of opportunities for fans (especially kids) to meet and interact with players. Some high profile players will even do events and charity matches during this week. It could be a great time to go if you want to be on the grounds and experience the atmosphere without dealing with the crowds (and higher prices).
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