The United States Open tennis tournament, already one of the most glamorous sporting events in the world, will become even fancier after an $800 million renovation that will be the largest single investment in the site’s history.
Tennis fans will see some of the transformations in Arthur Ashe Stadium, in Flushing, Queens, where the tournament in held, while other parts will be off limits to them — unless they grow up to be tennis stars.
The project includes an overhaul of Ashe Stadium, the centerpiece of American tennis, which will add shine and much-needed walking space to a concrete and steel building that can feel cramped and sweaty on the busiest match days.
The other part is an opulent new building for the players that will feature state-of-the art training facilities, luxury accommodations and cafes.
Construction, which has already begun, is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2027 U.S. Open. The United States Tennis Association, which runs the tournament, said work would not interfere with the tournament over the next two years.
“We are doubling down on the continued growth that we are seeing in tennis in this country,” said Danny Zausner, the association’s chief operating officer, who helped unveil the renovation at a news conference on Monday.
The U.S.T.A., a nonprofit organization whose mandate is to develop tennis in the United States, said it would pay for the entire project through reserve funds and debt and that the project would not require any more land in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
New York City owns the 46 acres in the park that houses the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The city leases it to the U.S.T.A. — just as it leases the land that the Yankees and Mets stadiums sit on to the teams’ owners. The U.S.T.A. has already spent over $1 billion on construction around the grounds over the past decade, adding three new stadiums and refurbishing all the outer courts and practice areas.
But Ashe is big moneymaker with a tournament that generates hundreds of millions of dollars each year. It is the world’s largest tennis stadium with a capacity of almost 24,000. That figure will remain roughly the same.
What will change is the feel and look as walkways and seating areas get expanded and refitted, adding 40 percent additional space within the stadium, according to Mr. Zausner.
The most visible changes will be in the crowded concourse levels. Those will be fitted with high-end shops, restaurants and clubs and gleaming, expanded walkways, providing more space to areas that can get jammed with fans at times. Since 2017, attendance at the U.S. Open has grown year over year (excluding the 2020 pandemic year, when no fans were allowed) and last year it topped one million for the first time.
Despite its immense size and once-modern sheen, Arthur Ashe Stadium is from a different era. It opened in 1997 and is the second-oldest major sports venue in the metropolitan New York area, after Madison Square Garden, the home of the New York Knicks and New York Rangers.
Ashe Stadium is also the final of the two dozen courts at the National Tennis Center to be remodeled. The last work done there was the retractable roof that debuted in 2016.
The architect for the project is Rossetti, the same firm that originally designed Ashe, along with most of the other recent upgrades on the grounds.
The plan will shift the existing luxury suites higher and add 2,000 new seats to the lower bowl of the stadium, increasing that number to 5,000. It will also include seven new bunker suites, the luxury spectator lounges dug out below court level that have provided large revenue streams at other arenas, like Madison Square Garden.
The glass-and-brick players building, which will cost a projected $250 million, will sit on an existing parking lot, and tower over the five practice courts. It will include a two-story garage plus indoor and outdoor training facilities and opulent lounges.
Stacey Allaster, the tournament director, said on Monday that the center will help ensure that players are fit and able to perform at a high level for hundreds of thousands of spectators after a long season of competition.
“Happy players, happy fans,” Ms. Allaster said.
David Waldstein is a Times reporter who writes about the New York region, with an emphasis on sports.
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