NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. Open’s Arthur Ashe Stadium will get an overhaul as part of an $800 million project announced Monday that the U.S. Tennis Association is touting as the “largest single investment” in the history of its Grand Slam tournament.
The USTA said it is funding the improvements at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, with no help from the city government.
According to a class-action antitrust lawsuit filed in federal court in New York in March by a players’ group co-founded by Novak Djokovic, the four major tennis tournaments — the U.S. Open, Wimbledon, French Open and Australian Open — “generated over $1.5 billion collectively in 2024, while only paying between (10% to 20%) of revenue to players.”
Separately, in April, Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff were among 20 leading tennis players who signed a letter sent to the heads of the Grand Slam tournaments seeking more prize money and a greater say in what they called “decisions that directly impact us.”
The USTA said there will not be interruption to scheduled play or fan access for the next two editions of the U.S. Open. Play in the main draw this year begins on Aug. 24 — shifting to a Sunday start for the first time in the Open era, which began in 1968, and adding a 15th day of competition.
The USTA’s work, which is expected to be done in time for the 2027 U.S. Open, includes constructing a $250 million player performance center.
The new player area will be next to the practice courts and include additional courts, locker rooms and lounges.
Ashe’s courtside-level seating capacity will increase from 3,000 to 5,000, while some seats in other sections will be removed, leaving the arena’s total similar to what it is now — around 23,000 to 24,000, the biggest in Grand Slam tennis. The stadium, which first opened in 1997 and has had a retractable roof since 2016, also will get a new “grand entrance,” two new luxury suite levels, more club and restaurant areas, larger and updated concourses and restrooms, and more escalators and elevators.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
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