What is the US Open?

Fast-paced rallies, roaring crowds and underdog stories - as the last of the four Grand Slams (Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and US Open) the US Open proves that tennis is more than just hitting the ball over the net. The world's best players gather not just to compete, but to make history. 

The US Open is an international tennis tournament held in Flushing Meadows, Queens, in New York, over a two-week period, starting late August until the second Sunday in September. The tournament is held in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and played on acrylic hard courts. Following the second-to-last Grand Slam of the year, Wimbledon, the hard courts are only slightly slower than grass, but faster than clay. The main court of the US Open, with a whopping 22,000 seats, is Arthur Ashe Stadium, followed by the Louis Armstrong Stadium with 10,000 seats. The third-biggest court with 6,000 seats is Grandstand Stadium, followed by multiple smaller side courts. Unlike Wimbledon, matches at the US Open can be played at night, as the courts are fully lit. The US Open courts are painted in a bright blue color to make it easier for players, officials, and viewers to track the ball, especially under artificial lighting.

The US Open features  five championship categories: men’s singles and doubles, women’s singles and doubles, and mixed doubles, as well as wheelchair and junior events. The total prize pool awarded to the players exceeded 65 million US dollars in 2024. Also, important to note is that since 1973, men and women have received the same amount of prize money. The last three champions in the men’s and women’s singles categories were

• 2024 Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka
• 2023 Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff
• 2022 Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Świątek 

The US Open evolved from the US National Championship as a men’s singles and doubles competition in 1881. Six years later, in 1887, it was extended to include women’s singles championships, and another two years later, in 1889, it allowed the participation of women’s doubles. Mixed doubles were included in 1892. The five championships were held at different locations on various surfaces. Between 1881 and 1974, it was played on grass. Between 1975 and 1977, the tournament was played on clay until it was moved to Flushing Meadows in 1978, where it was and still is played on deco turf (hard court). Although the US Open has been a fixture in international tennis for more than a century, 2018 marked the 50^th anniversary of the Open Era. Highlighting a pivotal moment when professionals were officially allowed to compete alongside amateurs.

The US Open is a loud, energetic tournament, and with that, the opposite of its predecessor: Wimbledon.