US Open: a tournament with a long history, legendary champions and great spectator interest

It has been part of the US Open tennis calendar for 143 years. The Grand Slam event, which is the last of the “Big Four” tournaments to be held each year, has undergone a long evolution. What is the history of the prestigious sporting event and who are its famous multiple winners?

First, the men’s-only

The venue for the tournament is in New York City, and nowadays, women’s participation is commonplace. However, this has not always been the case. From the first edition in 1881 until the sixth, there was an all-male competition called the U.S. National Singles Championships for Men. It was played on grass courts in Newport, Rhode Island.

Beginning in 1887, the women’s section was also held for the first time, hosted by the Cricket Club of Philadelphia. The first ever singles winners were Richard Sears for the men and Ellen Hansell for the women.

Breakthrough years

Unlike the other three Grand Slams, the US Open also took place during the World Wars. During the first one, the venue of the event was moved to New York City, specifically to the Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens. The move was prompted by, among other things, a petition from tennis players who preferred the proximity to the majority of clubs and white sports fans. Nevertheless, the three 1921-1923 editions returned to Philadelphia.

It should also be noted that professionals were not allowed to participate during the championships era. This was true until one of the watershed years of world tennis history. Thus, the US Open became the third Grand Slam open to all after Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 1968.

Such a move obviously increased the quality of the competitions. They moved a decade later to the New York venue at Flushing Meadows and the matches themselves to the hard surface that is the hallmark of one of the most important sporting events held in the US. Prior to that, it was played on clay from 1975-1977.

70. the 2000s brought another important milestone. Since 1973, the financial rewards for men and women have been equal. Given its fiftieth anniversary, the organisers are commemorating this milestone in this year’s edition.

A large amount of money and spectators

The total endowment of the US Open 2023 is in the amount of 65 million dollars. The singles winners will receive three million dollars, the losing finalists half the amount. For the doubles champions there is $700 thousand, for the mixed doubles rulers $170 thousand.

Another notable figure associated with the climax of the annual North American US Open Series. The Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is home to the largest tennis stadium in the world. Arthur Ashe Stadium, named after the first winner of the tournament during the open era. The grandstands hold 23,771 spectators.

Other large courts are Louis Armstrong Stadium for 14,000 people and Grandstand Stadium with a capacity of eight thousand. There are a total of 22 outdoor playing courts and another twelve practice courts in the surrounding area.

A spectator record was last set last year when a total of 776,120 tennis fans found their way into the stands. In contrast, in 2020, affected by the coronavirus pandemic, participants and organisers had to settle for the sight of empty seats.

Tennis legends

The US Open has offered fans a sporting experience for nearly a century and a half. During that time, they have been provided by the performances of a number of notable players. Among the men’s singles title record holders is the all-time champion, the aforementioned American Richard Sears.

Like him, two of his compatriots triumphed seven times, also in the period long before the advent of the professionals. Namely, William Larned and Bill Tilden. The home colours remain the highest in the historical table even after the breakthrough year of 1968.

The five-time winner, apart from Pete Sampras and Jimmy Connors, is also the Swiss Roger Federer, who won all his championships in a row, from 2004 to 2008. The question is whether his two biggest rivals will at least match him. Rafael Nadal, in whose case the likelihood of another victory is no longer very high, has won four times in New York, Novak Djokovic three times.

The women’s category is dominated by Molla Mallory, an American tennis player originally from Norway, who has outlasted her other rivals eight times. The first time was in 1915, the last eleven years later. The open era is dominated by two six-time winners – Chris Evert and Serena Williams.

However, the most watched are the singles matches falling in the main event. Last year’s singles triumphs are defended by Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Świąteková, representatives of the young tennis generation. Another of the many whose representatives have made US Open history.

Source: US Open