The 2016 US Open, which is
the last Grand Slam event of the year, gets under way with 128 men and women
competing for bragging rights at the final Grand Slam of the year. The tournament will run through September 11th. The top seeds in the men’s draw are #1 Novak Djokovic
and #2 Andy Murray. The women’s draw has
#1 seed Serena Williams and #2 seed Angelique Kerber.
Novak Djokovic beat Roger
Federer is an epic 4 set match last year.
Roger Federer announced recently that he will miss the rest of the 2016
season to rehabilitate his injured left knee. With it, his streak of 16
consecutive US Open appearances comes to an end.
Serena Williams last won
the U.S. Open in 2014, when she tied Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert with
her 18th Grand Slam singles title.
Currently, she has a total of 22 Grand Slam singles titles, tied with
Steffi Graf, marks the joint record for the most Major wins by a tennis player
(male or female) in the Open Era.
Fans will notice a range
of changes and upgrades to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
from the moment they step onto the grounds, from the new retractable roof over
Arthur Ashe Stadium to the opening of a new Grandstand Stadium and the
renovation of the fields courts and South Plaza.
With all the changes
taking place, we know you’ve got plenty of questions. Fortunately, we’ve got
answers to your most common queries courtesy of Ashley Marshall of USOpen.com
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Q: Will the roof be ready
this year?
A: Yes, the retractable
roof is in place and operational. It will provide fans with uninterrupted match
play – save for the six or seven minutes it takes to close the roof –
regardless of weather conditions. Players have already practiced in Arthur Ashe
stadium, both with the roof open and closed, and extensive testing has been
carried out to ensure works smoothly.
Q: Will the roof be closed
to provide shade for fans on hot days?
A: No, the roof will only
be closed for inclement weather or the threat of inclement weather. It will not
be used to keep fans out of the sun or heat. Also, the roof will either be
fully open or fully closed; there is no in-between option like at some other
tournaments that use a retractable roof.
Q: How will this affect
capacity in Arthur Ashe Stadium this year?
A: There will be no effect
on capacity in Arthur Ashe Stadium. It will remain at 23,771 seats. There will
be a 15-foot gap between the top row of seats and the roof structure, but no
seats have been added or removed.
Q: Will the roof block the
views from any seats inside Arthur Ashe Stadium this year? Or will this take
away the New York City skyline view from the top of the stadium?
A: The construction will
have no effect on sight lines in Arthur Ashe Stadium, and the Manhattan skyline
will still be visible from the top of the stadium when the shutter doors are
open. If the roof is closed and the shutter doors are closed, the skyline will
not be visible.
Q: When the roof is open,
what will the wind be like inside? And when the roof is closed, will there be
air conditioning on?
A: The roof will not
change weather conditions inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. While it will not provide
air conditioning like you would be accustomed to in your home, cold air will
run through a duct system at the top of the stadium when the roof is closed to
help manage humidity throughout the stadium seating area and on the court.
Q: Will the new Grandstand
be ready this year?
A: A new 8,125-seat
Grandstand stadium has been built in the southwest corner of the grounds, near
the practice courts and Courts 4-6, and it is ready for play. It's sunken into
the ground, like Court 17, and its asymmetrical design and sun canopy roof
means the majority of spectators will be able to stay in the shade throughout
the day.
Q: What other features
does the new Grandstand have?
A: A raised walkway around
the upper bowl will allow fans to walk around the entire 360 degrees of the
stadium. A patio viewing area with outdoor lawn furniture at the upper bowl
will give fans the chance to watch the action inside the Grandstand and on the
neighboring Courts 8-10, and eight new concession stands inside the stadium
will give spectators more food and drink choices than before. There will also
be a picnic area for fans to relax between matches.
Q: Is seating in the new
Grandstand on a first-come, first-served basis like before?
A: The new Grandstand will
consist of a mixture of reserved courtside seats and general admission seats.
You can purchase a ticket for a reserved seat for the first eight days of the
tournament, or you can access the other seats on a first-come, first-served
basis.
Q: What about the old
Grandstand? Has that been demolished?
A: No, the physical
structure of the stadium is still there. The old Grandstand will be used for a
limited number of matches during the first week of the tournament and it will
then serve as another practice court, letting fans get up close to their
favorite players. The old Grandstand and Louis Armstrong Stadium structure will
be knocked down after the 2016 US Open and a bigger, roof-ready Louis Armstrong
Stadium will take its place in 2018.
Q: Are there any changes
to the outer field courts?
A: Yes, with the exception
of Courts 4-6, every field court has been demolished and rebuilt from scratch.
A new 450-feet long, 40-feet wide walkway has been built connecting Court 17 to
the new Grandstand stadium. All of the outer field courts have been realigned
to create more space for fans to watch the action and move between courts.
Courts 8-10 will hold 20
percent more fans following the introduction of raised seating behind the
baseline. Another walkway will connect Courts 13-16, where 600 more seats have
been created by adding baseline bleachers and larger sideline benches. Court 7
and Court 11 have been rebuilt to provide more food options and twice as many
restrooms as before, and Court 12 has been expanded from around 200 seats to
almost 1,400 seats.
In total, that’s an
increase of 36 percent more seats on the outside field courts compared to 2015.
Q: With more people on the
grounds, won’t it be more congested than before?
A: No, movement will be
greatly improved by drawing some of the spectators from the old Grandstand to
the other corner of the site. In addition, more seats on the field courts will
keep fewer people walking around the grounds, and expanded food courts will
keep lines smaller at the concession stands.
Q: What additions have
been made to the Food Village?
A: The existing food court
will be expanded to include six more booths by Court 17, and there will be
eight kiosks and a new mini Food Village near the new Grandstand. In addition,
a new 36-foot-long oyster bar will anchor the back of Court 7, and the previous
food offerings at Courts 11 will be bigger than in previous years. Angry Taco,
BLT Fish Shack, Fuku, Jacob's Creek Bar, Korilla BBQ and Neapolitan Express are
new to the food village.
Q: Are there other new
food options this year?
A; Yes. In the new
Grandstand, Ben & Jerry;s, BLT Fish Shack, Farm 2 Fork, Franks & Fries,
Hill Country BBQ, Neapolitan Express and Prime Burger will serve hungry fans.
Grey Goose will also debut a new bar which features the Grey Goose Le Grand
Fizz cocktail. Pat LaFrieda Meat Co. is at Court 7 and Wine Bar Food moves into
the new Court 11. Vegetarian concession stand Soomsoom headlines new food
options at Court 16 along with Morris Grilled Cheese, which was a popular food
truck in 2015.
Q: Are there any other
construction projects planned?
A: Yes, a temporary court
will be erected in 2017 while the new Louis Armstrong Stadium is being built.
The new, 14,000-seat stadium is the final phase of the transformation project
and is scheduled to be complete and ready for play for the 2018 US Open. When
finished, 85 percent of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center will
have been renovated as part of the US Open’s strategic transformation.
Q: Will these changes
impact ticket prices?
A: The strategic
transformation will have no impact on ticket prices. The USTA is self-financing
the entire cost of the improvements through a combination of bonds and USTA
revenue generation. No public funds will be utilized.
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