Guess what’s back – back again.
Yes, it’s the annual U.S. Open tennis tournament.
Since 1978, the fourth and final Grand Slam tournament has been held on the iconic acrylic courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. And here we are again to see the legendary complex host five primary championships: women’s singles, men’s singles, women’s doubles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles.
Before we see more stars like Ons Jabeur, Emma Raducanu and Coco Gauff on the big screen (or in person, if you’re lucky), let’s get into the technicalities of the stadium complex and all of the courts featured.
Where is the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center located?
The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is located in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, N.Y.
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Where did the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center get its name?
The iconic hardcourt tennis complex was initially named the USTA National Tennis Center. During the 2006 U.S. Open, the stadium was renamed for American tennis icon Billie Jean King.
How many tournaments have been held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center?
The U.S. Open, which debuted for men in 1881 and women in 1887, was first held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in 1978. Since then, the annual competition has been played on the hardcourts year in and year out.
Before 1978, the competition called the West Side Tennis Club, also in Queens, N.Y., home for over 50 years. However, the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center was built soon after just three miles north, to accommodate larger crowds.
How many courts does the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center have?
The grounds at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center contain 22 outdoor courts, as well as 11 additional practice courts just outside the East Gate.
These 22 courts consist of four “show courts” (Arthur Ashe Stadium, Louis Armstrong Stadium, the Grandstand and Court 17), 13 field courts and five practice courts.
The largest court is Arthur Ashe Stadium.
And apparently, the shadiest court is Court 6 – which is good to note if you’re attending the matches and need a breather from the sun.
How big are the stadiums at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center?
Arthur Ashe Stadium, which is known as the main court, seats 23,771 people, the most of any court in the world.
The next largest court at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is another “show court” known as the Louis Armstrong Stadium. This stadium seats 14,053 people, good for eleventh in the world. The lower tier, which is solely for reserved seating, holds 6,400 spectators while the upper tier, which holds general admission ticket holders, holds 7,661 spectators.
The third largest court is another “show court” known as the Grandstand, which holds 8,125 spectators.
The fourth and final “show court,” otherwise known as Court 17 or “The Pit,” is the fourth largest stadium. It seats 2,800 spectators.
Practice courts P1-P5 only hold 672 spectators, and for competition, Courts 4-16 have the following capacity:
Court 4: 1,066
Court 5: 1,148
Court 6: 1,032
Court 7: 1,494
Court 8: 336
Court 9: 624
Court 10: 1,104
Court 11: 1,704
Court 12: 1,704
Court 13: 1,104
Court 14: 502
Court 15: 502
Court 16: 336
What is the court made out of?
Before the U.S. Open was held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the tournament took place at the West Side Tennis Club, which had grass and clay courts.
Once the tournament shifted to the larger venue in Queens, the courts also changed. The courts athletes now use are acrylic hardcourts.
More specifically, from 1978 to 2019, athletes played on a hardcourt surface called Pro DecoTurf, which is a multi-layer cushioned surface classified by the International Tennis Federation as “medium-fast.”
In March 2020, the USTA announced a new court surface supplier: Laykold. This brand of tennis hardcourt is constructed over an asphalt or concrete base. Beginning with the 2020 tournament, this is the court that the U.S. Open uses today.
What are the official US Open branded colors?
All U.S. Open and U.S. Open Series tennis courts were painted a shade of blue, trademarked as “U.S. Open Blue” since 2005. The blue coloring inside the lines makes it easier for players, spectators and television viewers to gauge the action.
The area surrounding the lines is painted a green color and is known as “US Open Green.”
What are the dimensions of each court?
The courts are 78 feet long and 36 feet wide for doubles and 27 feet wide for singles.
