For die-hard tennis fans, the US Open Tennis Championships, or US Open for short, has been the scene of some of the sport's most memorable moments outside the hallowed grounds of the All-England Club, Roland Garros in Paris and Melbourne Park.
Some of these moments include Jimmy Connor's miraculous run in 1991, Roger Federer's five consecutive titles from 2004 to 2008, and Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff's triumphant runs to their first grand slam victories in 2018 and 2023, respectively.
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While the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens, has been the scene of championship victories by some of the sport’s best players, the two-week US Open has undeniably become the hottest, most glamorous event of the summer in New York City — a development that isn’t exactly a boon for fans who want to witness the action for themselves.
The most popular tennis club in New York
According to the data published in The New York Times According to the United States Tennis Association (USTA), this year's Open is the most attended in the tournament's history. The tennis governing body estimates that during the first five days of the tournament, an average of 75,012 fans passed through the turnstiles during daytime and evening sessions.
While broken attendance records suggest the tournament is more accessible and affordable to spectators than ever, the underlying truth is the opposite for many tennis fans.
Disappointed fans are taking to social media to express their shock and disgust at the exorbitant resale prices that make Taylor Swift concerts look like a bargain.
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In a x.com/8_Maxx/status/1829572730540179812″>Post on x (formerly known as twitter), self-proclaimed Toronto sports fan Maxx Tissenbaum expressed that it is a “pretty sad time to be a tennis fan” as “the cheapest ticket on any secondary market is $240 per person to sit in the last row of the stadium for a third-round match.”
“This will probably be the first time in years that I won't go because the cost is prohibitive,” they said.
Another disappointed fan, Ana Mitrić, x.com/ana_mitric/status/1829237410988728373″>said in x“Imagine how parents who want to take their kids to experience live tennis at the #USOpen feel and have to pay over $200 per person for admission passes, especially when the face value of the ticket is $45.”
Author and freelance tennis journalist Simon Cambers x.com/scambers73/status/1828863327130341476″>pointed out Unlike the US Open's $160 to $228 tickets, the cheapest ticket prices for tennis' other Grand Slam tournaments, such as the Australian Open and Wimbledon, are capped at the equivalent of $20 and $40, respectively.
Advantage, Ticketmaster
In an interview with TheStreet, Morgan Harper, director of policy and advocacy for the American Economic Liberties Project, said the conditions that frustrate tennis fans and those priced out of the US Open are due to Ticketmaster's tight control over major sporting and music events.
According to information released by the USTA on the US Open website, Ticketmaster is “the official ticketing outlet for US Open fans,” which may put fans in a precarious situation.
“What we saw happen with the US Open presales is very similar to what we've seen happen generally with Ticketmaster: They become the exclusive ticketing platform for big events and they're not in a position to handle that kind of demand,” Harper told TheStreet. “This is all because of their monopoly power.”
“All of this goes to show that we have a lot of major events, live events, both in the music industry and in the sports industry, that use Ticketmaster as their ticketing platform. Often, it's not because the people who organize these events want to use Ticketmaster, but because Ticketmaster and Live Nation, its parent company, control so many different lines of business in the live events industry that a lot of other players don't have a lot of control over what kind of platform they would want to use.”
Here for the tennis vibes
With such an exorbitant cost to enter, one would think that hardcore tennis fans are sacrificing a lot to see their favorite players.
However, a recent New York Post article suggests that the flashy, branded spectacle and the chic, preppy feel of being at the US Open attracts influencers, celebrities and attendees willing to pay the price of admission and all the social media accoutrements.
“I'm just here for the vibe,” Open attendee Morgan Ridgeway told the Post. “I'm not a big (tennis) fan, but some of my family members are going, so they bought tickets.”
Maggie Tate, who describes herself as a fashion and lifestyle influencer, told the Post it was her “fifth or sixth year” at the Open, but she has seen the event grow into a major event in New York City, similar in tone to other glamorous, celebrity-driven gatherings in the cosmopolitan capital.
“You see more celebrities at the US Open than at New York Fashion Week,” Tate said.
“It’s a who’s who of New York. There are more and more people going, influencers, celebrities, so I think more people are thinking, ‘Okay, this is the place to be, so let’s go. ’”
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