It’s a race to be the best.
The sport’s four Grand Slams and the organizations that run them are trying to outpace one another to capture the spotlight in any way, shape, or form they can.
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It is the U.S. Open’s turn to flex its muscles.
It was recently announced that Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City, home of the U.S. Open, is going to undergo a massive $800million makeover throughout the next three years.
With 23,771 seats, it is the largest of its kind in the sport.
And now it will be getting even bigger.
The herculean project will reportedly be privately funded and revolutionize the sport and its viewing experience.
The U.S. Open is making its move only a few years after Tennis Australia added a brand new stadium to Melbourne Park, home of the Australian Open.
Since then, it has spent nearly $650m on upgrades.
Meanwhile, Wimbledon is looking to build 39 new tennis courts, including a stadium court, so they can finally host on-site qualifying.
They are the only ones out of the four majors who do not hold qualifying on site, but rather a couple miles away.
Roland Garros and the French Open have put up a fight as well to claim the sport’s eyeballs by adding a roof on its second court and building another 5,000-seat stadium.
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Now the United States Tennis Association (USTA) will begin positioning themselves at the top with their $800m face-lift.
“This project enables us to maintain the greatest stage in tennis,” Lew Sherr, the chief executive and executive director of the USTA said.
“It also provides us the opportunity to give the players that compete in that stadium an unparalleled space that will enable them to perform at their best and enjoy a higher level of luxury and comfort while they are off the court.”
It will be a ‘top-to-bottom’ modernization, with $250m going towards a new performance center for the players and participants.
The goal is to have everything completed by the 2027 U.S. Open.
No doubt an ambitious timeline as the construction will also be meticulously planned out so as not to interrupt the 2025 and 2026 U.S. Open.
There will be more seating, sleeker designs around the entire Billie Jean King Tennis Center, not just to Arthur Ashe Stadium, and an overall world class experience for the fan.
The U.S. Open has announced its move.
All eyes now shift towards the other three major events.
The arms race will continue to heat up, and around and around we go.
