Before the U.S. Open moved to Flushing Meadows in 1978, the tournament was held in the West Side Tennis Club in the Forest Hills section of Queens. The Open was played on grass until 1975, and Har-Tru clay until the venue switched to the current hard surface, DecoTurf.
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Arthur Ashe became the first U.S. Open champion in 1968, the inaugural year of the tournament becoming open to professional players. Ashe, a UCLA student at the time, also won the U.S. Amateur Championship the same year—the only player ever to do so. In 1997, the main stadium at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows was named in honor of Ashe—who died at 49 from complications of AIDS following a blood transfusion.
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A four-time women’s singles champion at the U.S. Open between 1967 and 1974, Billie Jean King’s influence transcended tennis and sport itself. To honor her accomplishments on and off the court, in 2006, the USTA National Tennis Center in Queens was rededicated in her name.
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Chris Evert was America’s tennis darling in the 1970s and ‘80s, and her relationship with Jimmy Connors, her partner on and off the court, was dubbed the “Love Match” at the time. Evert has six U.S. Open singles wins and is now an avid spectator of the sport with her husband, golfer Greg Norman.
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One of the original bad boys of tennis, Jimmy Connors, riled the crowds at the U.S. Open like the no one else. In 1976, Connors won the men’s singles championship, but even more astounding was the match he would play years later on his 39th birthday. In the epic 1991 duel, Connors defeated 24-year-old (and former practice partner) Aaron Krickstein after nearly five hours. Memorably, after a particularly bad call, he told the chair umpire, “I’m 39 years old out here busting my butt and you’re gonna pull that crap?” After his win, 20,000 fans serenaded Connors with “Happy Birthday.”
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When Martina Navratilova emigrated to the United States from Czechoslovakia in the 1970s, she didn’t have many fans in the tennis world, but after quickly becoming one of the most dominant female players of all time, the famous lefty changed her whole storyline and is now considered one of the most beloved players in the sport. Navratilova won an astonishing four singles titles at the Open, nine doubles championships, and three in mixed doubles—the last in 2006. At age 49.
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Renee Richards was born Richard Raskind and underwent sex reassignment surgery in 1975. After she was denied a spot in the 1976 U.S. Open because of a previously undisclosed women-born-women-only policy, Richards disputed the discrimination. The Supreme Court ruled in her favor and Richards reached the doubles final in 1977 (with Betty Ann Stewart), but lost to Martina Navratilova and Betty Stove. Following her retirement, Richards returned to her previous profession, ophthalmology.
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Tracy Austin became the youngest champion in the sport’s history when she defeated Chris Evert-Lloyd in the women’s final of the 1979 U.S. Open at age 16. She won again in 1981, but her career was cut short because of injuries. Austin is now an announcer for NBC and USA Network and covers Wimbledon for the BBC.
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Between 1979 and 1984, John McEnroe earned four singles titles at the U.S. Open, held in only 15 minutes away from where he grew up in Douglaston, Queens. At left, McEnroe celebrate his finals match versus Vitas Gerulaitis in 1979, and at right, disputes an official call in 1987. After his retirement, the always-vocal McEnroe became the voice of tennis on television.
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Ivan Lendl, the Terminator of tennis in the 1980s, was well-known for his power playing and claimed eight Grand Slam titles, including three U.S. Open wins. The Czechoslovakia native is seen here after his 1985 win against John McEnroe. Following his retirement from tennis, Lendl switched sports, becoming a regular on the celebrity tour. He now manages the golf careers of his daughters, three of whom play at the junior level.
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Image was everything when Andre Agassi burst onto the tennis scene with his famous mullet in the early ‘90s. But after two U.S. Open wins (and a career Grand Slam), the bad boy-turned-bald guy kissed the crowd farewell in 2006 after being defeated by Benjamin Becker during the U.S. Open, but left the sport as one of the most adored players in the game. He has since contributed to a number of charitable causes, including a college preparatory academy in his name, and Athletes for Hope, which he founded with Muhammad Ali, Lance Armstrong, and Mia Hamm, among others. Agassi’s memoir—appropriately titled Open—will be published in November.
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Steffi Graf has 22 Grand Slam titles (second only to Margaret Court, who has 24), and even the legendary Billie Jean King said, “Steffi is definitely the greatest women’s tennis player of all time.” Graf retired in 1999 when she was still ranked No. 3 in the world, and in 2001 found a doubles partner for life in Andre Agassi.
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To watch Roger Federer today, it is almost hard to believe that not long ago, Peter Sampras was considered the greatest player of all time. Following his debut in 1988, Sampras won five U.S. Open singles titles, a record shared by Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer. During one legendary match against Spain’s Alex Corretja at the 1996 Open, in a fifth set tie-break, Sampras fell ill and vomited right on the court. Amazingly, he came back to win the match and later the men’s singles final. And in 2002 Sampras won his 14th and final Grand Slam victory after defeating longtime rival Andre Agassi.
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As sporting events go, the U.S. Open is one of the most celebrity-friendly. From Alan King and Johnny Carson in the 1970s to Seal and Heidi Klum in more recent years, the New York crowd is always filled with A-list stars. Jerry Seinfeld—who in an episode of Seinfeld, scores a date with a deaf woman who's a linesperson at the Open—and pal Larry David have been known to swing by. Nicole Kidman, both a tennis fan and player, frequently attends the tournament. And Tiger Woods developed a close friendship with Roger Federer, and with Woods’ 14 major championship wins and Federer’s 15, the two make a very successful pair.
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The Williams sisters are among the most successful sibling pairs in all of sports. Baby sister Serena, with 22 Grand Slam titles, claimed 11 in singles (three at the Open), nine in women’s doubles and two in mixed doubles. Sister Venus is only four behind, with seven in women’s singles (two at the Open), nine in women’s doubles, and two for mixed doubles. But this year’s Open won’t see an all-Williams final—with Serena seeded second and Venus No. 3, the two would potentially face one another in the semis.
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She may only be 22, but Maria Sharapova is having a comeback year. The three-time Grand Slam singles champion won her first title in 2004, and after a shoulder injury placed her out of commission for the last few years, the blond beauty—who won the Open in 2006—is now seeded 29th this year.
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Part of what makes the U.S. Open so special for fans are night matches. Unlike Wimbledon, where the matches are called for darkness, the Open, like the city itself, can go all night—and the raucous New York crowd always approves.
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Once ranked No. 1 in the world, Andy Roddick is having a great year aided by a new coach—and a wedding in April to model Brooklyn Decker. Coming off an epic Wimbledon final this summer, where he lost to Roger Federer, but posted a record for winning 39 games in a final, Roddick is the fifth seed in this year’s U.S. Open.
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Rafael Nadal looks to reclaim his tennis dominance and reignite his extraordinary rivalry with Roger Federer during this year’s U.S. Open. A knee injury forced him out of Wimbledon and the aggressive player, nicknamed “Rafa,” was the first player since 2001 not to defend his 2008 title—which he won against Federer in what’s considered one of the greatest matches of all time.
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With more Grand Slam singles wins than any other player, Roger Federer is gearing up for No. 16 at this year’s Open. The world’s No. 1 player is off to a great start, having won last week’s U.S. Open tune-up event in Cincinnati. “I feel like my game is exactly where I want it to be," Federer said. "I don’t have any open questions. That’s the relaxing part."
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