“We told you the US Open deserved nothing less than the best tennis venue in the world and we knew that the most world-class of cities deserved nothing less,” Gordon Smith, the former USTA Executive Director and COO, said back in 2016. That year, the US Open made a game-changing move by adding a retractable roof to Arthur Ashe Stadium. The $150 million project came after five straight men’s finals were delayed by rain from 2008 to 2012. Since then, rain delays have been nearly eliminated, keeping the schedule on track. Now, nine years later, the US Open is gearing up for another big change.
Journalist Jon Wertheim shared a screenshot of an official USTA invitation dated May 19 on X. It announced a livestream unveiling a bold reimagination of Arthur Ashe Stadium and the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The event promises stunning architectural reveals, a timeline for a multi-year renovation, and special guests like John McEnroe and Kim Clijsters. There will also be a Q&A and one-on-one interviews.
According to Sport Business Journal, the plan began right after the 2024 Open ended. The USTA launched an $800 million self-funded makeover, the largest investment in the Grand Slam’s home. CEO Lew Sherr said, “When I came into this role, one of the first things I asked was: ‘What are the next significant opportunities for growth?’ Venue upgrades, from a fan experience standpoint, was one of the things that came out of that.”
— Jon Wertheim (@jon_wertheim) May 19, 2025
About $550 million-70% of the budget- will overhaul Ashe’s interior. The last upgrade added the roof but didn’t improve fan comfort, which struggles with crowds and limited premium options. Sherr explained, “When Ashe was built, the thought was fans would watch tennis and then go out to eat and shop. The reality is, fans expect Ashe to feel like any other arena.” To fix this, the concourse will grow by 40%, food carts will be removed to ease congestion, and new suites will be added-cutting 3,500 loge seats to improve flow. Hundreds of upper promenade seats will finally be sold.
Not just that, but accessibility improves with three new elevators and two escalators. Seating stays near 24,000 but shifts to add 700-800 suite seats and about 2,000 courtside seats. Kirsten Corio, Chief Commercial Officer, said, “We’ve had excess demand for courtside seats for a decade that we can’t satisfy.”
To top it off, a multi-story player performance center west of Ashe will be added. It replaces cramped basement spaces with 150,000 square feet of amenities. The bottom two floors expand parking from 200 to 350 spots. Upper floors include private cafés, locker rooms, training spaces, sensory rooms, dining halls, lounges, and media areas. Stacey Allaster, USTA pro tennis chief, said players wanted “larger fitness areas, indoor/outdoor training opportunities, and player-only spaces,” which shaped the design.
The timeline is staggered: new parking opens by the 2025 Open; courtside seats and hospitality debut in 2026 (suites and clubs unfinished); full renovation finishes in 2027. However, this is not the only news about the US Open this year. Earlier in February, they announced a new mixed doubles format that will be seen this year!
US Open to debut new mixed-double format this season
On February 11, the U.S. Open shook things up by moving its mixed doubles championship to the week before the main tournament kicks off. The goal? To lure top singles players into chasing a Grand Slam doubles title with a fresh format and a juicy $1 million prize. This year, 16 teams will battle it out over just two days in shorter, snappier matches. Organizers hope this new setup will finally attract the sport’s biggest stars, many of whom have skipped doubles to save energy for singles.
Lew Sherr, USTA’s executive director and CEO, explained the thinking behind the change: “What I would say is the reason behind this is to appeal to more fans and grow the fan base around the world. But the way to do that is to have the biggest names in the sport participating in doubles, and to showcase them teaming up and playing in a different format, we think is exciting. In fact, we know it’s exciting.” The mixed doubles will now take place on August 19 and 20, right when the qualifying rounds for singles are happening. Singles main draw starts on August 24.
The matches themselves are designed to be fast and fun. Early rounds are best-of-three sets, but each set is just four games long, with a deciding point at deuce. Tiebreakers kick in at 4-all instead of the usual 6-6, and if teams split sets, they play a 10-point match tiebreaker instead of a full third set. Only the final sticks to a more traditional Grand Slam style-best-of-three sets to six games, no-ad scoring, and tiebreakers at 6-all.
Not everyone’s sold on the new format. Tennis veteran Rennae Stubbs called it an “exhibition” style, while players like Taylor Fritz see the upside. Fritz said it gives them more time to compete in mixed doubles without clashing with their singles schedule. It’s a bold experiment, and fans will have to wait and see how it plays out on the court! What’s your take on the US Open revamping it’s ways? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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