US Open in Queens: Two Weeks When Arthur Ashe Stadium Is the Center of the World

Every late August and early September, the US Open takes over Flushing MeadowsFlushing Meadows Corona ParkThe Queens park built for two World's Fairs, home of the Unisphere, the US Open and Citi Field. in Queens, and Arthur Ashe Stadium, open since 1997, roofed since 2016, and seating 23,771, becomes the largest tennis venue on the planet. For two weeks, a public park holds the center of the sports world.

The Largest Tennis Court on Earth

Arthur Ashe Stadium opened in 1997 as the main court of the US Open, and the record has not moved since. Capacity is 23,771 seats, more than 7,500 beyond any other tennis venue in the world. The retractable roof arrived in 2016, which changed what rain means here: weather now interrupts the schedule instead of erasing a session.

That gap of 7,500 seats is the part worth sitting with. The second-largest tennis stadium on the planet would still have to add a mid-size arena's worth of people to match Ashe. No other major runs its biggest matches in a space that far ahead of the rest of the sport.

Two Weeks When a Park Runs the Sport

The US Open takes over Flushing Meadows in Queens every late August and early September. For the other fifty weeks, the site is a public park with a stadium in it. For two of them, that park holds the largest tennis stadium on the planet and the sport's full attention at the same time.

The contrast does the work. Arthur Ashe Stadium is not a stop on a league schedule or a stopover on a global tour that moves on weekly, it is a fixed address in Queens that the tennis world travels to once a year. The stadium sits inside a Queens park rather than on a private campus, which is part of why the fortnight reads as a city event rather than a sports one.

Midtown is about half an hour away on the train. A day session pairs well with an evening at the Museum of Modern ArtMuseum of Modern ArtThe Midtown museum holding Starry Night, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon and the definitive modern art collection. or a walk through Central ParkCentral ParkThe 843-acre engineered wilderness at Manhattan's heart, designed by Olmsted and Vaux in 1858..

Doing It Yourself: Sessions, Grounds, and Where to Stand

Day sessions run from late morning into the afternoon, night sessions finish under the lights. Grounds passes skip Ashe but open the outer courts, which is how most first-time visitors actually see the tournament. Ticket tiers matter: an Ashe seat buys the biggest stage in the sport, while a grounds pass buys proximity on the outer courts, where players work in front of whoever shows up.

Two trains stop within walking distance of the gates, the 7 and the Long Island Rail Road, the second of which connects from Grand Central TerminalGrand Central TerminalThe 1913 Beaux-Arts rail terminal with the turquoise zodiac ceiling, whispering gallery and oyster bar.. Late August in Queens is hot.

Outer courts and practice areas are where a grounds pass earns its money, a few feet from players who will be on Ashe two days later. Arriving when the gates open, rather than at the marquee match, is the trade that pays off.

A guided walking tour of Flushing Meadows Corona Park, run outside the tournament window, covers the park and the tennis center from $35 (estimated). Traveler reviews on the activity page are worth a look before committing an off day to it.

More on the place itself: moma.