Latest news with #ArthurAsheStadium
Independent Singapore
21-05-2025
- Business
- Independent Singapore
U.S. Open's Arthur Ashe Stadium will undergo $800 million major renovation
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) announced that Arthur Ashe Stadium, the home of the U.S. Open, will undergo a full-scale renovation as part of an $800 million renovation to the U.S. Open's Queens campus. This project highlights a top-to-bottom modernisation of the stadium and an additional player performance centre. The construction at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre will be done in phases to make sure the 2025 and 2026 tournaments will not be disrupted. It is expected to be finished by the 2027 U.S. Open. USTA mentioned that this project is the biggest investment made in the history of the U.S. Open, and it will be fully paid for with its own funds, and no public or taxpayer money will be used. Lew Sherr, USTA's CEO and Executive Director, expressed in a statement, 'This project enables us to maintain the greatest stage in tennis – Arthur Ashe Stadium, which was constructed more than 25 years ago, and modernise it in a way that will set it up for the next 25 years.' He added, '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.' Moreover, USTA's chairman and president, Brian Vahaly, shared, 'This is an incredibly exciting moment for our sport and for the US Open… We're proud to unveil the largest single investment in the history of this event, a multi-year transformation that will elevate the experience for every fan, player and partner who enters the grounds at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre. The upgrades to Arthur Ashe stadium, alongside a new state-of-the-art player Performance Centre, will ensure that the world's premier tennis venue will excel for generations to come.' What to expect from the newly renovated stadium? The Arthur Ashe Stadium is going to have big upgrades, which include a new 'grand entrance,' alongside an additional 2,000 seats at the courtside level, and two new levels of luxury suites. See also The US Open will now be a 15-day event starting in 2025 It will also have better concourses, dining areas, and retail shops, as it is the largest tennis stadium in the world. Moreover, a new two-story Player Performance Centre will be established at a cost of $250 million. It will have larger indoor and outdoor workout and warm-up spaces, improved dining areas for athletes, and redesigned locker rooms with a 'spa-like' feel. This renovation announcement comes seven years after the USTA finished a previous five-year project that cost $600 million. The new Louis Armstrong Stadium, with a seating capacity of over 14,000 and a retractable roof, opened in 2018, replacing the original 1978 version. It is worth remembering that in 2024, the U.S. Open set a new attendance record by welcoming over one million fans. In 2025, the tournament's main draw will be extended to 15 days, which will allow space for at least 70,000 more fans.
Fast Company
21-05-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
Your honey deuces are paying for a $800 million Arthur Ashe Stadium overhaul
This week, the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) announced that it's putting the revenue from selling U.S. Open tickets and $23 signature Honey Deuce cocktails toward a new cause: Completing an $800 million renovation of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center (NTC), the sports complex that hosts the annual tennis championship. The renovation represents the single largest investment in U.S. Open history, according to a press release published by the USTA. It will encompass a full transformation of the Arthur Ashe Stadium, where championship games are played, as well as a luxe new player performance center on the NTC's campus. The work will be spearheaded by the architectural firm Rossetti, which designed Arthur Ashe stadium back in 1994 and has since returned to add a retractable roof to the building, as well as two supplementary stadiums within the complex. This update will bring the lifetime construction cost of Arthur Ashe stadium to over $1 billion. This latest round of renovations is set to be completed by the 2027 U.S. Open, with three construction phases planned to avoid conflicts with scheduled play in the intervening years. The updates are designed to dramatically increase the stadium's capacity and to create a more modern, luxurious experience for both fans and athletes. 'Every square inch' of the stadium is being revamped, from the club level to the lounge and the promenade, Danny Zausner, chief operating officer at the USTA, told reporters in an interview this week. Here's a rundown. What's new at Arthur Ashe stadium The design vision for the Arthur Ashe stadium will be apparent to guests before they even enter the venue. Based on renderings provided by the USTA, a new Grand Entrance will usher viewers into the space through a two-story, futuristic silver ring arcing above the doorways. Inside, the stadium itself will be almost entirely overhauled. Per the press release, the promenade-level concourse, where guests typically gather and mingle, will be sized up by 40%; more escalators and elevators will be added to every level; and an upward extension of the courtside-level bowl will increase its capacity from 3,000 to 5,000 attendees. Arthur Ashe Stadium's overall capacity of 24,000, which makes it the largest tennis stadium in the world, will remain the same as the design team plans to relocate seating to this bowl from other parts of the arena. New amenities will also include modernized concorses with all-new retail, food, and beverage spaces, added clubs and restaurants, and two new dedicated luxury suite levels—presumably catering to the U.S. Open's coterie of VIP guests. 'This project enables us to maintain the greatest stage in tennis—Arthur Ashe Stadium—which was constructed more than 25 years ago, and modernize it in a way that will set it up for the next 25 years,' Lew Sherr, CEO and executive director of USTA, said in the press release. '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.' 'Spa-like' athlete facilities While the U.S. Open fan experience is getting a facelift, part of this major investment is also being funneled toward athlete facilities. Those upgrades will come in the form of a $250 million player performance center, located on the top two floors of an existing building to the west of the Arthur Ashe stadium. Inside, players and teams will be treated to indoor and outdoor fitness areas, 'spa-like' locker rooms and lounges, and even a cafe accessible only to athletes. The press release notes that this added investment is intended to provide the nearly 2,800 athletes and team members at the U.S. Open with 'everything they need to maximize their on-court performance.' 'There's no doubt about it—when you walk into the stadium, the entire look and feel will change,' says Zausner.
New York Times
21-05-2025
- General
- New York Times
In Central Park, Trying for Peace Between Walkers and Cyclists
Good morning. It's Wednesday. Today we'll look at changes in Central Park that give pedestrians, runners and cyclists more room on the roadways. We'll also get details on an $800 million renovation of Arthur Ashe Stadium, the centerpiece of tennis in the United States. In Central Park, where coexistence among the crowds is often fragile, a new effort to keep everyone in his or her lane — walkers, runners and cyclists — is nearing completion. One lane — the left lane — is being painted a light tan, indicating that it is for pedestrians only. Or, as Betsy Smith, the president of the Central Park Conservancy, put it: 'This is where pedestrians belong. This is their protected space.' That visual cue comes as the space in the lanes is being reapportioned for the first time since cars were barred from the park drives several years ago. The roadways in the middle and southern parts of the six-mile loop in the park have just been repaved, from 96th Street on the West Drive to 90th Street on the East Drive. The northern part of the loop will get its face-lift next year. The transportation commissioner, Ydanis Rodriguez, noted when the repaving began in March that the goal was 'to reimagine how the park loop can best reflect the needs of parkgoers.' He said that the project was intended to 'prioritize pedestrian safety while also better accommodating cyclists and legal e-mobility options.' Smith was more succinct. She said the purpose was 'avoiding conflict.' Accomplishing that, or trying to, involved reallocating space, always a challenge in New York. A report last year noted that the drives in the park varied from 22 feet to 42 feet from one curb to the other and that the widths were inconsistent for different users along the way. In some places, the pedestrian lane was as narrow as eight feet across, even 'in places where the drive was quite wide,' Smith noted on Tuesday. The conservancy called for consistency — 10 feet for a pedestrian lane, and 10 feet for each of two adjacent bicycle lanes. The pedestrian lane is still on the left side, as it was before the repaving. The one in the middle is for slow-to-medium-speed bikers, Smith said. The one on the right is a for e-bikes and high-speed cyclists. The city plans to put bicycle symbols in the traffic lights, to remind cyclists that they are supposed to stop at the crosswalks. The Transportation Department said that the lights at some crosswalks might be removed and replaced with 'pedestrian crossing' and 'active bike lane' warning signs. Smith hopes that some traffic lights can eventually be lowered, putting them at eye level for cyclists. At their present height, 'the lights talk to cars,' she said. 'We want to talk to bikes and runners.' The wider lanes and the paint for the pedestrian corridor are being completed as the city moves toward the end of a two-year pilot project that allowed e-bikes and e-scooters in Central Park, in Prospect Park in Brooklyn and on greenways like the one along the Brooklyn waterfront. Until May 31, the Parks Department is running a web survey that asks for specific locations where people have encountered problems 'with the flow of bikes, e-bikes, e-scooters, pedestrians or other park users.' The pilot project did not open parks to motorcycles or mopeds. But some opponents say even e-bikes are too much. 'They're lawless,' said Pamela Manasse, a co-founder of the NYC E-Vehicle Safety Alliance, which favors requiring e-bikes and e-scooters to be registered and to carry license plates. 'They don't adhere to regulations. They don't yield to pedestrians. They ride, sometimes, on the pedestrian walkways.' Janet Schroeder, another co-founder, added that Central Park 'shouldn't be a cut-through for people to fly on their e-bikes, whether they're Citi Bike riders or deliverers.' Schroeder said that their group has more than 1,200 members and that more than 100 had been hit and hurt by e-bikes or scooters. Manasse was struck by a moped in front of Lincoln Center in 2022 and partially paralyzed. 'I've worked hard to regain the ability to walk,' she said on Tuesday. She said she did not expect the repaving to improve the traffic flow in Central Park. 'One can't walk across the park drives without taking their life into their own hands,' she said, adding, 'These dangers will not be alleviated' by the wider lanes. Expect a cloudy day with rain in the afternoon and evening. The temperature will reach the high 50s and drop to the upper 40s. In effect until Memorial Day (May 26). The latest Metro news An $800 million plan to renew Arthur Ashe Stadium After an $800 million renovation is completed in time for the United States Open in 2027, Arthur Ashe Stadium will still be the world's largest tennis arena, with roughly 24,000 seats. What will be different is the look and feel of a stadium that opened in 1997 and is now the second-oldest major sports venue in the New York area, after Madison Square Garden. The most visible changes will be in the crowded concourse levels. The walkways will be expanded, a plus in areas that sometimes get jammed with fans. That is hardly surprising: Since 2017, attendance at the U.S. Open has grown year over year (excluding the 2020 pandemic year, when no fans were allowed). Last year it topped one million for the first time. The renovated stadium will have space for high-end shops and restaurants, and a $250 million players building will take shape on an existing parking lot. It will tower over the five practice courts. 'We are doubling down on the continued growth that we are seeing in tennis in this country,' said Danny Zausner, the chief operating officer of the United States Tennis Association, which runs the Open. Construction has already begun; the U.S.T.A. said the project would not interfere with the tournament over the next two years. The nonprofit U.S.T.A. said it would pay for the renovation through reserve funds and debt. It said it would not need any more land in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, where the U.S.T.A. leases the 46 acres that house the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, which includes Arthur Ashe Stadium. The U.S.T.A. has spent over $1 billion on construction over the past decade, adding three new stadiums and refurbishing the outer courts and practice areas. At the Pool Dear Diary: On a hot July afternoon a few years ago, I brought my 9-month-old baby to a public pool in our Queens neighborhood. As a new parent, I was overwhelmed by all the steps required to get a wriggling baby into the water. Regular diaper off, swim diaper on, onesie off, bathing suit on, etc. On top of all that, the pool had a long list of rules and a staff whose members were diligently enforcing them with frequent blasts of their whistles. Finally, we got into the pool. My baby splashed around in the cool water for a bit, and then we got out to sit on a lounge chair and breastfeed. A few minutes later, an older woman who worked there approached us. I had seen her keeping strict order around the pool, and my body tightened as I prepared to be told we were breaking the rules in one way or another. Instead, her face broke into a smile as she passed by. 'Go, mama, go!' she said. — Lindsey Lange-Abramowitz Illustrated by Agnes Lee. Send submissions here and read more Metropolitan Diary here. Glad we could get together here. See you tomorrow. — J.B. P.S. Here's today's Mini Crossword and Spelling Bee. You can find all our puzzles here. Stefano Montali and Ed Shanahan contributed to New York Today. You can reach the team at nytoday@ Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox.
Khaleej Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Iconic US Open venue to undergo $800 million transformation
The site of the US Open will undergo an $800 million transformation, the USTA said on Monday, with a "top-to-bottom" modernisation of the famed Arthur Ashe Stadium and a new player performance centre planned for the sprawling Queens campus. Work at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center will be completed by the 2027 US Open, with construction taking place in phases to avoid any interruption of the 2025 or 2026 editions of the tournament. The project will be entirely self-funded by the USTA, without the use of any public funds or taxpayer money, the sport's national governing body said, calling it the largest single investment in U.S. Open history. "This project enables us to maintain the greatest stage in tennis - Arthur Ashe Stadium - which was constructed more than 25 years ago, and modernise it in a way that will set it up for the next 25 years," USTA CEO and Executive Director Lew Sherr said in a statement. "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." The Arthur Ashe Stadium upgrades include the addition of a new "grand entrance" to the facility, 2,000 new seats to the courtside level bowl and two new luxury suite levels. The stadium, by far the largest tennis facility in the world by capacity, will also have upgraded concourses, dining and retail shops. A two-story, $250 million player performance center will include expanded indoor and outdoor fitness and warm-up areas, improved indoor player dining facilities and redesigned locker rooms that promise a "spa-like experience". The renovations are a far cry from the days when players could not expect some basic things in the men's locker room to be the best amenity on offer, four-times winner John McEnroe told reporters at a Manhattan event. "Back in our day, we'd be like 'What the hell is this?'," said 66-year-old McEnroe, a native New Yorker and the last man to win a major with a wooden racket. "To see the level that USTA is going to for the U.S. Open ... I know the players are going to be absolutely thrilled to see this." The announcement comes seven years after the USTA completed a five-year, $600 million renovation project at the grounds. The more than 14,000-capacity Louis Armstrong Stadium opened in 2018 to replace the 1978 stadium of the same name, boasting a retractable roof. The U.S. Open welcomed more than one million fans, a record, in 2024. The tournament's main draw was expanded to last 15 days in 2025, with the added day allowing main draw access for another 70,000 attendees or more, organisers said.
Asharq Al-Awsat
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Asharq Al-Awsat
US Open's Arthur Ashe Stadium is Getting an Overhaul as Part of $800 Million Project
The US Open's Arthur Ashe Stadium will get an overhaul as part of an $800 million project announced Monday that the US Tennis Association is touting as the 'largest single investment' in the history of its Grand Slam tournament. The USTA said it is funding the improvements at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, with no help from the city government, The Associated Press reported. According to a class-action antitrust lawsuit filed in federal court in New York in March by a players' group co-founded by Novak Djokovic, the four major tennis tournaments — the US Open, Wimbledon, French Open and Australian Open — 'generated over $1.5 billion collectively in 2024, while only paying between (10% to 20%) of revenue to players.' Separately, in April, Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff were among 20 leading tennis players who signed a letter sent to the heads of the Grand Slam tournaments seeking more prize money and a greater say in what they called 'decisions that directly impact us.' The USTA said there will not be interruption to scheduled play or fan access for the next two editions of the US Open. Play in the main draw this year begins on Aug. 24 — shifting to a Sunday start for the first time in the Open era, which began in 1968, and adding a 15th day of competition. The USTA's work, which is expected to be done in time for the 2027 US Open, includes constructing a $250 million player performance center. The new player area will be next to the practice courts and include additional courts, locker rooms, lounges and an open-air warmup area so players be acclimated to the conditions before they go to the court for their matches. USTA executives did not say if ticket prices would increase as a result of the project. Ashe's courtside-level seating capacity will increase from 3,000 to 5,000, while some seats in other sections will be removed, leaving the arena's total similar to what it is now — around 23,000 to 24,000, the biggest in Grand Slam tennis. The stadium, which first opened in 1997 and has had a retractable roof since 2016, also will get a new 'grand entrance,' two new luxury suite levels, more club and restaurant areas, larger and updated concourses and restrooms, and more escalators and elevators.
