Latest news with #USTennisOpen
National Post
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- National Post
Venus Williams gets U.S. Open wild card at age 45 and will be the oldest in singles since 1981
Venus Williams will make her return to Grand Slam tennis at the U.S. Open after a two-year absence, receiving a wild-card invitation on Wednesday to compete in singles at Flushing Meadows at age 45. Article content The American will be the oldest entrant in singles at the tournament since Renee Richards was 47 in 1981, according to the International Tennis Federation. Article content Article content She is the owner of seven major singles championships _ including at the U.S. Open in 2000 and 2001 — along with another 14 in women's doubles, all won with her younger sister, Serena, plus two in mixed doubles. Serena retired with 23 Slam singles trophies after playing at the 2022 U.S. Open. Article content The older Williams last participated in a Grand Slam tournament at the 2023 U.S. Open, losing in the first round. She hasn't won a singles match there since 2019. Article content When Williams came back to the tour last month at the DC Open for her first match anywhere in 16 months, a reporter asked whether that would be a one-time thing or if there were plans for other tournaments. Article content 'I'm just here for now, and who knows?' she replied then. 'Maybe there's more. … But at the moment, I'm focused just on this. I haven't played in a year. There is no doubt I can play tennis, but obviously coming back to play matches, it takes time to get in the swing of things. I definitely feel I'll play well. I'm still the same player. I'm a big hitter. I hit big. This is my brand.' Article content Last year, Williams had surgery to remove uterine fibroids and missed most of the season. In Washington this July, she competed for the first time since March 2024 at the Miami Open and became the oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match since Martina Navratilova was 47 at Wimbledon in 2004; Williams also won a doubles match at the DC Open. Article content In the process, Williams drew a ton of attention for her tennis, yes, but also for letting the world know she's engaged to an Italian actor and for her half-joking comments about needing to get back on court to get covered by health insurance. Article content 'I love Venus. We're friends. I didn't really know this was something she was still wanting to do. But I also didn't know it was something she didn't want to do,' said Mark Ein, the chairman of the hard-court tournament in Washington. 'I was surprised. And it was a wonderful surprise.'
The Independent
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Venus Williams gets a US Open wild card at age 45 and will be the oldest in singles since 1981
Venus Williams will make her return to Grand Slam tennis at the U.S. Open after a two-year absence, receiving a wild-card invitation on Wednesday to compete in singles at Flushing Meadows at age 45. The American will be the oldest entrant in singles at the tournament since Renee Richards was 47 in 1981, according to the International Tennis Federation. Williams already had been given a wild-card entry by the U.S. Tennis Association for next week's mixed doubles competition. Singles matches begin in New York on Aug. 24. She is the owner of seven major singles championships — including at the U.S. Open in 2000 and 2001 — along with another 14 in women's doubles, all won with her younger sister, Serena, plus two in mixed doubles. Serena retired with 23 Slam singles trophies after playing at the 2022 U.S. Open. ___ AP tennis:
The Independent
11-07-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Wimbledon mixed-doubles champions condemn US Open's major change
Amid the euphoria of a Wimbledon title success, mixed doubles champions Sam Verbeek and Katerina Siniakova revealed they're highly unlikely to be able to resume their partnership in next month's US Open, after a change of direction by the tournament's organisers looks likely to leave them frozen out. In a bid to open up mixed doubles to the world's top singles players, the US Open version will now be played over a two-day period before the remainder of the tournament gets underway. Unless the rules are tweaked between now and then, all four players from Thursday's Wimbledon decider will miss out. A prize of $1m is being offered to the winners in New York with just 16 pairs involved. The top eight of those will be determined by their combined singles rankings, with wildcards determining the remaining eight pairs. 'It's a shame they decided to do it,' Siniakova told BBC Sport. 'I think it's a marketing step, but they are taking (away the) chance of doubles players.' "As two athletes that would love to play it, it's a shame to obviously know that we can't,' said Dutchman Verbeek. 'I'm not going to actively root against it for it not to be a success. The positive I can think of is that there's going to be more people that can see the top single stars earlier in the tournament when they are maybe a bit more accessible to the public. 'But as a doubles athlete, my heart is bleeding.' Among those who will play are former US Open champion Emma Raducanu and current Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz and the Italian pairing, Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, who are the defending US Open mixed doubles champions and the only recognised pair from the circuit to be taking part. Reflecting on her first mixed doubles crown, the world No 1 women's doubles player, Siniakova said: 'It's very special, it means a lot. We had a lot of fun on the court and I really enjoyed it, it was a really amazing time here.'
New York Times
19-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
$800 Million Overhaul of U.S. Open Stadium Will Add Space and Luxury
The United States Open tennis tournament, already one of the most glamorous sporting events in the world, will become even fancier after an $800 million renovation that will be the largest single investment in the site's history. Tennis fans will see some of the transformations in Arthur Ashe Stadium, in Flushing, Queens, where the tournament in held, while other parts will be off limits to them — unless they grow up to be tennis stars. The project includes an overhaul of Ashe Stadium, the centerpiece of American tennis, which will add shine and much-needed walking space to a concrete and steel building that can feel cramped and sweaty on the busiest match days. The other part is an opulent new building for the players that will feature state-of-the art training facilities, luxury accommodations and cafes. Construction, which has already begun, is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2027 U.S. Open. The United States Tennis Association, which runs the tournament, said work would not interfere with the tournament over the next two years. 'We are doubling down on the continued growth that we are seeing in tennis in this country,' said Danny Zausner, the association's chief operating officer, who helped unveil the renovation at a news conference on Monday. The U.S.T.A., a nonprofit organization whose mandate is to develop tennis in the United States, said it would pay for the entire project through reserve funds and debt and that the project would not require any more land in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. New York City owns the 46 acres in the park that houses the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The city leases it to the U.S.T.A. — just as it leases the land that the Yankees and Mets stadiums sit on to the teams' owners. The U.S.T.A. has already spent over $1 billion on construction around the grounds over the past decade, adding three new stadiums and refurbishing all the outer courts and practice areas. But Ashe is big moneymaker with a tournament that generates hundreds of millions of dollars each year. It is the world's largest tennis stadium with a capacity of almost 24,000. That figure will remain roughly the same. What will change is the feel and look as walkways and seating areas get expanded and refitted, adding 40 percent additional space within the stadium, according to Mr. Zausner. The most visible changes will be in the crowded concourse levels. Those will be fitted with high-end shops, restaurants and clubs and gleaming, expanded walkways, providing more space to areas that can get jammed with fans at times. Since 2017, attendance at the U.S. Open has grown year over year (excluding the 2020 pandemic year, when no fans were allowed) and last year it topped one million for the first time. Despite its immense size and once-modern sheen, Arthur Ashe Stadium is from a different era. It opened in 1997 and is the second-oldest major sports venue in the metropolitan New York area, after Madison Square Garden, the home of the New York Knicks and New York Rangers. Ashe Stadium is also the final of the two dozen courts at the National Tennis Center to be remodeled. The last work done there was the retractable roof that debuted in 2016. The architect for the project is Rossetti, the same firm that originally designed Ashe, along with most of the other recent upgrades on the grounds. The plan will shift the existing luxury suites higher and add 2,000 new seats to the lower bowl of the stadium, increasing that number to 5,000. It will also include seven new bunker suites, the luxury spectator lounges dug out below court level that have provided large revenue streams at other arenas, like Madison Square Garden. The glass-and-brick players building, which will cost a projected $250 million, will sit on an existing parking lot, and tower over the five practice courts. It will include a two-story garage plus indoor and outdoor training facilities and opulent lounges. Stacey Allaster, the tournament director, said on Monday that the center will help ensure that players are fit and able to perform at a high level for hundreds of thousands of spectators after a long season of competition. 'Happy players, happy fans,' Ms. Allaster said.
