Arthur Ashe Stadium

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Arthur Ashe Stadium
Location USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing, Queens, New York
Opened 1997
Owner USTA
Surface DecoTurf
Construction cost $ 254 million
Architect Rossetti Architects
Capacity 22,547
Tenants
US Open<center\>
In July 2008, Arthur Ashe Stadium hosted the first ever professional basketball game played outdoors.
Arthur Ashe Stadium, built in 1997 at the USTA National Tennis Center in New York City, is the world's largest tennis-specific stadium.

Arthur Ashe Stadium, a part of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center located within Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in the New York City borough of Queens, is the main tennis stadium of the US Open, the last of each year's four Grand Slam tournaments, and also where the annual Arthur Ashe Kids' Day takes place. The stadium is named after the famous tennis player, Arthur Ashe, who won the inaugural US Open in which professionals could compete in 1968.

Background

Opening in 1997, Arthur Ashe Stadium replaced Louis Armstrong Stadium as the primary venue for the tournament. The Stadium, which cost $254 million to construct, features 22,547 individual seats, 90 luxury suites, five restaurants and a two-level players' lounge—making it, by far, the largest outdoor tennis-only venue in the world. The Stadium, like the other 32 courts in the facility, has a DecoTurf cushioned acrylic surface. Due to its location near Citi Field, the home of the New York Mets, all these stadiums share the Mets–Willets Point stop on the New York City Subway's 7 Train.

On July 19, 2008, Arthur Ashe Stadium hosted the first ever regular season WNBA game to be played outdoors when the WNBA Indiana Fever beat the host New York Liberty, 71–55.[1] The game served as a fundraising event for breast cancer research.

The stadium's lack of a retractable roof for inclement weather has occasionally been a subject of criticism. Although no provision for the addition of a roof was included in the facility's original design, talks are under place for building one to be ready in 2017.[2][3] Furthermore, the lack of a roof can result in relatively strong and unpredictable winds inside the stadium.[4]

Arthur Ashe Stadium is equipped with the Hawk-Eye electronic system which allows tennis players to challenge the umpire's decision on calls made throughout championships. In 2005, the color scheme for the courts was changed from green to electric blue inner courts and a light green outer court. All US Open Series events now use this color scheme. The change in court colors was to aid television viewers in tracking the ball since blue contrasts against the yellow tennis balls better.[5]

In 2013, USTA announced plans to construct a roof over the stadium. The $100 million roof, part of a $550 million renovation of the National Tennis Center, is expected to be completed by the 2016 or 2017 tournament.[6]

See also

References

Notes
  1. ↑ Robbins, Liz (2008-07-20). "Liberty Has Its Moment in History, if Not a Victory". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-08-30. 
  2. ↑ Popper, Steve (September 3, 2003). "As Rain Continues, Officials Considering Roof for U.S. Open". New York Times (The New York Times Company). Retrieved August 16, 2013. 
  3. ↑ "USTA: Retractable Roof Will Be Constructed Over Arthur Ashe Stadium". "CBS". 
  4. ↑ Clarey, Christopher (2010-09-08). "At Main Court, Wind Is Common Opponent". New York Times. Archived from the original on 12 September 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-13. 
  5. ↑ "Blue courts to be used make viewing ball easier". Associated Press. 2005-05-16. Retrieved 2011-02-15. 
  6. ↑ Meyers, Naila-Jean (2013-08-15). "Playing Doubles: U.S. Open Will Get 2 Roofs". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-09-05. 
Sources

External links

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Coordinates: 40°44′59.59″N 73°50′49.32″W / 40.7498861°N 73.8470333°W / 40.7498861; -73.8470333

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