The US Open qualifying rounds are taking place now, which means it’s only a matter of days before the real action gets underway on the iconic blue courts of Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, when America’s Grand Slam celebrates its 50th Anniversary in the grandest of ways! To kick things off, the 50th Anniversary is being celebrated with Fan Week, which is underway now, during the week leading up to the official start of the tournament on August 27, 2018.
The Schedules have just been released and can be viewed below:
Today, Wednesday, August 22, 2018, Roger Federer will participate in the newly remodeled Louis Armstrong Stadium Dedication Ceremony. Federer will honor the event by hitting the first ball during a practice round from 10:00 – 11:00 am EST. The Dedication Ceremony will continue after Federer’s practice round and feature Queens native, John McEnroe, who won all four of his US Open men’s singles championships in the old Louis Armstrong Stadium. After the ceremony, McEnroe, his brother, Patrick McEnroe, plus James Blake and Michael Chang will play the honorary first match in the new stadium.
Back in 2016, Federer’s fiercest competitor, Raphael Nadal, graced the then newly-remodeled Arthur Ashe Stadium with his own Stadium Dedication Practice Round.
The remodeled indoor stadiums at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center are milestone events because the original grounds were built all the way back in 1964, when the needs of tennis players and spectators were not quite what they are today. According to Director, David Brewer, “[In the past], the dynamic with the players was quite different. It was not unusual for a player to have a coach. It was unusual for a player to have a physio and a traveling massage therapist and other accoutrements. The entourages have grown dramatically because there’s just so much more at stake in professional tennis these days.” Additionally, New York City’s unpredictable summer weather has caused many rain delays in the past for some of the biggest and most sensationalized matches, leaving both players and spectators suspended in restless anticipation for the weather to pass for the match to begin.
Now, let’s get to the real reason people rush Queens during the last two weeks of August: The Tennis Players! Since the US Open follows the other major Tennis Opens (Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon), experts and fans have already had a chance to see how players are performing, allowing them to make predictions about favorites and potential winners. We’ll run down the list of champions and close seconds who we will be keeping our eyes on during this year’s US Open Tennis Championship.
Rafael Nadal (Spain) *#1 seeded
Roger Federer (Switzerland) *#2 seeded
Juan Matin del Porto (Argentina) #3 seeded
Novak Djokovic (Serbia) *#6 seeded
Marin Čilić (Croatia) *#7 seeded
Simona Halep (Romania) *#1 seeded
Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) *#2 seeded
Sloan Stephens (USA) *#3 seeded
Angelique Kerber (Germany) *#4 seeded
Pierre Hugues Herb & Nicolas Mahut (France)
Mike Bryan (USA) & Jack Stock (USA, *not playing the US Open)
Oliver Marach (Austria) & Mate Pavić (Croatia)
Kateřina Siniaková & Barbora Krejčíková (Czech Republic)
Timea Babos (Hungary) & Kristina Mladenovic (France)
Latisha Chan (Taiwan) & Ivan Dodig (Croatia)
Alexander Peya (Austria) & Nicole Melichar (USA)
Gabriela Dabrowski (Canada) & Mate Pavić (Croatia)
If this is your first time visit to America’s Grand Slam, then take a glance at a few tips to ensure you have an expert experience:
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