Some of the Most Interesting Facts about US Open

Interesting Facts about US Open

1. Despite having a difference of four years of commencement between the both US Open has been held more times than Wimbledon because of USA’s indirect involvement in the World Wars. Great Britain participated in both the World Wars directly.
2. Apart from having normal championships for men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, mixed doubles, seniors and juniors, US Open also holds championships for the players on wheelchairs.
3. The US Open is the only grand slam tournament out of four which has a tie-break for the fifth set also.
4. The US Open is the first grand slam which introduced the instant replay and the Hawk-eye system which allows a re-look the chair umpire’s decisions. Each player is allowed three successful challenges per set.
5. People often get confused about Arthur Ashe Stadium and the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Arthur Ashe Stadium is a part of USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and both are part of the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.
6. The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center carries 33 courts and the Arthur Ashe Stadium has the maximum capacity for spectator seating in the world, which is 23, 000.
7. For nearly 100 years the US Open was played on grass courts and in 1978 it was replaced by the ‘DecoTurf’ but the players found the DecoTurf too slow and low then they could have on grass or even clay courts.
8. For three years in the mid-1970s, the US Open was played on Clay Courts as well.
9. Jimmy Connors and Chris Evert Lloyd are the only players who have won US Open on all three surfaces, Grass, Clay and Hard Court.
10. The US Open has also shifted to three states of the United States; they are the Rhode Islands, Philadelphia and New York.
11. 721, 059 is the number of spectators who visited the US Open on a single day which is a record. This was achieved in 2009 and Juan Martin del Potro and Kim Clijsters won the championship that day.
12. Until 1968 the professional tennis players were not allowed to play US Open.
13. The US Open is the first grand slam tournament, which started to give the same amount of prize money to both men and women singles champions. Not only that the US Open is the only grand slam tournament, which gives same shaped trophies to its winners.
14. The entry rules for the US Open are different. For those who have booked their tickets in advance have to turn up as early as possible as they need to be screened. Children under two need no tickets and they must sit on your laps.
15. The approximate number of ball boys and ball girls in a match at US Open is 80.