US Open Tennis Tips

The US Open is one of tennis' 4 Grand Slam tournaments and one of the biggest events in the sporting calendar. The world's greatest tennis players all meet at Flushing Meadows for 2 weeks of tennis action. Roger Federer returns looking for his 6th US Open title, whilst Serena Williams will be hoping for another win on her home court. Get the latest US Open betting odds as well as a selection of other tennis betting markets at Bet UK's Online Betting and Live In-Play Betting sportsbook.

US Open Guide

This year is the 50th anniversary of the US Open. The present event is the modern version of one of the oldest tennis tournaments in the world. The US National Championships have taken place since 1881; the former amateur event was opened up to pro players in 1968, hence the current competition’s name.

Like all things American, the US Open is a big deal. The tournament boasts the biggest winner’s purse in tennis, is the largest attended annual sporting event in the world (it attracts over 700,000 spectators each year) and the Arthur Ashe stadium is the biggest tennis venue on earth (it holds over 8,000 more people than Wimbledon’s Centre Court).

Here’s everything you need to know about US Open 2018 tennis.

Where is the US Open Played?

The Billie Jean King National Tennis Center has been the venue for the US Open since 1978. The complex stands in New York’s Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

Flushing Meadows used to be a marshy swamp and was filled in over several decades as various uses for the land were mooted and abandoned. In 1935, the area was selected to be the venue for the 1939 World’s Fair and the reclaimed site was developed into parkland afterwards.

Today’s tennis facility, which sits in the middle of the 900-acre park, houses 33 courts and three stadiums. Each hard court uses a DecoTurf surface which is constructed from layers of acrylic and other materials on top of an asphalt base.

The Arthur Ashe amphitheatre is the showpiece venue of the centre and will be joined this year by a rebuilt 14,000-capacity Louis Armstrong stadium. Both arenas now have retractable roofs after years of the tournament being disrupted during heavy downpours. Various show courts complete the impressive complex, including the Grandstand and Court 17.

How the US Open Tournament Plays Out

Matches are in six categories: men's singles and doubles, women's singles and doubles, mixed doubles and wheelchair events.

The US Open is the only Grand Slam that has tiebreakers in every set of the match. The other Slams conclude their final set by playing on until a winner emerges by two clear games.

There are seven rounds in the single’s tournament, one fewer in the Doubles and two less in the Mixed Doubles. In the men’s tournament each match is the best of five sets and in the women’s it’s best of three. Check out Bet UK's predictions for the Men's US Open Favourites and Women's US Open Favourites

Legendary figures of the US Open

Tennis legend and humanitarian Arthur Ashe lends his name to the cavernous stadium which hosts the US Open final each year. Ashe won the first open event in 1968 as an amateur.

The site’s newest stadium is named after noted jazz musician Louis Armstrong. The arena is built in the footprint of the old stadium which was also named after the R&B legend. Armstrong lived nearby until his death in 1971.

In the women’s game, Molla Bjurstedt Mallory holds the record for most wins with eight in the period from 1915 to 1926. Martina Navratilova is the most successful female of the open era with four titles. Billie Jean King, Chris Evert and Steffi Graf can also lay claim to legendary status in US Open history.

The tournament has been a passionate, boisterous explosion of tennis since the late 1970s and early 80s when John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors played out their annual battle for supremacy at Flushing Meadows.

Other notable male figures in the tournament’s history include Pete Sampras who won the title five times and Roger Federer who will be aiming to go one better with a sixth win this year.

Why is the US Open a Big Deal?

There’s something uniquely chic and flamboyant about the US Open. What better setting for a global sporting event than New York City? From the editor of Vogue to supermodels to Hollywood A list, the tournament attracts the glamorous and the famous.

Wimbledon may boast the tag of “most prestigious” when it comes to the Grand Slams, but the US Open attracts a bigger worldwide TV audience, huge crowds and simply brings a great deal more razzmatazz.

The recent investment in the stadia and facilities at the Billie Jean Center has really elevated the American major to become arguably tennis’ biggest deal.

The US Open: Facts and Figures

The US Open tournament captivates global audiences for a fortnight each year as Americans flock to New York City for the final tennis Grand Slam of the sporting calendar.

Before you settle down to take in a little Flushing Meadows fever, arm yourself with a selection of US Open facts and US Open statistics to wow your viewing partners.

The US Open in Numbers

$2.6m - the prize for the winners of the 2022 singles tournaments.

$60.1m - The total prize money allocated across all players.

776,120 - The attendance of the 2022 US Open, breaking the record previously set in 2019.

19 - The number of times an American has won the Men's US Open during the Open era.

20 - The number of years since the total above was added to.

16 - The number of nationalities that have won a Men's US Open

6 - The record number of wins for the Women's US open in the Open Era (Chris Evert and Serena Williams)

1 - The current ranking of last year's Women's US Open winner Iga Swiatek

$100m - the revenue raised from tickets sales from the 700,000 fans who flock to Flushing Meadows

20-18 - the longest tie break in US Open history between Goran Ivanisevic and Daniel Nestor in 1993

The US Open History and Tradition

The original US National Championships was first held in 1881. Beginning as a men’s singles and doubles tournament, women were invited to join in 1887, with mixed doubles arriving two years later.

Despite being four years younger than Wimbledon, the US Open has been held more times due to Great Britain’s direct involvement in both World Wars.

The US Open tennis tournament moved to Flushing Meadows in 1978 and is the only Grand Slam to have been played on each type of surface – grass, clay and a hard-acrylic layer laid upon asphalt. Jimmy Connors is the only player to have won the title on each surface.

If you are interested in the history of this iconic event, take a look at Bet UK's US Open History

Winners and Losers of the US Open

In the Open era, Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer hold the record for most US Open wins in the men’s game at five each. Chris Evert and Serena Williams have the most female victories with six apiece. Roger Federer is still one of the Men's Favourite for the 2018 US Open, whereas Serena Williams is again one of the Women's Favourites for the 2018 US Open.

Ken Roswell holds the record as the oldest player to win the US major in the Open era. He was 35 years, 10 months and 11 days when he won the title in 1970. Roger Federer will be 37 years, 1 month and 2 days if he wins this year.

Pete Sampras was the youngest ever men’s winner at the age of 19. Tracy Austin was just 16 when she won the women’s tournament in 1979.

The US Open trophy was designed by Tiffany & Co, a New York-based jeweller famed for appearing in the title of the 1961 classic movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The firm have been responsible for dozens of other sporting prizes, including the MLS championship, Kentucky Derby and Super Bowl trophies.

US Open Courts and Stadiums

All courts at the US Open are blue in colour. The colour was changed from green in 2005 to make it easier for players and TV viewers to track the ball.

The US Open blue hue is trademarked. The Pantone blue 2965U was carefully developed. The shade provides the most contrast for viewers and players from the yellow tennis balls which are knocked back and forth upon it.

The US Open was the first Grand Slam tournament to use Hawk Eye technology in 2006. This year’s competition will be the first to feature the system on all 22 courts. Last year it was used on just seven.

The US Open and Gender Equality

The US Open was the first sporting event to pay men and women the same amount of prize money. The equal pot was introduced in 1973.

Three years after the equal prize money ruling, Reneé Richards was barred from the tournament unless she consented to chromosomal testing. Born a man, Richards underwent gender reassignment surgery in 1975. US tennis chiefs would not accept her playing as a woman and the dispute went all the way to the New York Supreme Court. The court ruled in her favour and Richards made it to the doubles finals of 1977.

Umpires, Line Judges and Ball Persons at the US Open

It’s not just the players who make the headlines. Umpire Lois Goodman was arrested live on TV on her way to officiate a match in 2012 on suspicion of killing her husband. She was later cleared of all charges and returned to the US Open a year later as an official.

A tennis linesman died after being struck by a wayward serve from future Swedish champion Stefan Edberg in 1983. Ronald Wertheim was struck in the groin and the blow knocked him backward out of his chair. He died five days later from the head injury he sustained.

Ball boys and girls at the US Open get paid an hourly wage of $11 an hour - not bad for the best seat in the house! It takes an army of approximately 375 ball persons to attend to the US Open matches.

Most Famous US Open Matches of the Millennium

The US Open has produced some of the most memorable matches in tennis history. But what is it that makes a great game?

Is it an epic duel between two players at the top of their game, or a David versus Goliath battle against the odds? Is it a nail-biting fight to the finish, or a daring fightback by a player who looked over-and-out?

Whatever it is that defines greatness, these matches had it all.

Del Potro v Federer - 2009

It was one of the truly outstanding sporting spectacles in US Open history. This was the 20-year-old upstart from Argentina coming back from a set and a set point down against the five-time consecutive champion.

This was the first time that the king of Flushing Meadows had lost a US Open game since 2002, when his opponent had been playing junior tennis.

The scene was the Arthur Ashe Stadium. The 23,000 tennis fans inside the cavernous centrepiece of the National Tennis Center had gathered assuming they were there to witness Roger Federer overcome Juan Martin del Potro and achieve a sixth title in a row to equal a record set in the 1920s.

His opponent had set tongues wagging by destroying six-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals but as soon as the match got underway, it seemed clear that Del Potro was completely overawed by the occasion. The watching John McEnroe would famously remark that the Argentinian kid was clearly “freaking out”.

Then something happened. As he produced a slightly wayward serve for the second set, Federer began to mutter about the Hawkeye technology which called his ball out.

Suddenly, Del Potro began smashing the ball back just as he had earlier in the tournament. Losing the tie-breaker, after being a point from winning the set, Roger Federer had let his opponent see that he wasn’t invincible after all.

Normal service was resumed in the third as Federer overcame stutters in his service game but once Del Potro won the fourth in a tie-breaker, the boy from the provinces of Buenos Aires clinched the deciding set 6-4 to earn a famous victory.

Williams v Capriati - 2004

Four questionable calls which cost the best player on the night a place in the final, a two-hour grovelling phone call from the US Open chief executive to apologise to the beaten semi-finalist, and the installation of the unfortunate umpire into the tennis hall of infamy.

That was the immediate upshot of the penultimate round of the 2004 US Open, but the after-effects were far more significant.

As the world reacted with dismay at the elimination of Serena Williams at the hands of Jennifer Capriati, tennis chiefs finally concluded that video technology was needed to avoid any embarrassing repeat.

The global TV audience had rubbed its eyes and adjusted their sets, unable to understand what was going on. As Williams thrashed a succession of glorious serves and returns past Capriati, the woman in the umpire’s chair kept calling them out.

Serena’s grace was to her credit. As she became increasingly exasperated, and her dream of making a third US Open final drifted away, Williams approached the umpire to wag her finger and utter “no, no, no”.

But no one had words for what came next. A beautiful Serena backhander landed inside the line and was called in by the line judge. Umpire Mariana Alves then stunned the world by overruling the judge to declare the ball had been out.

Bad calls had been part of the game since tennis was invented, but the public simply would not stand for any more of this. Two years later, after extensive testing, Hawkeye became a part of the US Open.

The computer system has rendered the ugly exchanges between player and umpire a thing of the past, but it took perhaps the ugliest sequence of miss-calls in tennis history to achieve it.

Nadal v Djokovic - 2010

This was the match that wrote a thousand headlines and still had pundits grasping for more superlatives. It was the evening in which Rafael Nadal wrote his name into the big chapter of sporting history entitled “tennis greats”.

The term “Grand Slam” was originally coined to describe the feat of winning all four major tennis championships. Nadal became the youngest man of the modern era to complete a career grand slam with victory over Novak Djokovic at the 2010 US Open. The 24-year-old Spaniard also became only the seventh man to win all four majors.

The final had every element of dramatic theatre known to the gods of sport. Thunder, lightning, rain-soaked delays, smashed rackets, tears, and moreover, sheer pulsating tennis filled with depth and quality.

Djokovic began the game looking a little weary after a marathon session against Roger Federer in the semis but soon got back into his stride, taking the second set in a tie-breaker after being edged out in the first.

Nadal snatched the third, but Djokovic didn’t begin to fade until the fourth as his Spanish opponent sent him scampering back and forth, back and forth across the baseline. Nadal’s historic accomplishment had been embellished by the fighting qualities of his opponent, as all great victories are.