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Although all tennis aficionados are currently concentrating on Serena Williams’ surprising announcement regarding her retirement from the sport, we’re here to distract you with some fun news regarding the U.S. Open, the annual tournament set to take over the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens on August 29 through September 11.
Attending the tournament should certainly be on your must-do list, but for those unable to make it, we’ve got some good news: the annual U.S. Open Fan Week, taking place at the center between August 23 and 28, offers a ton of other fun events you should take part in.
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Anchoring the week-long festivities is the beloved Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day, this year featuring the five-member comedy group Dude Perfect. Scheduled to perform on August 27 between 2 and 3pm, the event is completely free to attend (woohoo!) and, according to a press release, guests can expect "a number of stunts, trick shots and competitions involving current pro players such as Venus Williams, John Isner and Relly Opelka."
Also exciting (and free!) is the beloved U.S. Open Legends Match (August 23, 7pm) between former champions Andy Roddick, Kim Clijsters and Lindsay Davenport and former top 5 player James Blake. They will play in a doubles exhibition match inside the Grandstand stadium.
Other standout anchor events include this year's new "Flavors of the Open" celebration (August 25, 7pm), which will give attendees the opportunity to sample all of the stadium's remarkable food offerings and the chance to meet celebrity chefs, and the "Tennis Plays for Peace" exhibition to benefit Ukraine Relief (August 24, 7pm). The latter mention is a special exhibition match inside Louis Armstrong Stadium featuring superstars Rafael Nadal, Coco Gauff, Taylor Fritz and John McEnroe. Tickets to this specific match will go on sale tomorrow for $25 on Ticketmaster and all proceeds will benefit Ukraine.
However, the week-long celebration is mostly known for its role as the host of the U.S. Open’s qualifying tournament. In fact, as lovers of the sport know, 128 men and 128 women that are ranked numbers 100 to 250 in the world play for 16 main draw singles entries on each side. Believe it or not, last year’s women’s singles champion, Emma Raducanu, was the first player to ever win a Grand Slam singles title after coming through the qualifying rounds. Which is to say: you might actually get to see this year’s champion for free while attending the U.S. Open Fan Week. How cool!
Check out more details about U.S. Open Fan Week right here.