The U.S. Open is increasing to fifteen days this 12 months, shifting to a Sunday begin for the primary time within the Open period that started in 1968.
Followers who subscribed for ticket data from the USTA have been knowledgeable of the change for the season’s final Grand Slam tennis match — and its new dates of Aug. 24 to Sept. 7 — through emails despatched Wednesday. The U.S. Tennis Affiliation confirmed the extra day of main-draw motion for the 2025 match in a information launch.
The additional day places the U.S. Open in step with the Australian Open, which switched its begin from Monday to Sunday a 12 months in the past, and the French Open, which was the primary tennis main to make the transfer when it added a fifteenth day in 2006.
The primary spherical at Flushing Meadows will as soon as once more be unfold over three days — Sunday, Monday, Tuesday — however in any other case, the USTA stated, “No additional changes to the singles principal draw schedule after the primary spherical are deliberate.” Beneath the outdated 14-day format, the match accomplished the opening spherical throughout three days till 2015, when it was in the reduction of to 2.
This transfer leaves Wimbledon because the final Grand Slam occasion that begins on a Monday and has motion on simply 14 days. As it’s, the grass-court match solely is that lengthy as a result of the All England Membership added play on the center Sunday in 2022; earlier than that, with that historically an off day, there have been solely 13 days of play on the oldest of the tennis majors.
The U.S. Open’s change offers it an opportunity to extend income through ticket gross sales, in fact, and to get extra publicity for the game. The just-concluded Australian Open, for instance, has set attendance data in each of its 15-day editions.
The USTA stated its high occasion had “record-breaking attendance in 2024.”
By now, gamers are used to Sunday begins at Slams, however when the French Open began the 15-day pattern, some — together with Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova, who each performed on that preliminary Sunday in 2006 — have been vocal about not loving the change.
“I requested if I may play later. The reply was, ‘You’re enjoying Sunday, fourth match,’” Sharapova stated on the time.
“How did it make me really feel? Effectively, it doesn’t make you are feeling nice when you recognize that the French federation, all they’re fascinated with is promoting tickets, earning profits and about (French) gamers,” she stated. “I imply, can’t be too completely happy about that.”
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Howard Fendrich has been the AP’s tennis author since 2002. Discover his tales right here: https://apnews.com/creator/howard-fendrich. Extra AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
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