For three weeks each summer, the top tennis players in the world call the USTA Billie Jean National Tennis Center their home away from home.
Some stays last longer than others, of course, but the dream for every player in the draw is that their stay lasts through championship weekend and culminates in the biggest prize the sport has to offer.
As part of the 50th anniversary of the US Open and the fresh rebranding of the tournament logo and identity, the tournament has also made a number of upgrades to the player facilities.
"We knew we had to do some additional things for the players here within Arthur Ashe stadium, which is where they live during the three weeks of the US Open," Tournament Director David Brewer said. "[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."
The inspiration for the changes came directly from the Big Apple itself: in Central Park’s benches, Manhattan’s skyscrapers, the subway and apartment building fire escapes.
From the moment players first arrive on site, they’ll notice the enhancements when they arrive through a dedicated player entrance at a new drop-off point. This entrance leads directly into a new player garden that is roughly twice as big as in previous years to allow for the athletes and their teams to unwind in a peaceful, lush setting.
Entering Arthur Ashe Stadium, the first thing that stands out is the new white tiling, inspired by the iconic New York city subway system. It wraps around the transportation desk, the practice court booking area, the walnut-covered elevator tower to the player lounge, gym and salon, and a new players-only coffee bar.
"It’s been a fun upgrade for us, and the reception that we’re receiving right off the bat from the players has been very, very positive," said USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Chief Operating Officer Danny Zausner, who described the area as "classic American, early 1900s."
Further inside the stadium, the player hallway now features a new nursery for players with young children, a quiet room and a warm-up area that, when paired with the new running track and warm-up area in the player garden, provides players with a convenient indoor-outdoor space to fully prepare for matches.
From there, the next step is the walk out onto Arthur Ashe Stadium, which will take players past the new US Open logo and the remodeled player hallway. Inside the largest tennis stadium in the world, the improvements continue.
To coincide with the new brand identify, several pieces of on-court furniture have been replaced with both design and function in mind.
The players’ chairs, once mesh seats and backs over a plastic frame, are now benches which can be modified for a singles player or doubles team. The bench, created with a curved back to promote spinal support and made of aluminum coated with a heat-resistant paint to keep it cool, also allows players to keep their racquet bag, drinks, bottles and towels next to their seat instead of on the floor.
Taking inspiration from New York's park benches, the seating also offers improved sponsorship opportunities while creating a sleek, minimalist design, capped off with a mosaic pattern on the back that casts a patterned shadow on the court instead of one solid block.
That design is then echoed throughout the other pieces of court furniture. The water coolers have been made to blend in with the court signage and lowered to ensure they don't block the view of spectators in the front rows. Similarly, the line umpires’ chairs have been redesigned to fit the aesthetic, built with an area for water bottles in under-seat storage.
Aside from the player benches, the other notable change is to the chair umpire’s tower.
Tall and sleek, the towers are narrower at the top than bottom -- as if you're looking up at a skyscraper -- and were created after the US Open executives reached out to current chair umpires to find out what they needed out of a chair and what could be improved from the old design.
The feedback resulted in a ladder on the left side, wires and cables concealed in the framework of the chair, the phone located on the side rather than underneath, and easier access to the scoring system though which they input point-by-point data. It’s capped off with a new sun shade that is tapered at the top and designed to maximize sight lines from the crowd to the court.
It is all part of a larger rebranding and modernization of the US Open's identity, says USTA Chief Marketing Officer Amy Choyne, who said it was important to "embrace the digital age."
"It has a nod to the future," Choyne said. "What was very important for us was to inspire our youth, but also maintain our premium branding and remain consistent throughout our use around the footprint of the US Open."
