US Open fans are well-versed in the awesome power of tennis. They know that no other sport can boast the bounty of benefits that tennis does, and they also understand that there is no better showcase for all that is wonderful about the sport than Flushing Meadows’ great stage.
But this year’s event will be putting a particular emphasis on that remarkable power, and will detail the vast array of tennis’ unique advantages, through bold and creative theme art created by St. Louis native Chelsey Farris, who is the first American woman to design the Open’s official art in 15 years.
The 2024 theme art features a collection of 16 uniquely-designed tennis balls, each of which draw attention to an integral element of either the US Open, or tennis as a whole—from the way the sport can augment physical and mental health in players of any age, to the unmatched energy of the tournament’s New York City home. The primary piece features a can of four balls set against the bold blue of the US Open’s courts, with the balls representing four of the most impactful of these pillars: ‘Health & Wellness,’ ‘New York City,’ ‘Diversity & Inclusion’ and ‘Tradition.’
“I’ve never played tennis, and I’ve never even been to a tennis match,” Farris, 33, recently confessed to usopen.org. “But I played a lot of sports growing up, and I think there are a lot of similarities—the same rush of adrenaline, the same emotions, the same competitiveness. In creating the designs, I thought about what resonates with me, what excites me, about the sports that I love.”
“Each tennis ball is a little vignette, and everyone can take something unique from each one.” - Chelsey Farris
The theme art will be displayed prominently around the tournament grounds and on merchandise, including on oversized sculptures around the grounds that will truly bring Farris’ concepts to life. She came up with the designs in just 10 days, and she says that learning the scope of how they would be used sparked her creatively. Research about the major storylines from last year’s US Open also helped influence her execution of the final designs.
“One thing I’m trying to always do in my work is evoke emotion in people. For artists, designers, the hope is always to create something that resonates with a large audience,” she says. “We all have similar experiences, so I’m always thinking about, ‘What’s the color, or what’s the shape that’s going to evoke something in people?’
“Soccer was my sport, so when I see a soccer ball, for example, I don’t just think about the sport. I think about the memories I have, the fact I played with my best friends growing up ... there’s nostalgia there," she adds. "It represents so many different things for me, but it can represent so many other things for other people. I took that idea and I applied it to tennis balls, and I hope that fans think in that same way when they see them. It doesn’t have to be one static piece of art.
“Each tennis ball is a little vignette, and everyone can take something unique from each one.”
And just as her art so brilliantly captures the essence of the power of tennis, it likewise allowed Farris to realize her own power as an artist, and achieve one of the goals she’d set for herself and her work.
“Being selected to design the US Open theme art is a hugely validating experience for me. Designing something like this, at this scale, is exactly the type of project I want to be doing in my career,” she says.
“Last year, I made a list of all the things I wanted to do—big projects, the really exciting, dream stuff—and one of them was branding for a major sporting event. I didn’t shout that out to anyone; I think at the time, I really only told my mentor, but I had it written down. It’s almost like the universe told me, ‘Let me show you that you can do it. I’m going to give you that opportunity.’ It was a thrilling challenge and a privilege, and I can only hope that I get to work on similar projects like this in the future.”
