As a native New Yorker and tennis fan, the US Open has always been a staple: a signature, must-attend event that marks the end of every summer.
The week before singles and doubles draws freely to the county, and getting a pass on the tournament in the first days meant not only a seat for Arthur Ashe or Louis Armstrong, but maybe to zip up and down the side courts to catch a match stream or a future star. When you walk through a large pair of seats in a small court, I felt like you and a few dozen others were in secret together, like you early to find a band that went crazy as fans from other courts grab and run to see what you see. The writer will never forget getting Andy Murray’s autograph on the side court in front of everyone who made him the world No. 1 and three-time Grand Slam champion.
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That magic still exists decades later — why the Open is still one of the few best sporting events to attend each year — but the demand for tickets has made it more difficult to provide access to the tournament than ever before. Ticket prices have risen sharply in recent years, from an average sale price of $196 in 2022 to $346 this year, according to data compiled last week by Gametime. Armstrong’s average ticket price is up 52% year-over-year, 24% in the Grandstand, 10% in the Ashe, and general admission is up 5%.
“The price increases for this year’s US Open reflect big names like Serena Williams, Carlos Alcaraz and Alex Eala, the tables are set in anticipation of seeing these huge stars perform,” Michael Stock, Gametime’s director of road and business strategy, told Yahoo Sports.
In addition to all the social media buzz and FOMO from New Yorkers and tennis fans traveling from all over the world to watch America’s lone grand slam, ticket prices have skyrocketed across the board since the pandemic. Live events are becoming more premium luxuries every year and the demand for a single show like the US Open is only going up. The United States Tennis Association sold more than 1.14 million tickets for the three-week event.
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“Multiyear trends are a continuation of the most demanding events,” Stock said, “with a record of events this year like the World Cup and the NBA finals in New York. But affordable options at the extreme end still exist.”
Case admissions remain free this week, while the cheapest price for the ash session is $128. If you’re in a doubles match and a minor tournament in the third week, you can catch a day pass for under $20. Median prices, however, are steep. It’ll set you back $314 per seat, $599 at the Grandstand, $648 at Armstrong and $795 at Ashe, which as part of an $800 million renovation project is adding 2,000 court seats while smartly reducing box-level capacity.
While the USTA offers tickets as low as $38 for select sessions and passes for $65 for the lowest-priced cases, they are quickly snapped up by fans, automatons and secondary market resellers.
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“The reality is that we can’t control the secondary market, like ticket resale is legal in New York,” Brendan McIntyre, head of communications and content at the US Open, told Yahoo Sports. “We’ve seen unprecedented demand for the US Open. That’s why we’ve made such a concerted effort to make the Open as accessible as possible to as many people as possible.”
In one additional effort, the USTA this week worked with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani to lead 1,000 special tickets. available for $100 for eligible residents. But that number is still a drop in the bucket compared to the hundreds of thousands of fans who will need to pay top dollar if they want to attend this year’s Open. With the main draw taking place on Sunday, New York’s premier summer tradition will once again create memories for both kids and adults that will last a lifetime. So it turns out, it costs more fans than ever before to get your foot in the door.