U.S. Open – Latest Events, News, and Player Info

Written by: Staff on 29th August 2011

U.S. Open - Latest Events, News, and Player Info |

(Courtesy of the USTA)

DAY 1 PLAY TO PROCEED AS SCHEDULED

The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center came through Hurricane Irene with minimal damage. Play will commence on a majority of the courts (including Louis Armstrong Stadium) at 11 a.m. this morning, with the first match in Arthur Ashe Stadium starting at 1 p.m. Gates will open to the public at 10 a.m. Full schedule details can be found at USOpen.org, the official website of the tournament.

OPENING DAY / OPENING NIGHT ATTENDANCE RECORDS

The record crowd for an Opening Day at the US Open is 60,066, set in 2009. The record for Opening Night was also set in 2009, when 23,869 attended the ceremony celebrating athletes who give back.

USTA SERVES OPENING NIGHT GALA

USTA Serves, the national charitable foundation of the USTA, celebrates the start of the 2011 US Open tonight with its 11th annual Opening Gala in Arthur Ashe Stadium. The gala will feature special guests Tony Bennett and Robin Roberts, with Alec Baldwin serving as the celebrity auctioneer. USTA Serves provides financial support for disadvantaged youth and people with disabilities through community programs designed to improve health, build character, teach life skills and motivate students to strive for excellence.

COURT 17 MAKES ITS US OPEN DEBUT TODAY

Court 17 makes its main-draw debut today as the newest addition to the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. It is located at the opposite end of the Food Court from Louis Armstrong Stadium and will seat 2,800 fans this year. That seating capacity makes it the fourth-largest show court on the grounds, behind only Arthur Ashe Stadium, Louis Armstrong Stadium and the Grandstand.

Court 17 features two state-of-the-art video screens and utilizes the Chase Review instant replay challenge system. It also has a different look and feel from the current US Open show courts—the playing surface is sunk 7 feet into the earth to create a more intimate environment. It replaces former Field Courts 17 and 18, which featured only bleachers on either side and were not as frequently utilized during US Open competition. Scheduled for use for this year’s event, the court will be fully completed for the 2012 US Open.

THIRD ANNUAL FAMILY DAY SET FOR TOMORROW

Family Day returns for its third edition in 2011 and will be held during the Day Session tomorrow. There will be special tennis demonstrations offered throughout the day, as well as family-friendly grounds entertainment, a souvenir photo opportunity with the US Open trophy, a Family Day “Comb the Courts” scavenger hunt and a Family Day Target Challenge. Also, those in attendance receive an exclusive US Open gift bag and in-stadium Family Fun Pack giveaways.

FEDERER, SERENA LEAD PAST CHAMPIONS INTO 2011 US OPEN

There will be four past US Open men’s singles champions and four past US Open women’s singles champions in the field for this year’s Open, led by five-time men’s singles champion Roger Federer and three-time women’s singles champion Serena Williams. Overall, five men and eight women who have previously won a Grand Slam tournament title are entered this year. Here’s a look at past Grand Slam champions competing in the 2011 US Open:

Grand Slam Tournament Champions in the Field

Men

Player Number of Grand Slam Titles (US Open Titles)

Roger Federer 16 (5 US Open titles, 2004-08)

Rafael Nadal 10 (1 US Open title, 2010)

Novak Djokovic 3 (None)

Juan Martin Del Potro 1 (1 US Open title, 2009)

Andy Roddick 1 (1 US Open title, 2003)

Women

Player Number of Grand Slam Titles (US Open Titles)

Serena Williams 13 (3 US Open titles, 1999, 2002, 2008)

Venus Williams 7 (2 US Open titles, 2000-01)

Maria Sharapova 3 (1 US Open title, 2006)

Svetlana Kuznetsova 2 (1 US Open title, 2004)

Ana Ivanovic 1 (None)

Petra Kvitova 1 (None)

Li Na 1 (None)

Francesca Schiavone 1 (None)

INJURY CLAIMS DEFENDING CHAMPION AGAIN IN 2011

A defending champion will miss the US Open for the second year in a row and for the third time in the past four years, with Kim Clijsters pulling out due to an abdominal injury. Juan Martin Del Potro missed the 2010 US Open following wrist surgery and Justine Henin retired prior to the 2008 US Open. (Clijsters also missed the 2006 US Open after winning here in 2005.)

2010 US Open men’s champion Rafael Nadal will compete, however, meaning that 1971 and 2003 remain the only years in the Open Era in which neither the men’s nor women’s defending champion was in the field. In 1971, both Margaret Court and Ken Rosewall were unable to defend their titles, and the same held true in 2003 with Pete Sampras and Serena Williams.

Defending Champions Not in the Field – Since 1960*

Men Women

2010 – Juan Martin Del Potro 2011 – Kim Clijsters

2003 – Pete Sampras 2008 – Justine Henin

1971 – Ken Rosewall 2006 – Kim Clijsters

1967 – Fred Stolle 2003 – Serena Williams

1963 – Rod Laver 1997 – Steffi Graf

1961 – Neale Fraser 1993 – Monica Seles

1975 – Billie Jean King

* see page 90 of the 1974 – Margaret Court

2011 US Open Media Guide 1971 – Margaret Court

for the complete list 1966 – Margaret Court