(Bloomberg) -- Arthur Ashe Stadium, the grandest stage of the US Open, has arguably overtaken Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center as the site of the most coveted courtside seats in New York. That’s partly because the tournament spans 14 days, a fraction of the 41 times each National Basketball Association team plays a home game.
But the biggest reason is that tennis is more popular than ever. “Tennis is at an apex of cultural interest,” says Nicole Kankam, the United States Tennis Association’s managing director of pro tennis marketing and entertainment. Challengers, the movie starring Zendaya, grossed $94 million, and players are increasingly visible in off-court pursuits. Two-time champion Naomi Osaka and 2022 winner Carlos Alcaraz are both ambassadors for Louis Vuitton, while men’s world number one Jannik Sinner counts Gucci as a sponsor.
“There’s an interest in seeing those stars at the US Open — every night is a spectacle,” Kankam says.
During the 2023 event, where Coco Gauff and Novak Djokovic emerged victorious, the US Open hosted more than 400 celebrities including Justin Bieber, Charlize Theron, Tom Brady, Nicole Kidman and Leonardo DiCaprio.
It expects to eclipse that record this fortnight.
Beyond courtside seats, which have been occupied by the likes of Ben Stiller and Lin-Manuel Miranda this week, celebrities also frequent suites operated by sponsors such as Emirates Airline and Cadillac. Actress Kerry Washington was a guest in the Polo Ralph Lauren suite on Monday, while LIV golfer Jon Rahm watched from Maestro Dobel Tequila’s suite.
The celebrity attendance figure in 2023 represented a roughly 60% increase on the number of A-listers who made the trip to Flushing Meadows in 2022, where attention was heightened due to the retirement of Serena Williams, Kankam said in an interview.
“The US Open has always been a ‘see and be seen’ celebrity-laden event,” Kankam said. “We have limited capacity so it’s a challenge to meet all the demand we’re seeing, but it’s a great challenge to have.” So many requests have filtered in that the USTA has hired a firm to help manage logistics, including security and transportation of VIP guests.
Amid the retirement of Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, Kankam said she thought interest in the US Open peaked, but instead, has witnessed continued growth, in part due to what the USTA has described as an “extraordinary and anomalous” jump in amateur players in 2020 amid the pandemic.
The US Open has leaned on celebrities to expand the reach and viewership of the event. This year, it tapped rapper Fat Joe as the voice of a marketing campaign, and collaborated on a new theme song with ESPN and Alicia Keys’ musical Hell’s Kitchen. Keys will make an appearance during the tournament, Kankam said. Additionally, the event’s content team capture videos and photos of famous faces in the crowd, then share it on social media.
“Last year, we invited Michelle Obama to celebrate 50 years of equal prize money at the US Open and it generated a lot of buzz and excitement,” said Kankam.
While celebrities attend for free, the average person would need to fork out upwards of $1,500 for a comparable re-sale ticket to Thursday night’s session, according to prices on Ticketmaster.
“This is one of my favorite times in New York City,” said Ally Love, the Peloton Interactive Inc. instructor and Today Show contributor, on Monday in a USTA interview on the blue carpet before the Opening Night Gala. “I think it always shows the essence of what New York is all about.”
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