The US Tennis Open is the final leg of the quartet of Grand Slam championships. In 2009 it will take place between Monday 31 August and Sunday 13 September at Flushing Meadows, New York. The tournament is played on Deco Turf, a relatively fast, cushioned acrylic hard court surface.
History Of The US Open Tennis Championship
In 1968 the US Open combined originally separate men's and women's competitions to form the current championship. The first men's event was held in Rhode Island in 1881, where it stayed until 1915 when it was relocated to the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, it's home until the move to Flushing Meadows in 1977.
During its stay at the West Side Tennis Club, the US Open initiated some major changes in the game.
- Seeding In 1927
- Billie Jean King winning a Grand Slam with a metal racket for the first time in 1967
- Introduction of the tie-break in 1970
- Equal prize money for men and women in 1973
- Night play in 1975
1887 saw the first women's championship being held at the Philadelphia Cricket Club and in 1889 the women's doubles and mixed doubles were additions to the schedule.
In 1968, with the emergence of the open era, all events were combined to form the current US Open which moved to its current home of Flushing Meadows in 1978.
US Open Venue Flushing Meadows
Flushing Meadows is situated in the Flushing Meadows Corona Park in the borough of Queens in New York City. The official title of the venue is the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre. It constitutes the largest public tennis facility in the world and hosts 3 stadium, 22 outdoor and 9 indoor courts.
Built in 1964 for the World Fair, the area was earmarked as a possible location for the ever growing Grand Slam event. Known in its early years as the Louis Armstrong Stadium, this eventually became the centre court for the tournament itself in 1978.
The 23,000 capacity Arthur Ashe Stadium was constructed in 1997 to house the increasing numbers attending the championship with the Louis Armstrong Stadium being downsized to a 10,000 capacity court 2.
The Deco Turf
As with the other Grand Slams, the US Open has a surface particular to the venue. The Deco Turf is composed of layers of acrylic, rubber and silica and is considered a relatively fast surface. Characterised by a lower bounce but quicker court speed it can be seen to favour serve and volley competitors. However the predictable bounce offers hope to baseline experts and Ivan Lendl and Steffi Graf, both prime baseline exponents, have triumphed at Flushing Meadows in the past.
2009 US Open Tennis Championship
Current holders of the respective singles titles, Roger Federer and Serena Williams, will be looking to retain their crowns in 2009. Federer has a remarkable five year winning stretch to his name but will be under severe pressure in 2009 from Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic and the emerging Andy Murray.
Serena Williams will need to be at her competitive best to retain her title with the women's tournament promising to be one the most open and exciting of recent times.
What can be guaranteed is that the 2009 US Open Tennis championship will provide a fortnight of thrilling and intensely competitive action at one of the most atmospheric venues in world sport.
