Here’s How To Have the Best Time at the U.S. Open

Jon Wertheim has some tips on how to savor the last major of the year.

For at least a few days, the 2022 U.S. Open will seem, quite rightly, like a tribute to a path-breaking, serve-breaking titaness….with a tennis tournament grafted on. Yes, Serena Williams will be in action, likely for the last time. A few weeks from turning 41, she will try and win a seventh U.S. Open title and a 24th Major. More realistically, she will try to fire up something for the memory banks and take a well-deserved victory lap. 

There will be 255 other players in the singles main draws….and they’ll get their due once the queen exits Queens. There will also be more than 700,000 tennis fans passing through the gates. The savvy ones will head out this week for the qualies. Regardless, the U.S. Open represents a tennis fan’s garden of earthly delights, filled with little-known pockets and paths. For old-timers and first-timers, here are various insider tips and hacks—culled from previous years with some new ones thrown in. Thanks to the hundreds of you who weighed in, this year and last….

Some Icky Self-Promotion

• We'll get this stuff out of the way early: The SI.com tennis page will feature the work of various and sundry colleagues.  

• Tennis Channel’s daily U.S. Open live pregame show will start at 9 a.m. EST. Steve Weissman, a special guest and I —plus daily guests—will be gabbing each morning before the matches. Conflicts aside and disclosed, it’s good fun and crackling television. 

Viewing Tips

• ESPN is your go-to for match coverage, first ball to last.

• As sporting event websites go, USOpen.org is strong. Powered by IBM. Bookmark it. Play around with the stats. Not the momentum-based player ratings. And note the practice schedules, which are posted daily.

• @T_tennis_tennis says: Download the U.S. Open app and check out the order of play the night before to make a game plan of what you'd like to see.

• Root for all Ukrainian players.

• Root for any and all players outside the top 100. Winning that first round —and getting the six-figure payday that accompanies reaching round two—could be the difference between financing another year on tour and quitting the sport.

• Root for players who are parents. Root for players born in the 80s. (They grow old; they grow old….) Root for the undersized and the underaged. 

• Root for the players who could use it. This year, candidates include Dominic Thiem—never mind that he’s riding a seven-match U.S. Open win streak—and Sonya Kenin. 

• Ascharfmind asks: “Perhaps name up-and-comers we should watch on the back courts before they become stars.” Hmm. Off the top of my head (and adding some fun-to-watch ascending vets)….This year, I’ll give five: Ben Shelton, Jack Draper, Elizabeth Mandlik, Jule Neimeir, and Jiri Lehecka.

• As always, the program contains a compendium of the finest tennis writing. This year the program is available for order at www.tennisprograms.net.

• Your U.S. Open suicide pool.

• Watch the top players in the boys' and girls' singles draw. One day soon they're likely to play on the big stages (or not). Either way it makes for good theater. (A few years ago, you could’ve seen Coco Gauff.) Adds @meganfernandez: Watching them play let serves is different, fun—and sometimes heartbreaking.

• @zootennis says: I know you always recommend watching the No. 1 seeds in juniors, but I would add: make time for the finals (on Saturday this year). In just the past seven years you would have seen Fritz, Paul, Kecmanovic, Auger-Aliassime, Musetti, Kenin, Gauff, Anisimova and Xiyu Wang.

• If you notice a scoring console and see that a match is deep in the fifth set (or third set for women), watch the conclusion, regardless of whether you've heard of either player. It will give you a good sense of just how brutal tennis can be.

• Curse the robots calling the lines. But accept they are here to stay.

• Watch wheelchair tennis. Not out of any sense of obligation, but because it’s super awesome— terrifically entertaining tennis and filled with the kind of shotmaking we all love.

• We used to advise buying the grounds pass over the seats in Ashe. No longer. A lousy seat in Ashe —and now Armstrong— is comparable in price, gets you roving privileges and is insurance in case of rain.

• @galloots writes: “If you want great value, go see matches on the Tuesday after Labor Day, everyone back to work and tickets on Stubhub less than face.”

Transportation

• The safest play: the MTA's much-maligned No. 7 train from the new Hudson Yards, or Times Square, or Bryant Park, or Grand Central in Manhattan to the Willets Point-CitiField stop. Be prepared to stand, especially if the Mets are playing.

• @sufed4ever writes: “If you are taking the subway, be friendly to other passengers. Struck up a conversation with a doctor, wife and his mom who were fellow U.S. Open attendees and they gave me an extra ticket to one of the suites.”

• Our preferred alternative: ride the Long Island Railroad from Penn Station. It’s much faster, though trains run only three or four times an hour, so check the schedule.

• @clarkcomedy notes: “You can take a bus to the Open straight from LaGuardia.” At the risk of sounding like a tourist-bureau, you'll be surprised how civil and efficient the trains are. If you insist on private transportation, take an Uber or cab over a car service, which drops you off somewhere near Montauk.

• Here’s reader Esha Bhandari: “For the cycling-inclined, biking to the U.S. Open is an excellent option. If you come up through Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, you can park at bike racks outside the Queens Museum, putting you right by the "back" entrance to the tennis (the one that subway riders don't use). Not only is it very pleasant to avoid long lines on the way in, at the end of the day you can walk out, hop on the bike, and avoid the hordes waiting for the subway.”

• Many of you wisely suggested filling up your Metrocards before heading out so you avoid the lines at the end of the session. And Long Island Railroad requires a ticket that can NOT be purchased with a Metrocard.

• @morrowtv writes: “Buy a cheap ticket to a Mets game and catch a few innings during a lull in the action.” (Note: If you haven’t seen the Mets in 2022, you’re in for a treat.)

While at Flushing Meadows

• @iirene_ricci writes: Bring a small umbrella for shade during changeovers.

• Arrive way early. Or fashionably late. But there’s a crush at 11:00 when matches usually start.

• @IanKatzTennnis writes: “Don't go in through the main front entrance by the boardwalk. Too crowded. Go around to the left and enter through the side.”

• @Cdhort notes: “While there are charging stations on site, bring a Mophie or other charging device.” @ChewyYorkie adds: “If you have a Chase credit card or account, you can get a free portable phone charger. Definitely a must!”

• Get off your damn screens, look up and experience life. You’re at the U.S. Open. You paid for this. Everything else can wait.

• Check out the Court No. 5 viewing platform.

• @brad_duester writes: “When going from Ashe to Armstrong, walk the back way, not the main way.”

• @mariayealdhall says: “If you have a Chase card, reserve a spot in the Chase lounge. You get AC, snacks & free hat each day. Also great during rain delay.”

• Little-known fact: most of the players—including some stars—practice near the main gate and the miniature golf course. Mosey on over. Recently, one of you stumbled upon Fabrice Santoro hitting with Mats Wilander.

• And yes: your eyes are not deceiving you, there is a miniature golf course—and a par three with lights— mere yards from the back entrance. You’re welcome.

• If you own an American Express card, investigate whether you're entitled to a free radio that enables you to hear the TV commentary. (Aside: Whoever does the AmEx U.S. Open sponsorships gets it. These perks are consistently creative, fun and feel completely non-intrusive.) If not, bring binoculars. Particularly during changeovers—"I think Stefanos’ dad is on his phone”—they can come in handy.

• @scottzabielski writes: “The free Amex radios are surprisingly awesome. They might not look cool but they make the match so much more interesting. There's nothing like the Armstrong night sessions - so much fun.”

• Complain at least once about the lack of intimacy in Arthur Ashe Stadium and the overselling of grounds passes. And complain at least twice about the lucky ones in the luxury suites who have prime seats yet fail to show or have their backs turned away from the court as they eat their canapés and knock back scandalously marked-up wine. It’s your inalienable tennis right.

Food

• Maybe it's desensitization to overpriced ballpark food or New York prices in general, but the food-court fare—once the subject of so much derision—no longer seems so overpriced. The food ranges from passable to quite good. The Indian joint is always my personal favorite. Also, at the wine bar near the main fountains, try the burrata—if only because burrata is the single greatest substance known to man.

• Alternatively, check out some of the restaurants in Flushing's Chinatown. You can walk there or take the No. 7 train one additional stop. Says @veryape: “Queens has the best food in the city. On the way back, stop off at Sunnyside or Woodside for authentic everything!” @Mel1612ancholia adds: “Go to Astoria for some good Greek food”…. A few of you mentioned the Queens beer garden.

• @mkopelman writes: “Main Street Flushing pre or post for great Chinese food. We usually do dumplings.”

• @edmcgrogan writes: “Visit Forest Hills, the Open’s old home. Accessible by train—or even a long walk, from Flushing—it abounds in neighborhood cuisine (Nick’s Pizza; Pahal Zan; Eddie’s Sweet Shop), charming history (West Side Tennis Club; Tudor homes; Station Square) and Queens culture.”

• @steve_weissman writes: “Get the Pat LaFrieda steak sandwich.”

• @jasongay writes: “The Momofuku chicken sandwich line is worth the wait.” 

• @marclucvero suggests: “Hit @brunosoares82 acai stand @oakberryacai to fuel up.” 

• @bradmiles33 says: “Try the Italian Ice on the Boardwalk.”

Some Other Notes

• @andrewikesports writes: Keep an eye on the sunset behind the NYC skyline—Manhattan-henge, the kids call it— from the top of Ashe as the night session gets going. As @stu-fraser puts it: “If you’re in the top tier, head up to the back row of Ashe on the west side for a tremendous view of sunset over the city just before the night session begins. One for the tourists perhaps.”

• @tomtebbutt writes: “If you're in the top tier in Ashe Stadium—sit in the up-and-down (end) axis of the court—much better view of play.”

• Note the Bud Collins Media Center—and pause a moment to acknowledge the eponymous. And pay homage to the good, hard-working pool reporters inside. Realize the vile abhorrence of the term “enemy of the people.”

• Curse the blight that is mid-match coaching.

• @glamspintennis writes: “The water situation is bleak. There used to be one good water fountain with cold tasty water but it’s gone. Last year all the water fountain water was warm with a sedimenty taste. Mentally prepare to spend $$$ on water.”

• Indulge my pet peeve: if association is a large reason to buy products and show loyalty to brands, my spending an extortionate $8 on a bottle of water is grounds for me never to buy that brand again. Wouldn’t reasonably priced water on a hot day be the better marketing play here? 

• Unless you have a match that day, there's no excuse for dressing like a player when you attend the U.S. Open. You don't wear stirrups to Yankees games and shin guards and leotards to the ballet. Leave the wristbands at home, Champ.

• Alvaro from Madrid writes: “To speed through security, put your stuff into a small plastic bag. Also bring a more durable, comfortable bag that you can fold or zipper compactly—keep it out of sight until after the security check…and bring tightly wrapped food (like an overstuffed deli sandwich, so your bag isn’t bulky), and a plastic water bottle to refill at fountains.”

• Speaking of good habits, wear sunscreen—though bring cream, not aerosol, as some of you have told me that a can won’t make it past security.

• SS writes: “Feel free to share this, but as it’s a work-around I ain’t posting it on Twitter: I stuff my pockets with my extra glasses, money, phone, and a small tube of sunblock, and wear my hat (which may come off later). Plus: one of those string bags that go over both shoulders and scrunch up into almost nothing. I enter through the “no bag” line – much, much quicker – and then once inside take out the shoulder bag, etc. Sneaky? Yes. Legit? Kinda. Works? Yup.”

• @likethemovie19 writes: “Do NOT bring those metal/insulated Swell-type bottles, as they will not let you bring them in.”

• @magicjewball writes: “I bought a cheap chair cushion at Ikea and brought it in my tote. It’s good for the hot benches but also more comfortable.”

• We’re serious about the sunscreen.

Enjoy, everyone! 

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