$800m makeover for Arthur Ashe Stadium

Image: USTA US Open

The US Tennis Association (USTA) has unveiled plans to reimagine and modernize Arthur Ashe Stadium and create a new, state-of-the-art Player Performance Center.

US Open said the aim of the transformation is to usher in a bold, visionary future for fans, players and partners.

The project is an $800 million investment in the US Open and the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center that is entirely self-funded by the USTA.

The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is a stadium complex within Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, New York City, United States.

It has been the home of the US Open Grand Slam tennis tournament, played every year in August and September, since 1978 and is operated by the United States Tennis Association (USTA). The facility has 22 courts inside its precincts and 12 in the adjoining park.

Image: USTA US Open

Combined with the US Open’s most recent transformation project, completed in 2018, the USTA has invested nearly $2 billion into the US Open and its home facility, without using any public, taxpayer or government funding.

The latest transformation will take shape over three phases and be completed by the 2027 US Open, without interrupting play or fan access for the 2025-26 events.
 
The project will comprehensively enhance and modernize the US Open’s centerpiece, Arthur Ashe Stadium, elevating the experience for all fans inside tennis’ grandest stage. The enhancements include:

• A brand-new, visually striking Grand Entrance befitting the grandest stage in all of tennis.
• A 40-percent increase to the promenade-level concourse, adding significantly more open space for fans at the promenade and loge levels.
• Completely modernized concourses, with all-newly designed retail experiences and food and beverage spaces.
• Significantly increased access to restrooms on all concourses, and more escalators and elevators to all levels.
• An upward extension of the courtside-level bowl with 2,000 new seats, expanding the courtside experience from 3,000 to 5,000 seats.
• All-new club and restaurant areas, with enhanced dining options and premium hospitality spaces.
• Two new dedicated luxury suite levels.

 

Image: USTA US Open

The spectator-facing elements of the Arthur Ashe Stadium reimagination will take place in advance of the 2026 and 2027 US Opens.

Lew Sherr, CEO and Executive Director, USTA, said, “The US Open is the pinnacle of sports and entertainment, with the greatest athletes and fans in all of sport, and this reimagination of Arthur Ashe Stadium and construction of a state-of-the-art Player Performance Center will enhance the experience for everyone that comes on site to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

“This project enables us to maintain the greatest stage in tennis—Arthur Ashe Stadium—which was constructed more than 25 years ago, and modernize it in a way that will set it up for the next 25 years. It also provides us the opportunity to give the players that compete in that stadium an unparalleled space that will enable them to perform at their best and enjoy a higher level of luxury and comfort while they are off the court.

“The US Open helps us to deliver on our mission—growing tennis to build healthier people and communities everywhere—by showcasing our sport on the global stage, and this reimagination will bring this presentation to an entirely new level.”

Image: USTA US Open

A state-of-the-art, $250-million Player Performance Center will also be built.

Close to 2,800 players and members of their teams converge on the US Open each year to put on one of the greatest shows in sports.

This reimagination will build them a new, $250 million home that provides today’s and tomorrow’s top athletes best-in-class amenities, with both indoor and outdoor performance and relaxation spaces to give them everything they need to maximize their on-court performance.
 
The two-story, state-of-the-art facility will be built on the top two floors of a four-floor building on the west side of Arthur Ashe Stadium, adjacent to the practice courts. It will include:

• New and expanded indoor and outdoor fitness and warmup areas, featuring turf, track and US Open court surfaces for training.
• Redesigned and expansive locker rooms and lounges, providing players a spa-like experience.
• Upsized indoor player dining and an all-new outdoor player courtyard, as well as a new, dedicated cafe accessible only by players.
• Dedicated player entranceway, welcoming the best athletes on the planet to the biggest stage in tennis.

 
The new Player Performance Center will be fully completed and accessible for players and teams by the 2027 US Open.
 

World class architects

US Open further stated that the lead architect of the overall reimagination project is ROSSETTI, the architect for the original construction of Arthur Ashe Stadium, as well as the expansive transformation project that was completed in 2018.

ROSSETTI, led by President and CEO Matt Rossetti, conceptualized and designed the Player Performance Center, having created player performance facilities for the Los Angeles Lakers, Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars.

To design the new Grand Entrance of Arthur Ashe Stadium, ROSSETTI worked with architect Daniel Libeskind—world-renowned as the master planner and architect for the reconstructed World Trade Center.

For the concepts and design of Ashe’s new club and restaurant spaces, ROSSETTI worked with Garrett Singer, known for designing many of America’s trendiest restaurants and clubs.
 

Three phases

The reimagination project will take place over three phases and be completed by the 2027 US Open, without interruption to scheduled play or fan access for the 2025-26 events.
 

The timeline of construction is as follows:

 

Phase 1 (in advance of the 2025 US Open)

• Structural work reinforcing the column load for Arthur Ashe Stadium, enabling for the in-stadium construction and overhaul to take place in future phases.
• The first two stories of the four-story building that will be the Player Performance Center in what is now Parking Lot A. The first two stories of the structure will contain parking.
• Mostly behind-the-scenes work, with no major changes noticeable to those attending the 2025 US Open.

 

Phase 2 (between the 2025-26 US Opens)

• The existing courtside and suite levels in Arthur Ashe Stadium will be removed and replaced with the new, expanded courtside bowl and the two new, dedicated luxury suite levels.
• The Player Performance Center—the top two floors of the four-floor facility in Parking Lot A—will be completed during this phase. While both levels of this facility will be constructed during this phase, it will not be finished and accessible to players until after Phase 3, as the interior will be completed during that time.

 

Phase 3 (between the 2026-27 US Opens)

• The final projects in Arthur Ashe Stadium will be completed during this phase, including:
• The visionary Grand Entrance, designed by Daniel Libeskind.
• The new loge and promenade levels, including the new, expansive promenade concourse with an oversized, publicly accessible premium bar featuring expansive views of the Fountain Plaza and the Unisphere.
• Full enhancements to all concourses, including retail and food and beverage spaces, as well as restrooms and other amenities.
• Two new sets of escalators and two new elevator banks at the South entrance, improving fan traffic to all levels.
• The series of Garrett Singer-designed premium hospitality lounges in-stadium, enabling premium ticket holders the opportunity to access unparalleled hospitality without having to leave Arthur Ashe Stadium for the first time.
• The interior of the Player Performance Center will be completed during this phase and open to competitors and teams by the 2027 US Open.

 
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