The US Open is the final Grand Slam event on the ATP and WTA annual calendar. Each season, the major competition takes place in the final week of August and the first week in September. The first-ever US Open was held at the Newport Casino in 1881, making it one of the oldest tennis competitions worldwide.
However, unlike the hard court surface of today, the event was first played on grass. Then, in 1975, the competition moved to clay courts before settling at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, New York, in 1978.
Due to its modern location and prestige within professional tennis, the US Open is one of the most popular annual tournaments. Each year, the world’s best of the ATP and WTA head to Flushing Meadows to compete for the Grand Slam title.
In the Open Era, which began in 1968, several all-time greats have achieved monumental success at the biggest American event of the season. The men’s draw has seen many US players succeed, with Pete Sampras and Jimmy Conors both winning the US Open five times.
Former player Roger Federer also won the major title five times. In addition, the Swiss great lifted all of his titles in five consecutive years between 2004 and 2008. In the women’s draw, two US players dominated the esteemed hard court competition in the Open Era.
Chris Evert won her first-ever US Open in 1975 and went on to win the Championships six times. However, 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams matched Evert’s success. Williams won the title six times between 1999 and 2014 and made it to a further four finals before she retired at the 2022 US Open.
