A Serious Tennis Fan’s Top 10 Tips for the 2021 US Open

BOX 3: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are the questions I get most often, along with important stuff I wish I had known myself before buying tickets the first time…

Roger Federer from Courtside (section 60 row F) 9/4/17

FAQ #1: How can I predict when Federer, Djokovic, Rafa, Serena, Osaka (or my other favorite player) will play?

• There is no way to predict the dates your favorite players will play until the Day 1 (Monday) schedule is published (usually released online the previous Friday night on this pageand the US Open mobile App). Note: knowing a player’s seeding will NOT help you predict which day they will be scheduled:
  • Click here for my explanation of how seeding affects the Draw, and how the Draw affects the Daily Schedule of Play.
  • Click here to see the Draw once it’s posted on Thursday August 22
• After the Day 1 schedule is posted on the Daily Schedule of Play page here (and the US Open mobile app)  here’s how to predict which date(s) your favorites will play:
  • Look to see who is scheduled to play on Day 1 (which “half of the draw” – check both women and men’s draw, which are treated separately):
    • Players scheduled for Day 1 (Mon) will next be scheduled on Day 3 (Wed) if they win, then again on Day 5 (Fri) and Day 7 (Sun) if they keep winning.
    • Players NOT scheduled for Day 1 will first play on Day 2 (Tuesday), then again on Thurs, Sat, and Mon if they advance.

The sport’s biggest Icons and superstars—notably Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams—are almost 100% certain to be scheduled exclusively on ASHE Stadium.

Important: there is never any way to predict with absolute certainty whether a player will be on a Day or Night session:

• Officials tend to alternate scheduling superstars between Day and Night sessions on Ashe—but it is very risky to count on them doing this or to make predictions, as there are exceptions and big scheduling surprises every year. In 2019, for instance, Djokovic was scheduled for 3 consecutive Ashe Night sessions and Federer 3 consecutive Ashe Day sessions (Days 3, 5, and 7).
• Contrary to popular belief, the US Open does not schedule the big names exclusively for night sessions! They really do “spread the wealth” and try to be fair to players by alternating between Day and Night sessions. The one exception to this is Quarterfinals, when they have historically scheduled the biggest starts for the night sessions (probably a function of ticket sales and crowds, as evening quarterfinal sessions are much better attended and average prices are much higher).

To be absolutely sure you see your favorite player, consider waiting until the schedule is published the day prior (start checking frequently early afternoon, usually out by 5:00pm), then immediately go to Ticketmaster or Ticketmaster Exchange (or other resale sites like Stubhub) to grab a resale ticket. This strategy requires, however, that you monitor the ticket situation closely in the days prior and are prepared to act immediately when the schedule is announced. Also, if you see tickets becoming scarce and prices going up in the days prior, you may conclude it’s worth taking a chance and purchasing based on an educated guess.

One sure way to see your favorite player up close is to watch them when they’re scheduled for practice on the practice courts. See Tip #9

To get a general sense of scheduling trends for specific days during the tournament, look at previous years’ schedules:

• • 2020 Daily Schedule of Play, 2019 Daily Schedule of Play, and 2018 Daily Schedule of Play (the US Open recently removed the official schedules from its site, so these links are to the Wikipedia pages summarizing which matches were on Ashe, Armstrong, and Grandstand only each day)
  •  2017 Daily Schedule of Play (this US Open page is worth viewing to see the kinds of matches scheduled on all the field courts 4-17)

FYI: A fun way to get your head around the draw/brackets — and potential match-ups — is to play this year’s 2019 Tennis Channel’s Racquet Bracket challenge. It’s also a great way to become more familiar with some players you may not have heard of yet but probably will soon.

FAQ #2: How do a see the exact location of seats that I might buy (in Ashe, Armstrong, or Grandstand)?

Go to Ticketmaster and click on any session for the stadium in question. Choose Map View, then mouse over or click on any of the dots to see the exact section, row and seat #. Note that for Courtside seats, each lettered “row” in Ashe (e.g. “A” or “H”) actually stands for two rows: e.g., “Row A Seat 5” might actually be in the second row, Row C Seat 6 is probably 6th row). Courtside Sections 48-49, 52-63 and 66-67 go actually have two rows of “AA” seats followed by rows A-H. Also note where the umpire sits (you’ll see a little chair icon on each map — and avoid courtside tickets very close up in sections right behind or next to the chair (please note: the umpire chair is never a big obstruction, but it might be a minor annoyance to some). To make matters more complicated… first row for Behind-the-Server seats Courtside begin with E or F: Row E is first row in sections 1-6, 31-40, 65-67; and Row F is first row in sections 7,9,11, 26, 29, 30, 60 63, 64, 41, 42. In short, check out the detailed Seat Map on Ticketmaster view before buying to see the exact location.

Here also are links to seating charts:

• Arthur Ashe Stadium Seating Chart (view from above) 
• My annotated Ashe Stadium SHADE map
• Louis Armstrong Stadium Seating Chart
• Armstrong Interactive “View from Seat” Map
• Grandstand Stadium Seating Chart

FAQ #3: When should I buy? Will sessions sell out if I wait too long? Will prices go down or up over the summer? What are average prices?

The frustrating reality is: “it depends.” Buying tickets for the US Open can be like investing in the stock market: knowledge and judgment dramatically raises the odds of a good decision, but there are always surprises due to the number of variables involved. Standard (non-resale) Ashe tickets usually sell out fairly quickly (except for Ashe stadium’s “Promenade” section, where there are usually quite a few available throughout the summer). However, there are almost always resale tickets available until the very last moment because thousands of fans post their tickets for resale. You can almost always get tickets closer to the tournament – and you may end up finding a phenomenal deal if you are patient. However, waiting longer to purchase requires you to have a higher risk tolerance than those who’d prefer the certainty around making arrangements sooner. Resale ticket prices can vary significantly, especially closer to the tournament. Prices can plummet when lineups are predicted to be lackluster… or they can skyrocket if fans speculate that certain marquee players (like Federer) will be scheduled. In 2017, after it became clear  that both Federer and Nadal would be scheduled on the same days throughout the tournament, prices spiked sharply for the days they’d be scheduled if they advanced and dropped significantly for the opposite days. Then, after Federer got knocked out in quarters, prices for semis and finals declined quite a bit. The best advice I can give is to familiarize yourself with average prices on Ticketmaster for the days/sessions you are considering over the course of several days so you can recognize a good deal when you see one and spot the trends. Here is a chart showing the price ranges for regularly priced tickets in 2018.  If you find resale tickets around these prices or less, that’s one sign of a great deal.

FAQ #4: Which seats get the most shade?

For Ashe: The roof creates a massive amount of natural shading all day for a large number of seats. The sections that get the most shade are in the South and West sections of the stadium; Next-best for shade are in the North. Sections with the most sun (to avoid for Day sessions) are on the East side. Click on the photo/map below for details. For the new Armstrong: Situation is similar to Ashe, now that there’s a roof. In short, Sections 1-8 are best for shade.  West-side sections (Chair Umpire side) get the most shade; and when not in shade, at least the sun is at your back. Rows K and above (approximately) are shaded soonest (by about 12:30pm), then the sun gradually moves down to cover all rows by about 2:00 pm. East-side sections get the least shade and are in direct sun most of the afternoon. However, Rows T and above (approximately) get shading all day. South sections (behind-the-server) get more shade than North sections: South sections start out almost entirely shaded until about 1pm, then the sun starts wrapping around clockwise, such that sections 17-18 end up losing shade mid-afternoon. See photo/map below. For Grandstand: There’s much less shade overall, however South and West sections are similarly better because sun is more at your back. General admission seats that are higher under the overhang, especially Southwest corner, get the most shade.

FAQ #5: What happens if it rains?

The good news: Now that both Arthur Ashe and the new Louis Armstrong stadiums have roofs, now up to 37,771 more fans each day will be able to see matches even if it rains. The bad news: if you invest in great seats for Grandstand or simply buy a Grounds Admission pass, there isn’t much consolation. Keep in mind that weather forecasts are notoriously unreliable and can change on the hour (I have literally been at Flushing Meadows when my iPhone said it was raining and it wasn’t). There’s always hope that showers will pass quickly. In the highly unlikely event of all-day rain out or under 60 minutes of play (which happened to me unforgettably in 2012 on the day I treated 6 friends to pricy Armstrong front row seats), the session may be rescheduled until the next day and your ticket may be honored then — or, you MAY be able to trade in tickets through the US Open for another session this year or next year if (and only if) you purchased directly from Ticketmaster (see the somewhat complicated US Open Inclement Weather Policy). In the worst case scenario, I recommend looking for the silver lining: you’ll be surrounded by a ton of other fans with whom you can grab a US Open specialty cocktail, huddle under a shelter, and watch an Ashe match together on a big screen.

FAQ #6: Should I buy a subscription ticket plan?

For most serious fans, I don’t recommend it. First-time subscribers can only buy “Promenade” seats in Ashe — so high up in that huge stadium you’ll end up watching a lot of the match on the Jumbotron or through binoculars. It could take years to get the chance to upgrade your seats to Loge (only available if you purchase the very expensive full-series plan). For the full series ticket plan price ($2,228 per ticket in 2016) you could buy several amazing seats for multiple sessions over the tournament (or 2 excellent seats for the Men’s final). Finally, there is always a glut of Promenade seats on the resale market, so if you buy an entire series of Promenade seats you may have a challenge reselling any you don’t need.

FAQ #7: Which are the best sections/seats with the best views?

The vast majority of people would consider “behind the server” seats (i.e., those on North or South ends of the courts) to be preferable — and prices generally reflect this. For first-timers, this area would be my top recommendation.

• This is the vantage point they use for filming for broadcast, because it enables you to follow point construction and see the court from the perspective of the player on your side of the net.
• From these seats, you’ll never have to move your head side-to-side to follow the ball.
• FYI: seats in these sections start several feet higher in these seats than sections on the side (this is why these rows begin with higher letters E instead of AA or A).
• Here’s a photo of the perspective from higher up seats in the new Armstrong. Here’s another photo from Ashe courtside front row.

Corner sections are also widely considered to be highly desirable — and for good reason. They carry many of the same advantages of the above, with the added benefit you can see the player on your side of the net from the front as their hitting the ball not just the back. Here’s a photo from the new Armstrong from that perspective.

As a serious player myself, I personally love sitting courtside as close as possible in lower rows of sections where seats are practically on the court, perpendicular and near to the actual baseline (e.g., section 58 in Ashe) because it gets me physically even closer to the players and more on the same level. Sitting in the lower rows, I feel even more like I’m on the court with them. I feel the speed of the game. In these seats, I personally enjoy watching one player at a time sometimes to see their footwork, how they prepare for the next ball, etc. I took the video of Federer I included in my post from this perspective (from section 58). Here’s a photo from Ashe courtside from that perspective.

When considering Loge or Promenade seats in Ashe, I generally recommend prioritizing seats that are in lower rows regardless of location— simply because Loge (and especially Promenade) are already quite high up to begin with. For Day sessions, I strongly urge folks to factor in potential shade benefits (seats on West side, SouthWest, and Northwest tend to get the most shade relief). See FAQ #4 above. With regard to the umpire chair, it really is never an obstruction but may feel a bit of an annoyance to some if you’re sitting in very low rows on that side — simply because you may not always have a complete view of the player on the other side of the net. See this photo for example. I personally don’t mind this for reasons I mention above, and this is ONLY an issue when courtside in very low rows.

FAQ #8: What are the top touristy things to do in Manhattan? Which Broadway shows do you recommend?

Check out this site for tons of ideas for NYC tours and attractions  — including how to get the best views of the Manhattan skyline, tours on anything you can imagine (river cruises, helicopter tours, even a “Sex in the City” tour), “skip-the-line” trips to iconic attractions like the Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty, and VIP museum experiences (like the “EmptyMet” tour where you visit The Metropolitan Museum of Art in quiet before the public can enter).

Remember that when it comes to arts and entertainment, NYC offers way more than just Broadway. There’s something for literally everyone – inspiring dance performances of all kinds at the The Joyce, cabaret evenings featuring legendary singers at venues like 54 Below, jazz clubs that transport you to another era like Birdland (the recurring Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra Sun nights is amaaaazing), rock concerts (see e.g. the great offerings at Bowery Presents and those listed on AXS, comedy shows, world-class opera and orchestras at Lincoln Center… You name it.

Check out all the current listings on Ticketmaster Arts & Theater, StubHub NYC page, and Showtickets.

As for Broadway, my top recommendations would be: Hamilton (Yes, it’s really that good); Dear Evan Hansen. Heavy subject matter, but deeply moving; Moulin Rouge (see the review); Hadestown (2019 Tony winner for best musical); Mean GIrls (if you liked the movie, you’ll love the show); and Wicked (It’s been around for years but I’ve seen it multiples times with different casts, and it’s always fresh and still in great shape).

Box 4: What to Bring and What NOT to bring (Backpacks not allowed!)

Be sure to review this list of prohibited items before going!

To help clarify some common confusions:

• You CAN bring a drawstring bag (click here for example) but NOT a backpack with two straps
• You CAN bring a digital camera with video capabilities (however they do NOT allow “Video cameras or recording devices”, which includes GoPros)
• You CAN bring food in limited quantities or for medical reasons (but don’t try to bring in a feast or be prepared for an argument)
• You CAN bring a clear plastic water bottle to refill on site (but NOT anything glass or metal)
• You CAN bring a fanny pack: but if you do you’ll still need to go through the “with bag” security line
• You CAN bring sunscreen in lotion form only, NOT aerosol cans

Be prepared to wait in a potentially long security line if you have any bag at all (i.e. an enclosed object that doesn’t fit in your clothes), whereas you can breeze through a separate express line for those without bags.

There is storage outside both East and South Gate entrances if you need it: $5 for small items, $10 for large items (even suitcases OK). Note: storage is FREE for American Express cardholders.

Before Leaving, Don’t Forget…

• Download your mobile tickets from to your mobile wallet (e.g. Apple Wallet or something like WalletPasses on Android)
• Sunglasses and sunscreen (lotion not spray)!
• A backup phone charger (e.g. a Mophie) if you have one
• If taking subway (7 train), fill up your subway Metrocard in advance for your return trip in advance if taking 7 train so you don’t have to wait in long lines; If taking LIRR (my favorite) you need to get your ticket before boarding
• A small umbrella if rain may be in the forecast
• Dress in layers as it can get hot during the day and occasionally chilly at night
• Contacts wearers: A very small bottle of contact lens solution in case you get something in your eye
• FYI: There are two entrances to the grounds: (1) the main entrance, the “East Gate,” located near the Subway/LIRR; and (2) the “South Gate” entrance near the iconic World’s Fair “Unisphere” (globe) – see map above. While lines tend to be shorter by the South Gate, the wait may end up being about the same because there are fewer attendants and metal detectors.

Box 5: FREE ADMISSION USUALLY ON THE SECOND THURSDAY FOR DOUBLES SEMIFINALS & MORE!

Men’s & Women’s Doubles Semifinals Plus the World’s Top Wheelchair, Junior, and Collegiate Players – Gates open at 11am

One of the best-kept secrets is that you can usually enter the US Open grounds for free on the second Thursday (gates open at noon, must arrive before 5pm) and see the Doubles Semifinals plus all-star wheelchair players, the world’s top juniors, and incredible collegiate players. If you are a serious tennis fan, particularly if you’re a doubles player, this is a day not to be missed. For examples of the kinds of matches being played that day on various courts, see Day 11 from 2018 Daily Schedule.

For the past couple years, officials have scheduled top wheelchair players on Arthur Ashe stadium. I went and it was a thrill to sit courtside at Ashe and to cheer on the incredible wheelchair athletes. Among the world-class wheelchair players to watch for:

• 2017 Wimbledon Wheelchair Doubles Champions Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid, pictured below after their Wimbledon win.
• Men’s s player Shingo Kunieda, who had a three-year, 106-match consecutive win streak (2007-2010), then another big winning streak of 77 matches in 2014-2015. Women’s singles player Yui Kamiji, who has only lost 2 matches since Jan 18, 2017 and American women’s wildcard player Dana Mathewson.
• The world’s #1 in the “Quad” (quadriplegic) division (ranked #1 in singles and doubles), American David Wagner. Born in 1974, David became paralyzed from the mid-chest down at age 21 when he was playing frisbee on the beach and a wave tossed him head-first into the sand. With only thirty percent function in his hands, David plays by taping the tennis racket to his hand. And by all accounts he’s a super cool guy besides being an extraordinary athlete .

FINAL THOUGHT: “PAY IT FORWARD” WHEN YOU CAN!

If you have an opportunity, consider performing a random act of kindness for fellow fans during the tournament. Our tennis community is big, but relatively speaking, it’s small… Our passion for our sport is infectious; do something kind for someone today, they’re likely to pay it forward. Last year, a reader emailed me saying he had an emergency and couldn’t go to the tournament but had amazing New Grandstand seats – he asked if I knew anyone that would really value them for free so they didn’t go to waste. I was able to share with a fanatic who’s in town on a budget, who as you can imagine was elated. In past years, I’ve gifted a lot of tickets myself – and it always feels wonderful. It takes seconds to “transfer” tickets from Ticketmaster/Ticketmaster Exchange to others simply by putting in an email address.

On-site, you can also make someone’s day (or year!) by surprising a stranger with your amazing reserved seats in Ashe, Armstrong, or Grandstand if you have to leave early. Especially if you have Ashe Courtside seats and need to leave early — there will always be die-hard fans waiting just outside the exit from the Courtside level hoping someone might pass along their ticket when done! Just pass them the printed receipt you get after getting your mobile ticket scanned (or, if you were already on site with Day tickets and you have a night session tickets that haven’t been scanned, you can simply ask someone at the East Gate or at Ashe entrance to scan and give you a printed receipt).

BOX 6 (INDEX): OUTLINE OF COMMON QUESTIONS AND IMPORTANT LINKS

This post has gotten long over the years to include many more details, so I’ve created the outline below with shortcuts to help you find what you need more quickly. Below are shortcut links to key topics and FAQs I get most often:

WHERE TO BUY TICKETS: How to Get the Best Deal? Which sites can I trust?

• Where to get the best deals on tickets? See Box #2  
• Read my full advice for getting best deals on tickets (Box 2)
• What are reliable ticket sites?
  • Ticketmaster – Official site – always check first then compare options on reseller sites. It also includes most resale tickets from the official Ticketmaster Exchange (resale tickets are shown as red dots on seat maps, standard non-resale tickets are blue dots)
  • Official US Open Ticket Exchange (Official reseller site – also check this site for comparison purposes as it includes ALL verified resale tickets on the exchange. Confusingly, there are some verified resale tickets here that don’t show up on the main Ticketmaster site because they may not be available for immediate delivery– which is why it’s worth checking in addition to the main Ticketmaster site.
  • Stubhub
  • Ticket Liquidator
  • TickPick
  • SeatGeek

WHEN SHOULD I BUY? WILL PRICES GO UP OR DOWN?? What are average prices?

• When should I buy my tickets– now or closer? 
• Will sessions sell out if I wait too long?
• Will prices go down or up?
• Should I buy a subscription ticket plan?
• How can I recognize a good deal?
• What are average prices?
  • Related: Chart showing 2018 prices for standard (non-resale) tickets

I WANT TO SEE FEDERER! Which tickets should I buy?

• How can I be sure to see Federer (or Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Sasha Zverev, Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Sloane Stephens, etc)? See FAQ #1
• Can I predict when Roger Federer [or my favorite player] will play on a specific day or night? See FAQ #1
• How does the draw influence when players are scheduled? Do rankings affect the draw?

WHAT TIME CAN I ENTER WITH A DAY OR NIGHT SESSION TICKET (and how long can I stay)?

• Once you enter the Grounds of the US Open (through the East or South Gate), you can stay as long as you want and access non-reserved seating in any stadium (except Ashe, the only stadium where every seat is reserved and requires a ticket).
• If you enter with a Day session ticket, you can stay on grounds all night and access unreserved seating in any all stadiums (except Ashe), including Armstrong general admission seating for night matches on first-come basis.
• If you have a day and evening ticket the same day, you will NOT need to exit the US Open grounds and re-enter again
• If you have both Day and Evening session for Ashe on the same day, you will need to exit and reenter Ashe Stadium (they clear the entire stadium between Day and Evening sessions)
• If you were in Armstrong for the Day session (either Courtside reserved or GA seating), you will need to leave your seat between Day and Evening sessions (as they clean up). However, you may stay inside the concourse area of Armstrong (the inner-stadium areas with food stands). As such, if you were in the stadium for Day and want to line up for GA seating for Evening session, you have an advantage: you can stick around and wait in line upstairs until ushers start letting people back to seatsIf you leave the stadium during this “in between” period, you won’t be allowed to re-enter for a brief  time (They don’t allow anyone new to come in for a period while they’re cleaning up).
• See Box #1 (Ticket Options Explained)

WHICH SEATS ARE BEST? BEST VIEW? SHADE?

• Which sections have the best view?
• “How do a see the exact location of seats that I might buy?
  • Related: See my annotated Seating charts (including some shade maps) for all stadiums (including New Armstrong)
• “Which seats get the most shade?“
  • Related: Annotated Ashe Stadium SHADE map
  • Related: Annotated Armstrong Stadium SHADE map

CAN I BRING AN SLR CAMERA, BACKPACK, FOOD, WATER BOTTLE, ETC?

• Can I bring…
  • An SLR camera with video capability? YES
  • A plastic water bottle? YES, just not metal or glass
  • A backpack? NO, but you can bring a drawstring bag
  • Food? YES, in “limited quantities” (they don’t define limited). “No sealed packages of any kind”
  • See Red Box #4 above (“What to Bring and Not to Bring”) and review official list of prohibited items here

DAILY SCHEDULE OF PLAY/ PRACTICE SCHEDULE

• 2019 Tournament Schedule – See my “Schedule at a Glance” bottom of Box #1 (note: official tournament schedule is here but more vague)
• 2019 Daily Schedule of Play – Note: The schedule for Day 1 (and possibly Day 2 too) is released on the Friday or Saturday before the main tournament begins. Last year they released both Day 1 and Day 2 schedules on Friday evening–so this year, start checking Friday August 23.
• 2019 Practice schedule
• To get a sense of which players and types of matches are scheduled on which courts, see:
  • 2018 Daily Schedule of Play (most representative, as this was the first year with the new Armstrong stadium)
  • 2017 Daily Schedule of Play

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S BRACKETS

• See 2018 full Men’s Draw (bracket) here [or I prefer the more easy-to-read ESPN version of Men’s Bracket] and Women’s Draw (bracket) here [or ESPN version here].

WHAT IF IT RAINS?

• “What happens if it rains?”

TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS? SUBWAY OR CAR OR LIRR?

• See Tip #9 above
• 7 train subway schedule
• 2019 LIRR special schedule for 2019 US Open through September 2
• 2019 special schedule for 2019 US Open September 2-8
• Detailed transportation map showing parking lots
• Q488 bus from Laguardia Airport (5 min away)

HOTELS?

• Recommended hotels for all budgets

US OPEN POLICIES, RULES, AND OFFICIAL GUIDE

• Official US Open A to Z Guide