The final Grand Slam of the year, US Open will commence on August 29th and run till September 11th. This will be the 142nd edition of the competition. Even before the start of the tournament, it has been in the news for a variety of reasons. It includes allowing the Russian players to compete under a neutral flag to Novak Djokovic missing the tournament. Let’s take a look at 5 interesting facts about the tournament.
5 interesting facts about US Open
1. US domination in the singles finals
Male athletes from the United States have won 85 championships, followed by those from Australia (18), Great Britain (18), and Switzerland (5). The United States has won 93 titles in women’s singles; Australia has won six, and Belgium and Germany have each won five.
2. Only grand slam to be played on three surfaces
The tournament was originally held on a grassy field in one of the organizers’ gardens. A few years later, clay-surfaced courts were the new locations for the competition. Since the USTA National Tennis Center in New York features hard courts, the tournament was moved there in 1978. The grass was used from 1881 to 1974; clay from 1975 to 1977; and since 1978, DecoTurf has been the preferred hard court surface. In 2007, blue was introduced to the courts.
3. Final Grand Slam of the year
In August 1881, the US National Championship’s men’s singles and men’s doubles were organized for the first time ever. In 1987, the US Open was declared the fourth and last Grand Slam of the year. The French Open, Wimbledon, and the Australian Open are the other three.
4. Tiffany the trophy producer
The U.S. Open Trophy, which measures 18 inches in height and weighs 10 pounds, has been produced by Tiffany & Co. since 1987. Both the winner of the men’s and women’s singles competitions receive the trophy.
5. First Grand Slam competition to use a tie-breaker
The US Open was the first Grand Slam competition to use a tie-break to determine a set when the score was 6-6 in 1970. After using a “best-of-nine-point sudden-death tie-break” from 1970 to 1974, the tournament switched to the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) best-of-12 points format. The only Grand Slam tournament out of the 4 to utilize a decider at 6-6 in the final set is the U.S. Open. Wimbledon, however, recently made the decision to include a regular tiebreaker at 12-12 in the final set. As for the Australian and French Open, the player is required to win by two games in the last set.