It seems like only yesterday – actually 2016 – when the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, was undergoing $650 million worth of capital improvements.
Now the White Plains-based United States Tennis Association has unveiled plans for its largest infrastructure project at the site to date, an $800 million investment that will reimagine and update Arthur Ashe Stadium, its primary venue, and create a new, state-of-the-art Player Performance Center.
Entirely self-funded, the project will unfold over three phases, with completion set for the 2027 US Open. The 2025 and ’26 tournaments will continue unimpeded.
Combined with the US Open’s 2016-18 transformation project, the USTA will have invested nearly $2 billion in the US Open and its home facility, without using any public, taxpayer or government funding. The three-week tournament — which begins with qualifying play during the free Fan Week (Aug. 18 through 23), with the ticketed main draw taking place Aug. 24 through Sept. 7 — contributes more than $1.2 billion to New York City’s economy.
“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,” said Lew Sherr, the USTA’s CEO and executive director. “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.”
Design team takes shape
Detroit-based lead architectural firm Rossetti – which did the original Arthur Ashe and the 2016-18 renovation and expansion – is working on the new project with two Manhattan-based architects — Daniel Libeskind, master planner of the reconstructed World Trade Center; and Garrett Singer, known for his restaurant and club designs. Libeskind will do Arthur Ashe’s Grand Entrance, while Singer will be responsible for the stadium’s new club and restaurant spaces.
Arthur Ashe will include:
- An upward extension of the courtside-level bowl with 2,000 new seats, expanding the courtside experience from 3,000 to 5,000 seats.
- Two new dedicated luxury suite levels.
- A 40% increase to the promenade-level concourse, adding more open space for fans on the promenade and loge levels.
- Completely modernized concourses, with 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.
The spectator-facing elements of the Arthur Ashe Stadium makeover will take place in advance of the 2026 and 2027 US Opens.
Player experience
Meanwhile, $250 million of the project has been earmarked for the Player Performance Center, offering some 2,800 players and their team members enhanced facilities and amenities. They include:
- New, expanded indoor and outdoor fitness and warm-up areas, featuring turf, track and US Open court surfaces for training.
- Redesigned, expanded locker rooms and lounges, providing players with a spa-like experience.
- Upgraded indoor player dining and a new outdoor player courtyard, as well as a new dedicated café accessible only to players.
- A dedicated player entrance.
The Player Performance Center will be fully completed and accessible for players and their teams by the 2027 US Open.
The detailed 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 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 and ’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 will be completed. However, it will not accessible to players as the interior will not be finished until Phase 3.
Phase 3 (between the 2026 and ’27 US Opens)
The final projects in Arthur Ashe Stadium will be completed during this phase, including:
- The Grand Entrance;
- The new loge and promenade levels, featuring the promenade concourse with an oversized, publicly accessible premium bar and views of the Fountain Plaza and the Unisphere;
- Full enhancements to all concourses, such as the 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, designed to alleviate fan traffic at all levels.
- The series of Garrett Singer-designed premium hospitality lounges in-stadium, enabling premium ticket holders to access for the first time hospitality without having to leave Arthur Ashe Stadium.
- The interior of the Player Performance Center.
About the USTA
The USTA, the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S., is a nonprofit that invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game, from local communities to professional participation. It owns and operates not only the US Open — one of the world’s most popular annual sporting events, with 2024’s 1,048,669 spectators representing an 8% increase over 2023 attendance — but also approximately 100 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S. The USTA also selects the American teams for the Davis Cup, the Billie Jean King Cup and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Its philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, offers grants and scholarships besides supporting tennis and education programs nationwide to benefit under-resourced youth through the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network.
