The 2024 US Open set out to “Celebrate the Power of Tennis” and became a record-setting event that showcased the world’s healthiest sport at its best. In addition to becoming the first US Open to surpass one million attendees and deliver completely sold out sessions across both Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong Stadiums, the three-week event eclipsed all previously held records for food and beverage and merchandise sales. With more than 500 celebrities and VIPs in attendance and the greatest social media reach in history at 2.3 billion engagements, the US Open further cemented itself as a must-go, must-follow pop culture destination.
Record-setting Highlights and Other ‘Firsts’ from this Year’s US Open include:
Historic Champion and American Player On-Court Success
- Aryna Sabalenka won her first US Open and third career Grand Slam women’s singles title. Winning both the US Open and Australian Open singles titles in 2024, she became the fifth player in the Open Era to win both women’s singles hardcourt Grand Slams titles in the same season.
- Jannik Sinner won the men’s singles title, becoming the first Italian US Open men’s singles champion and the third man in the Open Era to claim his first two Grand Slam titles in the same season.
- Singles finalists Taylor Fritz and Jessica Pegula carried the standards established by Americans. Fritz and Pegula made the 2024 US Open the first since 2002 to feature an American men’s and women’s singles finalist. Semifinalists Emma Navarro and Frances Tiafoe also made this the first Grand Slam to feature two American men’s and women’s singles semifinalists since the 2003 US Open.
- Lyudmyla Kichenok postponed her wedding to win the women’s doubles title with Jelena Ostapenko, while the Aussie tandem of Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson won their first men’s doubles title together. Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori won the mixed doubles title over American wild-card tandem Taylor Townsend and Donald Young, who made a dream run to the final in Young’s final pro tennis event before retiring.
- US Open Junior championships were captured by Mika Stojsavljevic (girls’ singles), Rafael Jodar (boys’ singles), Emily Sartz-Lunde and Malak El Allami (girls’ doubles), Maxim Mrva and Rei Sakamoto (boys’ doubles), American Charlie Cooper (boys’ wheelchair singles), Yuma Takamuro (girls’ wheelchair singles), Rio Okano and Takamuro (girls’ wheelchair doubles) and Ivar van Rijt and Benjamin Wenzel (boys’ wheelchair doubles).
One Million Attendees and Sold-Out Sessions
- The US Open surpassed one million attendees for the first time in 2024. The 1,048,669 fans who came to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center throughout the full three weeks represented an eight-percent increase over 2023.
- Attendance for the two weeks of the Main Draw reached a new high mark of 832,640, and both Arthur Ashe Stadium (25 sessions) and Louis Armstrong Stadium (14 sessions) sold out every session.
Fan Week Firsts Include More than 216,000 Attendees
- The US Open saw a 37-percent increase in Fan Week attendance over 2023, with 216,029 fans taking advantage of the full, eight-day tennis and entertainment festival featuring free grounds admission and a full slate of activities and signature events. Those included:
- The new US Open Mixed Madness presented by IHG Hotels and Resorts and the fan-favorite Stars of the Open presented by Chase signature events totaled nearly 40,000 attendees combined.
- Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day saw a record crowd of 47,875.
- Louis Armstrong Stadium made its official debut as a bonafide concert venue and showcased its versatility, hosting ‘Sounds of the Open’ headlined by Dierks Bentley to kick off Fan Week and later the third annual Flavors of the Open presented by DOBEL Tequila food tasting, which featured offerings from as many as 10 celebrity chefs.
- The US Open’s Fan Access Pass – the digital resource unlocking a multitude of Fan week benefits and beyond – saw 205,000 registrants this year, a 20-percent increase from 2023.
- More than 300,000 unique devices visited the Fan Week Section on USOpen.org, a 30-percent increase over last year.
Twelve-Year Deal with ESPN Inked; Expanded Global Distribution
- The USTA and ESPN announced during the US Open an extension of their relationship that will keep ESPN the exclusive rightsholder of the US Open in the Americas through 2037. Overall broadcast highlights from 2024 include:
- Over 15,000 hours of US Open coverage from all competition matches were distributed across on 60-plus channels in more than 200 countries and territories.
- Domestic broadcast highlights from ESPN and its networks’ 2024 coverage included over 170 hours on TV, via ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC.
- ABC’s expanded slate included live coverage of the middle Sunday of the main draw, and for the first time ever, the men’s championship.
- More than 1,000 hours of coverage from all matches and courts streamed live on the ESPNApp, across ESPN+ and ESPN3.
Engaging More People than Ever Before through Digital and Social Channels
- The US Open’s official social media channels achieved 2.3 billion total engagements – surpassing the 2-billion mark for the first time – during the Open’s three weeks, a 39-percent increase over 2023.
- The US Open’s official YouTube channel registered an additional 110 million total views over the event’s three weeks.
- The US Open’s digital platforms, powered by IBM, totaled nearly 40 million visits from 12 million unique devices over the event’s three weeks.
- Tennis Storm, the Minibox PVP Fortnite game created exclusively for the US Open, saw seven million players play one million matches since the game launched on August 12.
- US Open: Champions of the Court on Roblox surpassed six million total world visits since its debut in 2023.
Inaugural Finals Fan Fest and Afterparty: The US Open introduced its inaugural Finals Fan Fest and Afterparty on the days of the women’s and men’s singles finals, adding $25 grounds access to viewing parties in Louis Armstrong Stadium and the Fountain Plaza on both days. The first-ever Afterparty concert, headlined by the Grammy-nominated Galantis, turned Armstrong Stadium into a dance music venue on the night of the women’s singles final.
More Celebrities and Entertainment than Ever Before: The US Open hosted a record 500-plus celebrity and VIP guests this year and integrated its ‘Blue Carpet’ arrivals as live content produced for broadcast and social channels, as well as in-venue for the inaugural Finals Fan Fest.
Double-Digit Growth in Food, Beverage and Merchandise Sales: Total food and beverage sales saw a 14-percent total increase over 2023, including a record-breaking 556,782 Honey Deuce signature cocktails sold. US Open merchandise sales also increased 20 percent year over year.
Other Important Milestones Realized During the 2024 US Open Include:
Sponsorship Growth and Longevity
- The 2024 US Open saw a full profile of 24 official tournament sponsors, seven of which have been US Open partners for more than 30 years. Two new partners in Moët & Chandon and Destination D.C., joined the US Open, and renewals were announced with Emirates Airline and Chubb.
Growing the Game at the Grassroots
- The USTA Foundation’s annual Opening Night Gala raised over $2.2 million to help support the more than 250 community organizations that are part of the Foundation’s flagship National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) network.
- The USTA engaged nearly 1,500 kids from more than 60 different community groups from across the country to participate in its Net Generation Kids on Court program, offering kids the opportunity to play in front of fans on main competition courts.
- Additionally, nearly 100 kids participated in pre‑match coin tosses, and a select handful participated in trophy ceremonies. For the second consecutive year, 10,000 Wilson junior racquets were given away for free during Fan Week.
Championing Equality and Being Open
- The 2024 US Open delivered an unprecedented engagement program through its ‘Be Open’ social responsibility campaign. This year’s ‘Be Open’ campaign spotlighted Asian American Pacific Islander culture; embraced Latine roots; celebrated the culture, history and pride of Historically Black Colleges and Universities with HBCU Live; celebrated the LGBTQ+ community with the fourth-annual ‘Open Pride;’ and highlighted adaptive tennis and celebrated our military members via Lt. Joe Hunt Military Appreciation.
- The US Open also hosted its second annual US Open Champions of Equality event, honoring award-winning television creator, producer and author Shonda Rhimes with the Billie Jean King US Open Champion of Equality award alongside a group of the game’s foremost grassroots Champions of Equality leaders from 16 USTA Sections across the country.
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About the USTA
The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level — from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization, it invests 100 percent of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, one of the highest-attended annual sporting events in the world, along with approximately 100 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S., and selects the teams for Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA’s philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, provides grants and scholarships in addition to supporting tennis and education programs nationwide to benefit under-resourced youth through the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network. For more information about the USTA, go to USTA.com or follow the official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X) and TikTok.
