I went to the US Open free grounds admission day - and it was way better than I expected
I woke up to dark skies, wet streets, and an inevitable rain delay at the Open, but the ominous weather would end up working in my favor.
With no indoor courts and an incomplete retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium, rain would mean no tennis for the day, but I decided to trek from my home in Manhattan to Queens anyways. I put $5.50 on my Metro Card — enough for a round trip — and headed out around noon.
A little under an hour later, the 7 train dropped me off right at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens. Normally, the boardwalk to the courts is packed — not today.
I had the whole place to myself and couldn't have been happier about it.
I normally would head to the South Gate entrance (pictured left), where the line tends to be shorter, but that wasn't necessary this time. As soon as I made it through security, I walked right in the main gate — no ticket needed.
I headed straight to the practice courts — my favorite part of the grounds — where you'll find these handy, filtered water stations. I brought an empty water bottle with me to avoid paying the steep $5 for a water on site, and filled it up right away.
Rather than splurging on the tasty Open food like I did during week one, I brought a few granola bars along. Of course, my snacks weren't nearly as satisfying as these $14 "Texas tenders" and fresh cut fries, and the $10 Heineken light, but they were free (and healthier).
Matches were still delayed due to inclement weather when I arrived, and the practice courts were bare. There was only one other woman in the stands, meaning I had my choice of seats in a gallery that is normally packed.
I didn't have to wait long until Jamie Murray and his doubles partner John Peers took to the courts. They were warming up for the doubles semifinal later that afternoon.
Highly ranked American Coco Vandeweghe came out to warm up for her doubles semifinal match.
The bank of courts opposite the practice courts were featuring the American Collegiate Invitational quarterfinal matches — the winner will receive a wild card bid to the 2016 US Open.
The highlight of my day came around 3:30 p.m. when Roger Federer came out for a light hit. Normally, seats this close to the practice court would require careful planning and hours of waiting — not today.
The 17-time singles Grand Slam champion, slated to take on fellow countryman Stan Wawrinka later that night, was all smiles during his half-hour practice.
One Grand Slam champion wasn't enough — shortly after Federer hit the courts, 18-time singles Grand Slam champ Martina Navratilova came out to warm up for her doubles match in the afternoon.
I'll likely never be as close to the legends as I was from my seat in the second row of the practice gallery — it was utterly surreal.
I left the practice courts to walk around the pleasantly quiet grounds.
I ventured over to Louis Armstrong Stadium, where Murray and Peers were battling against the American team Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson, who upset the top-seeded Bryan Brothers in the first round.
I arrived at an exciting time: late in the third and final set. The crowd did its best to will the American team to victory, but Murray and Peers would go on to save a match point before booking a ticket into the men's doubles final.
I left Louis Armstrong to peruse the souvenir shop, but opted out of a $28 tee shirt. There was only one souvenir I'd been dying to bring home.
I'd been eyeing these US Open cups since week one of the tournament. I asked if I could just buy the cup — that wasn't an option, so I spent my first money of the day on the $15 signature tournament cocktail: the Grey Goose Honey Deuce with vodka, raspberry liqueur, lemonade, and honeydew melon balls.
The US Open invited those who came for the free admission to watch the night matches on the big screen — you needed to have bought Arthur Ashe tickets to enter the stadium, but there are various TVs throughout the grounds screening live matches.
The sky looked too ominous to hang around, so I took my cup and headed out. I left at the right time — the rain came soon after and all night matches had to be rescheduled.
All in all, I couldn't have asked for more of a perfect day of tennis. While the free grounds admission doesn't allow entrance into Arthur Ashe, I didn't miss the nosebleeds for one second — I'd rather be on top of the practice courts, 10 rows away from a world class doubles semifinal, or watching up-and-coming juniors who may break into the main draw next year.
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