The tennis calendar year reaches its culmination with the US Open. This tournament has been held in New York annually since 1881 and is the final stage of the four major Grand Slams. For American players, it is the most prestigious event of all, with the greatest men and women athletes seeking to finish the year strong. Meanwhile, many underdogs consider it an opportunity to break into the elite ranks.
Even though it’s an old tournament, the pros only began competing in it during the 1968 season. However, over nearly six decades, the US Open became a staple of the calendar and must-see TV every time around. Let’s look at the tournament’s format, history, traditions, and champions, as well as see media and expert tennis bettor predictions for the 2025 edition.
Format of the “US Open” Tennis Tournament
The US Open consists of five major tournaments. There are also tournaments for juniors, seniors, and wheelchair tennis players.
Main events:
- Men’s Singles – 128 tennis players
- Women’s Singles – 128 tennis players
- Men’s Doubles – 64 pairs
- Women’s Doubles – 64 pairs
- Mixed Doubles – 32 pairs
Juniors:
- Boys’ Singles
- Girls’ Singles
- Boys’ Doubles
- Girls’ Doubles
Matches in the Men’s Singles tournament are best of three sets, while all other events are best of two sets. The main tournaments include 104 players with the highest ranking who register for the tournament. Additionally, 16 players are chosen through qualifiers, and 8 are given wildcards.
US Open Tennis Tournament History
As is listed in the rules, the tournament, formerly known as the US National Championships and now called the US Open, starts on the last Monday of August. The very best players from around the world have competed at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, New York and made names for themselves.
We’ve also seen miraculous comebacks, underdog stories, and even three changes on the game’s surface. Let’s look at the US Open tournament’s history in more depth.
Location
The tournament started in 1881, way before games were broadcast on radio or TV. It is the only Grand Slam event that was never interrupted by the two world wars or the COVID pandemic, meaning it’s the longest continuously running Grand Slam event in the world.
The location of US Open has moved a couple of times with three changes in surface.
- From 1881 to 1915, the US Open was held at the Newport Casino in Rhode Island (with only parts of the competition being played elsewhere).
- From 1915 to 1977 US Open was moved to the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, New York City
- Finally, from 1978 until today, the venue is the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, Queens.
The central court, Arthur Ashe Stadium, is the largest tennis-specific venue globally. It has a seating capacity of over 23,000, more than some Premier League or La Liga football clubs’ stadiums. It may also be interesting to know that between 1881 and 1974, the US Open was played on grass outdoors, just like Wimbledon. From 1975 to 1977, organisers changed the surface to clay, just like Roland Garros, but following complaints, from 1978 onwards, the US Open was transformed into a hardcourt tourney.
Champions Throughout the History
If we look at the Open Era, plenty of extraordinary talents have had huge successes in New York. However, for some reason, title records in the US Open are lower than those of some other Grand Slam events.
In the Men’s singles category, Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras, and Roger Federer have each won 5. Each one of them has a unique trait which sets them apart. For example, Jimmy Connors is the only player in history to win the US Open on 3 different surfaces. Pete Sampras had terrific longevity, winning the US Open 5 times in the span of 12 years, while Roger Federer reached an unprecedented peak, winning it all 5 times consecutively.
On the Women’s side, two athletes tower over others. Chris Evert dominated the courts from the mid-1970s until 1982 and won 6 times, later tied by Serena Williams, who had even more longevity than Pete Sampras. The American tennis phenomenon first held the trophy in 1999 and completed a three-peat for her final win in 2014.
Traditions and What Sets the US Open Apart
Tennis fans can thank the US Open for plenty of innovations and unique additions that are now standard practices in tennis.
One great example is the addition of the tiebreak system in 1970. Back then, it was the first Slam event to do so. One more prime example of the organisers of US Open being pioneers and innovators is gender equality in prize money. By 1973, male and female US Open winners got equal prize money, a standard that is common today but wasn’t until then.
Nowadays, US Open is almost the most entertainment-focused Slam event. Fans can move their seat after any game and enjoy the Honey Deuce, considered to be the tournament’s signature cocktail
>US Open Tennis Tournament Prize Money
Most fans and athletes are accustomed to seeing a Grand Slam event winner raking in a few million. However, the situation when the US Open turned professional, and the first Open Era tournament was held couldn’t have been more different than what it is today.
The first prize fund was $100,000, with the men’s and women’s singles champions each receiving $14,000 back in 1968. A few years later, in 1973, prize money was equalised for both men and women champions. At the turn of the millennia, the total prize purse reached an astounding $15 million, with stable increases almost annually.
The last edition of the US Open in 2024 had a total prize pool of $75 million, with $3.6 million to singles winners, marking a 15 % increase over the previous year.
US Open Prize Money for 2025
The details about the prize money for the tournament are usually revealed 4-6 weeks prior. However, if we were to follow the trends of a 15 % increase just like the year before, the total prize pool could near $90 million, with each of the singles winners receiving over $4 million.
US Open: Results
In the 2024 edition of the US Open, we saw first-time tournament winners on both sides. Plenty of upsets were served as both defending champions, Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff, lost in the 3rd and 4th rounds, respectively.
Jannik Sinner ended up winning the Men’s singles by defeating Taylor Fritz in 3 sets 6-3, 6-4 and 7-5. This made the Italian the youngest-ever winner of the New York-based tournament. His toughest challenge was Daniil Medvedev (5) in the Quarterfinals, as Sinner didn’t face a higher-ranked opponent and capitalised on a favourable draw.
Aryna Sabalenka was the winner on the women’s side, claiming her first US Open and 3rd Major title. The Belarussian defeated the local favourite Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5 and etched her name into history books. Aryna Sabalenka had to face some formidable foes along the way but didn’t struggle too much as she cruised to victory.
What Can We Expect From US Open 2025?
It’s quite early in the season, and injuries, as well as unexpected underdog stories, can happen. Despite getting a disqualification for PEDs, Jannik Sinner returned and started 2025 out in great form. The Italian youngster will be eager to defend his title. Carlos Alcaraz is probably his most feared rival with the ever-dangerous Novak Djokovic breathing down the necks of the two rising superstars. And we definitely cannot count out Taylor Fritz, the local hero.
On the women’s side, Aryna Sabalenka – defending champion, is an easy outright pick with the likes of Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff and even Elena Rybakina slightly behind. In addition, we can’t overlook players like Emma Navarro, Jasmine Paolini and Madison Keys, who might just surprise you.
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