What's wrong with the New York Open?

[HazBeen18]

Open gets huge crowds of NYC folks and corporate tix, but most come for the atmosphere and to walk around outside during a nice warm day and know or care nothing about tennis.

Nailed it. Most folks at the US Open are there for the booze and people watching. The few times I've gone, it seems like the actual tennis fans are few and far between. I compare that to Wimbledon where I was getting into conversations with folks constantly who were obvious tennis nerds. Tennis just isn't popular in the States anymore... with the exception of Florida and California.

 

[Harry_Wild]

I've been three times. You just buy the cheapest seats ($20) at the box office and they let you sit wherever you want, so I got six hours of courtside tennis for $20. The people who work there are cool and it looks great in person.

But obviously no one's there - and I mean no one. What you don't see on TV is the back "grandstand" court (behind the wall of dark glass on tv) which literally has 3 or 4 people watching - usually friends/families of the players. It's the first year of a 10 year deal so they better figure it out. I think they will. People didn't know about it this time and many that did, thought it was an exhibition, which they used to have at the Coliseum and MSG a lot. The crowds have grown each day (not saying much, I know) and I think you'll see mostly full seats for Sunday's final if it's two of the bigger players.

For those in the area, you should try to come next year. It's cheap and you just move around the arena and see tennis from several angles - all close up.

That in itself is a real bargain to be able to move down into the "box" seats for only $20! Cannot get better then that for a spectator! I am really jealous now! When I attended tennis tournaments, it been strict seating and the attendants are usually mean and strict!

 

[Gazelle]

Lol, I thought this new tournament was a challenger. Now that I've seen some pics, I'm sure it's a challenger. Nobody watches challengers.

 

[mad dog1]

Lol, I thought this new tournament was a challenger. Now that I've seen some pics, I'm sure it's a challenger. Nobody watches challengers.

Plenty of people showed up for the Newport Beach challenger.

 

[TennisaGoGo]

That in itself is a real bargain to be able to move down into the "box" seats for only $20! Cannot get better then that for a spectator! I am really jealous now! When I attended tennis tournaments, it been strict seating and the attendants are usually mean and strict!

Yes. But they had no choice, it looks so bad on tv.

It reminded me of when I used to take a week off and go to Florida for spring training games. No one was there back then and you just walked around, maybe read the paper and watched baseball all day. You should try to go next year. Day session, early in week. You'll have the place to yourself.

 

[George Turner]

Perhaps it's time the ATP took a few tournaments out of the states? Add a few more to asia where there's a potential market.

Either that or America start producing players capable of being more interesting than a 20th ranked servebot.

 

[lunaticmochi]

Paintings? What sh!tty trophies...

 

[TimeToPlaySets]

Damn. This sounded like a killer opportunity to watch pro tennis with no crowds.
Totally bummed I missed this. Didn't even hear one person mention it.

 

[Shaolin]

The NYO capped off its lousy debut with the worst audio I've ever heard in a trophy presentation.

Sounded like they were talking through rolled up cardboard tubes in a high school gym and audio recorded by someone's phone while left in their pocket.

This tournament used to be great, now it's basically a challenger.

 

[fed1]

I went down for the weekend, I will admit that I was given free tickets, and had a great time. Matches were great both days. The crowds were pretty good. I thought the venue was decent, there really isn't a bad seat in the house. I would recommend trying to stay in the tournament hotel, you can walk right over to the arena. I will go back.

 

[jmc3367]

Look at all the competition for the entertainment dollar. in New York there are thousands of things to do. I don't know what it cost to go but I would guess the tennis fans save up for the open.

 

[TimeToPlaySets]

Seems to me the answer is simple.
Greed for the money.
And they learned that no one gives a damn about tennis unless it's a "scene"
Just like most things.
They thought they could milk the NYC market, with top shelf ticket prices, and got a rude awakening.
I suspect it will move back after a failure like this.

 

[Deleted member 23235]

I suspect it will move back after a failure like this.

i recall reading it's a 10y contract... so they got 9 more years to make it better...
i always wonder about these "empty" tourneys... even though ticket sales are low, i imagine tv (eg. espn, tennis channel) contracts are paying back decently?
i wonder if ticket sales are actually a small % of revs...
if were a biz, i don't care if a couple hundred folks are not seeing my banners, when 1000's of folks on TV are seeing my banner.

while there was no chance i was gonna go, i watched the tourney a decent amount (about 3-4 stringings worth, lol)...

 

[TennisFanNJ]

My review that probably won't be posted on ticketmaster.com as they've seem to taken all of the down. All 8 of them. I went Thursday daytime and saw some good matches, sela vs tiafoe, anderson vs escobedo, all the doubles matches. ivo vs harrison was one sided. harrison was having a bad week. accusation, couldn't defend against ivo, and then a bad nut shot in his doubles match with johnson.

5/5 stars for the ATP players and their effort, -3/5 stars for the event and broadcasting.

Pros:

- All seats are comfortable with excellent views.
- Opportunity to watch two matches at the same time.
- Very clean venue.
- Dunlop booth with affordable swag!

Cons:

- Lack of enthusiasm for tennis fans or lack of preparation in general.
- Limited food option. Only a menu meant for kids; cheeseburger, hot dog, & chicken tenders at overpriced adult prices.
- $12 beer, really?
- Sterile lighting for the event.
- No direct train access.

First, I would like to congratulate the ATP players on Thursday. They put on some great matches that day. I went with my tennis buddy and we consider ourselves lucky for the matches we saw compared to other day sessions. 5 matches total, where 4 of them were competitive. Heck, majority of the matches here were competitive. I'd argue the Querry vs Anderson final was more entertaining than the Rotterdam final.

Onto the event. I would expect more for an organization, GF Sports, that already manages the MSG tennis events and with USO so close by, they should be able to learn or mimic the experience they offer especially at the prices charged. I guess they were unable to recruit any ambassadors?

When we got to the venue early the MC announced that everyone can sit anywhere. While this is great for the audience, it is monetarily unfair for people that shelled out $200 for tickets, ticketmaster fees, and parking. But it's understood that it's a business in the end, and they have to market on tv that the crowd isn't as sparse.

We took this opportunity to try different seats with different perspectives. All great seats had great views. Our favorite were the 100 level between the two courts. The ability to watch two matches at the same time is great. Similar to courts 4,5,6 at the US Open.

The food and drinks were more expensive than the US Open, which is already expensive, but the fact that one can only get a burger, hot dog, or chicken tenders is pretty sad. Did I mention $12 average beer?

One thing that surprised me was the lack of lighting effects at all. The florescent lights just stayed on the whole time. There was no special lighting for the players when they entered or won. I can only assume two reasons. Didn't want to spend the money for the lighting effects or the standard stadium lights takes time to charge. The smoke when players entered has got to go. This isn't a prom.

Transportation to this venue as we all know is not great if you're not local. We came from the Princeton area and we agreed on the car ride home, we won't be coming back even if the event was free. We do attend the US open every year and that's due to direct access from the LIRR and awesome tennis experience. Even my non-tennis friends/family enjoy that event.

We really enjoyed the matches and watching these athletes up close is amazing. As one who plays recreational weekly, the speed and power the pros execute is awe inspiring. I would love to know what the pros thought of the venue and courts. I noticed numerous times players complaining about dead spots to the umpire (the right T at the grandstand court) or low bounces. I saw a few shots just completely die after the bounce. These look like slow low bounce courts. I don't know if these are the same flooring as Laver Cup or at MSG. Another item of evidence that displays lack of preparation are the other employees at the venue. There was walkie talkie going off during matches that were very loud. Loud enough for the entire stadium to hear. They need to figure out a procedure of limiting these audible interruptions out, while still be able to communicate with other employees. Also, at the stadium court during a match, there were workers running cable in the tunnel during the match distracting players. Maybe they can put up a faux sound proof wall to cover the tunnel, which seems of no use open for the event.

Overall this event felt very crude or like they wanted to spend the minimal amount of money to host the event. Again, even if this is the first New York Open at NYCB, the lack of anything at US Open prices is absurd. This shows little consideration to the customer and pure focus on making money any way possible.

TV converge was bad in the beginning. It was televised through a potato. I wish they offered the event through the local tri-state cable channels like MSG, instead parts of it on the Tennis Channel, but that's probably under ATP's selfish control.

They had a good opportunity to make this an enjoyable venue and event, but came really short. Hopefully they will learn from their mistakes this year and offer something more fulfilling and fairly priced experience for the on coming years.

At least we saw great matches and got a nice Dunlop hoodie for $35.​

 

[Slightly D1]

People are working during the week, its a 250 with no major super star players, nobody in NYC actually cares about tennis outside of the Open and its a brand new tournament. It should have never left in the first place and if it just had to go, it should have stayed in the south and been in a place where it would be appreciated.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Other than the trophy, the thing wrong with it is that it is not the US Open. The people of New York are used to a Grand Slam - the New York Open probably doesn't cut it for them.

 

[Harry_Wild]

My review that probably won't be posted on ticketmaster.com as they've seem to taken all of the down. All 8 of them. I went Thursday daytime and saw some good matches, sela vs tiafoe, anderson vs escobedo, all the doubles matches. ivo vs harrison was one sided. harrison was having a bad week. accusation, couldn't defend against ivo, and then a bad nut shot in his doubles match with johnson.

5/5 stars for the ATP players and their effort, -3/5 stars for the event and broadcasting.

Pros:

- All seats are comfortable with excellent views.
- Opportunity to watch two matches at the same time.
- Very clean venue.
- Dunlop booth with affordable swag!

Cons:

- Lack of enthusiasm for tennis fans or lack of preparation in general.
- Limited food option. Only a menu meant for kids; cheeseburger, hot dog, & chicken tenders at overpriced adult prices.
- $12 beer, really?
- Sterile lighting for the event.
- No direct train access.

First, I would like to congratulate the ATP players on Thursday. They put on some great matches that day. I went with my tennis buddy and we consider ourselves lucky for the matches we saw compared to other day sessions. 5 matches total, where 4 of them were competitive. Heck, majority of the matches here were competitive. I'd argue the Querry vs Anderson final was more entertaining than the Rotterdam final.

Onto the event. I would expect more for an organization, GF Sports, that already manages the MSG tennis events and with USO so close by, they should be able to learn or mimic the experience they offer especially at the prices charged. I guess they were unable to recruit any ambassadors?

When we got to the venue early the MC announced that everyone can sit anywhere. While this is great for the audience, it is monetarily unfair for people that shelled out $200 for tickets, ticketmaster fees, and parking. But it's understood that it's a business in the end, and they have to market on tv that the crowd isn't as sparse.

We took this opportunity to try different seats with different perspectives. All great seats had great views. Our favorite were the 100 level between the two courts. The ability to watch two matches at the same time is great. Similar to courts 4,5,6 at the US Open.

The food and drinks were more expensive than the US Open, which is already expensive, but the fact that one can only get a burger, hot dog, or chicken tenders is pretty sad. Did I mention $12 average beer?

One thing that surprised me was the lack of lighting effects at all. The florescent lights just stayed on the whole time. There was no special lighting for the players when they entered or won. I can only assume two reasons. Didn't want to spend the money for the lighting effects or the standard stadium lights takes time to charge. The smoke when players entered has got to go. This isn't a prom.

Transportation to this venue as we all know is not great if you're not local. We came from the Princeton area and we agreed on the car ride home, we won't be coming back even if the event was free. We do attend the US open every year and that's due to direct access from the LIRR and awesome tennis experience. Even my non-tennis friends/family enjoy that event.

We really enjoyed the matches and watching these athletes up close is amazing. As one who plays recreational weekly, the speed and power the pros execute is awe inspiring. I would love to know what the pros thought of the venue and courts. I noticed numerous times players complaining about dead spots to the umpire (the right T at the grandstand court) or low bounces. I saw a few shots just completely die after the bounce. These look like slow low bounce courts. I don't know if these are the same flooring as Laver Cup or at MSG. Another item of evidence that displays lack of preparation are the other employees at the venue. There was walkie talkie going off during matches that were very loud. Loud enough for the entire stadium to hear. They need to figure out a procedure of limiting these audible interruptions out, while still be able to communicate with other employees. Also, at the stadium court during a match, there were workers running cable in the tunnel during the match distracting players. Maybe they can put up a faux sound proof wall to cover the tunnel, which seems of no use open for the event.

Overall this event felt very crude or like they wanted to spend the minimal amount of money to host the event. Again, even if this is the first New York Open at NYCB, the lack of anything at US Open prices is absurd. This shows little consideration to the customer and pure focus on making money any way possible.

TV converge was bad in the beginning. It was televised through a potato. I wish they offered the event through the local tri-state cable channels like MSG, instead parts of it on the Tennis Channel, but that's probably under ATP's selfish control.

They had a good opportunity to make this an enjoyable venue and event, but came really short. Hopefully they will learn from their mistakes this year and offer something more fulfilling and fairly priced experience for the on coming years.

At least we saw great matches and got a nice Dunlop hoodie for $35.​

Many tennis fans know that court side seating usually has been brought out by the corporations and are not usually used until the 3rd or 4th rounds into the tournament. Sort of leaves the impression of an empty stadium for tennis.

 

[Tshooter]

 

[Bartelby]

In Brisbane they built corporate areas into the middle tier of the stadium making them mostly invisible to the audience and on television.

This architecture should be copied elsewhere rather than sticking them up front in little mostly empty corporate boxes.

Many tennis fans know that court side seating usually has been brought out by the corporations and are not usually used until the 3rd or 4th rounds into the tournament. Sort of leaves the impression of an empty stadium for tennis.

 

[TimeToPlaySets]

When we got to the venue early the MC announced that everyone can sit anywhere. While this is great for the audience, it is monetarily unfair for people that shelled out $200 for tickets, ticketmaster fees, and parking. But it's understood that it's a business in the end, and they have to market on tv that the crowd isn't as sparse.​

​

We took this opportunity to try different seats with different perspectives. All great seats had great views. Our favorite were the 100 level between the two courts. The ability to watch two matches at the same time is great. Similar to courts 4,5,6 at the US Open.​

​

​

Transportation to this venue as we all know is not great if you're not local. We came from the Princeton area and we agreed on the car ride home, we won't be coming back even if the event was free. We do attend the US open every year and that's due to direct access from the LIRR and awesome tennis experience. Even my non-tennis friends/family enjoy that event.​

​

​

So, if I go this year, just get a cheapo $20 ticket?
Then sit wherever I can?
What an insane value to see front row ATP250 tennis
Will be much more interesting than ATP50 robots.

What was so bad about travel? Lots of traffic?
I am thinking of going on a weekend. No rush hour.

 

[BGod]

I just now realized this replace the event in Memphis. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

I would have gone one year eventually. I'm never going to this. February in NY? Idiotic.

 

[TimeToPlaySets]

It's indoors. Weather has no bearing.

 

[Nostradamus]

The inaugural NYO has been absolutely poor in getting people to actually go watch the live matches. Yes, it's the early rounds of a 250 tournament, but even in Isner's and Nishikori's matches on the main stadium, there were few in attendance. A sea of empty seats with two or three people here or there. Not to mention that they also sealed off the top balconies. Might as well not even relocating it from Memphis. So what is it? Lack of big-name stars, promotions, ticket prices, location, etc.?

Also, why are all the ball boys/girls wearing XXL-sized shirts???

Because this event should really be in LA. they picked the wrong lousy city for the event. NY has US open, so this is too much for them. Move it to LA and call it Holliwood Open. then people will come thinking they will see some naked actresses

 

[BGod]

It's indoors. Weather has no bearing.

Oh I'm sorry, how silly of me. Since the event is indoors the conditions outside of the event have no bearing in attendance. So sorry.

 

[Tshooter]

It's indoors. Weather has no bearing.

 

[Tshooter]

...February in NY in Uniondale? Idiotic.

FIFY

If it were at, for example, Barclay's Center or MSG it wouldn't matter that it were February though it would present other obstacles. It's at the Nassau Colesium without easy access to pubic transportation (losing most NYC fans) and to get people into their cars from Nassau/Suffolk/Westchester/N.J. out to Uniondale to see that field with cold weather and possible snow next week is a big ask.

I wonder if they did any marketing at the nearby colleges.

Where is Roger when you most need him.

 

[BGod]

FIFY

If it were at, for example, Barclay's Center or MSG it wouldn't matter that it were February though it would present other obstacles. It's at the Nassau Colesium without easy access to pubic transportation (losing most NYC fans) and to get people into their cars from Nassau/Suffolk/Westchester/N.J. out to Uniondale to see that field with cold weather and possible snow next week is a big ask.

I wonder if they did any marketing at the nearby colleges.

Where is Roger when you most need him.

MSG isn't a guarantee for high attendance for such events but then again I would be surprised if a 250 event was held at such a venue to begin with. No public transport isn't so much an issue for more affluent tennis fans let's be real but it's a 250 in February in NY. Memphis in February is way more friendly weather and a lot of mobility and events. Winter in NY is for Opera, NBA, NHL and Art Gallery.

 

[Tshooter]

MSG isn't a guarantee for high attendance for such events

"it wouldn't matter that it were February though it would present other obstacles."

but then again I would be surprised if a 250 event was held at such a venue to begin with.

It would be more than surprising. It would suggest something else is going on. Maybe money laundering.

No public transport isn't so much an issue for more affluent tennis fans let's be real

Disagree, somewhat. The LIRR and the subway both stopping right at the door of the NTC is huge in drawing the casual fan out from the city (and points further from people that don't want to drive and come from Amtrak and Metro-North) and would somewhat expand the potential market for The NYO if such easy access existed there as well. Car or train it's a haul though. I wonder what the tournament considers it's potential market.

but it's a 250 in February in NY. Memphis in February is way more friendly weather and a lot of mobility and events. Winter in NY is for Opera, NBA, NHL and Art Gallery.

Well it's doing better than it did in Memphis because it failed in Memphis but there is money behind it in NY willing to make a go of it.

 

[TimeToPlaySets]

to get people into their cars from Nassau/Suffolk/Westchester/N.J. out to Uniondale to see that field with cold weather

That's what the heater button is for.
Snow? It's not going to snow for 11 days straight.

I think it will be a ghost town, but not because of the season.
People drive cars, or take LIRR with a 10 min. taxi/Uber ride.

 

[BGod]

Well it's doing better than it did in Memphis because it failed in Memphis but there is money behind it in NY willing to make a go of it.

From 2016, so not like a farewell appearance in 2017.

I don't think it was worse financially than other lesser 250s.

 

[Tshooter]

That's what the heater button is for.
Snow? It's not going to snow for 11 days straight.

You should handle the marketing budget. You sound like you have an excellent grasp on the local market.

 

[TimeToPlaySets]

1 inch of snow is forecast for Feb 9th - 17th
https://weather.com/weather/tenday/l/11550:4:US

 

[Tshooter]

From 2016, so not like a farewell appearance in 2017.

I don't think it was worse financially than other lesser 250s.

It obviously was as it folded.*** They couldn't attract a lead sponsor any longer and that was apparently the death knell. I would not evaluate the financial strength of a tournament by looking at a photo to see how many people are in seats. What did it bring in from sponsors/TV/other sources. How many seats were actually sold and at what prices. Expenses. You need to see the financials to evaluate the financials.

***I suppose it could have been doing well and they sold the franchise at a huge profit but that is not the story that was told.

 

[TimeToPlaySets]

That photo could be of the singles Final.

 

[BGod]

It obviously was as it folded.*** They couldn't attract a lead sponsor any longer and that was apparently the death knell. I would not evaluate the financial strength of a tournament by looking at a photo to see how many people are in seats. What did it bring in from sponsors/TV/other sources. How many seats were actually sold and at what prices. Expenses. You need to see the financials to evaluate the financials.

***I suppose it could have been doing well and they sold the franchise at a huge profit but that is not the story that was told.

It is unfortunate and obviously they were hit hard by failing to get sponsors. But the event itself wasn't as big a dud as like, Chennai for example.

 

[Tshooter]

It is unfortunate and obviously they were hit hard by failing to get sponsors. But the event itself wasn't as big a dud as like, Chennai for example.

I guess, if by “event itself” you mean spectator experience ? But I’m not personally familiar with either event, Chennai or Memphis.

I did read the Memphis event stadium was too small and no opportunity to expand and that was an issue. So maybe it was more infrastructure. I have no idea. There is another poster that claims great insights into various local tennis markets that I’m sure can explain what happened.

 

[MeatTornado]

MSG isn't a guarantee for high attendance for such events but then again I would be surprised if a 250 event was held at such a venue to begin with. No public transport isn't so much an issue for more affluent tennis fans let's be real but it's a 250 in February in NY. Memphis in February is way more friendly weather and a lot of mobility and events. Winter in NY is for Opera, NBA, NHL and Art Gallery.

Obviously I can't speak for everyone, but as someone who lives in Jersey, I'd be 50x more likely to attend if it was at MSG. If only because I could just take the train in and walk upstairs.

I'm in zero mood to schlep out to Long Island in any kind of weather.

 

[Tshooter]

Anderson (defending champ) and A.D.M. both out though you’d be hard pressed to tell from the truly awful NYO website.

On the other hand “celebrity chef David Burke” is still making an appearance as well as “renowned New York artist Ted Dimon.”

 

[TimeToPlaySets]

Forget the big names, the qualies is always where it's at !

 

[Tshooter]

Forget the big names, the qualies is always where it's at !

I like qualies. At least I know they care.

 

[Dedans Penthouse]

Haven't posted here in a long time but was interested in what's going on with this tourney. all the reasons everyone posted are correct, and my input.

I live about 15 minutes away, played most of my life, and even I'm not interested. prices online are like $70 and I didn't know about the $20 box office or might have gone. let's also remember the Coliseum is a s-hole although I haven't been there since the alleged "renovation." but people running this did not promote it well and priced it too high. also, the # of people who are actually interested in tennis in NY is extremely small. yes, the Open gets huge crowds of NYC folks and corporate tix, but most come for the atmosphere and to walk around outside during a nice warm day and know or care nothing about tennis. as for getting to Uniondale in February, with high prices to see not top level players, forget it. this thing was doomed from the start. and did I say it's cold out?

^ this +1

The US Open draws because they come to see the stars. . A John Isner is not Broadway material and besides no one's going to travel out to L.I. see a 2nd tier draw.
.

 

[Tshooter]

...The US Open draws because they come to see the stars

They go for the celebrity chefs and other artisans.

More seriously, while I realize attracting the world’s best is a large part of what makes it an event many go primarily for the event not for particular stars. Obviously if the top players stopped coming it would eventually attract attention.

 

[Tshooter]

That's what the heater button is for...

They are going after a broader market than you imagine.

 

[TimeToPlaySets]

Attended the NY Open today.

This was an amazingly convenient venue,
and INFINITELY more enjoyable than the US Open.

1) Travel is cake. Easier parking.
No lines. No city traffic jams. No nothing.
No waiting for crowded subways.
Just pull up into the huge vacant parking lot, and walk 20 feet to the front door of the stadium.
Forgot something in the car? Just walk outside and grab it in 30 seconds.

2) No crowds. No lines. No security BS. No nothing.

3) Great seats. No jockeying for bleacher seats.
You don't lose your seat if you get up.
Sit anywhere you want.
I had an entire section of the stadium all to myself.

4) Great view of 2 courts at the same time.
No twisting your neck.

5) Amazing quality tennis on display.
Top 200 is an amazing level of tennis.

6) Venue is immaculate.
Everything seems new.
You can eat off the floors.

7) Dirt cheap. For $20, this was a steal.
US Open is like triple the price.

8) Best of all? The weather!
No oppressive US Open heat, sun, humidity.
I always leave the US Open after baking in the sun for 3 hours.
NY Open was nice and cool, indoors, with perfect lighting.

What a great experience.
So relaxing and enjoyable.

What a great way to get some tennis fix in the middle of winter.

I am absolutely heading back later this week
to see Isner, Tiafoe, Millman, and Rubin, MackMcD.

 

[Mainad]

You make it sound like you were the only only one there!

 

[TimeToPlaySets]

OP makes it sound like he was the only one there!

The picture speaks for itself. Amazing.
I was sitting next to one of the coaches, and discussing the match.

 

[tennis tom]

It is cold there

That's a cultural appropriation, you don't have cold where you come from.

 

[tennisaddict]

The picture speaks for itself. Amazing.
I was sitting next to one of the coaches, and discussing the match.

Hopefully it was the coach of the winning player

 

[tennisaddict]

I saw a 65 year old man being the ball boy for the Opelka - Mannarino match.

Mannarino was making the old guy run and walk up to him. Looked cruel. They are not able to get kids from the school who play tennis to take a week off for this ?

 

[BorgCash]

Attended the NY Open today.

This was an amazingly convenient venue,
and INFINITELY more enjoyable than the US Open.

1) Travel is cake. Easier parking.
No lines. No city traffic jams. No nothing.
No waiting for crowded subways.
Just pull up into the huge vacant parking lot, and walk 20 feet to the front door of the stadium.
Forgot something in the car? Just walk outside and grab it in 30 seconds.

2) No crowds. No lines. No security BS. No nothing.

3) Great seats. No jockeying for bleacher seats.
You don't lose your seat if you get up.
Sit anywhere you want.
I had an entire section of the stadium all to myself.

4) Great view of 2 courts at the same time.
No twisting your neck.

5) Amazing quality tennis on display.
Top 200 is an amazing level of tennis.

6) Venue is immaculate.
Everything seems new.
You can eat off the floors.

7) Dirt cheap. For $20, this was a steal.
US Open is like triple the price.

8) Best of all? The weather!
No oppressive US Open heat, sun, humidity.
I always leave the US Open after baking in the sun for 3 hours.
NY Open was nice and cool, indoors, with perfect lighting.

What a great experience.
So relaxing and enjoyable.

What a great way to get some tennis fix in the middle of winter.

I am absolutely heading back later this week
to see Isner, Tiafoe, Millman, and Rubin, MackMcD.

I see it is Islanders arena? Great, but do they have hockey matches there this week as well?