Here are some interesting facts about the US Open
What's the story
The US Open is one of the oldest Grand Slams in tennis history. Interestingly, it is also the final Grand Slam of the ATP calendar. Having been played for 138 years, the tournament has set a huge standard in the sport. However, have you ever wondered how much do you know about this Grand Slam? Here are some of its interesting facts.
Arthur Ashe Stadium
A venue named after a US great
Arthur Ashe was a legendary tennis player for the USA, despite having won the US Open just once. What made his win unique was that he was the first person to win the junior and senior US Open title in the same year. Owing to this historic feat, the main venue inside the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center was named after him.
Tie-breaker
Only Grand Slam to have standard tie-break in final set
One of the notable elements of Grand Slams is that the final set for men usually don't have a tie break and goes on until a two-game difference held by a player. However, the US Open was first and only Grand Slam to have the standard tie-break procedure for all matches. It is now that other Grand Slams have introduced a modified tie-break system.
Never playing again
Bjorn Borg never played US Open following 1981 loss
In one of the interesting facts and incidents of the tournament, John McEnroe had beaten Bjorn Borg in the final of 1981. Interestingly, Borg walked out of the venue following the match, as he did not participate in the presentation ceremony. While he was aged just 25 back then, Borg never played the Grand Slam for personal reasons.
Surfaces
The only Slam to be played on all three surfaces
US Open is one of the premier hard-court Grand Slams, besides the Australian Open. However, it has notably hosted the vent under all the three surfaces approved by the ITF. Since its inception in 1981, it was played on grass until 1974, followed by clay from 1975 to 1977, while it has been played on the hard surface since 1978 to date.
Hawk Eye
The first Grand Slam to introduce Hawk Eye
The introduction of technology has made any sports more foolproof. Similarly, the introduction of the Hawk-Eye ball-tracking system has allowed the players and the umpires to exactly determine where the ball landed. In what is a revolutionary technology in the sport, the US Open was the first Grand Slam to have used the technology, having invested millions of dollars.