Beginner’s Guide to the US Open

Text: Julie Schwietert
Photos: Francisco Collazo
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As far as experiences go, I’m willing to try almost anything once.

So when the US Virgin Islands Department of Tourism invited us to the US Open, I immediately said yes.

No matter that my knowledge of tennis is limited to this: two people hold rackets and bat a neon green ball back and forth across a net.

Seriously, that’s all I know about the sport.

Francisco and I headed out to Flushing last week to watch a few of the qualifying matches before we attend the games with the USVI this week. The qualifiers, held the week before the Open itself, are free. And they’re a lot more fun than I expected.

If you’re attending the US Open for the first time this year, here’s a beginner’s guide. And if you’re interested in attending next year–or you’re on a budget–consider the qualifiers.

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1. Don’t bring a bag.
Security isn’t as tight as I expected–no metal detectors–but they’re picky about what you bring into the venue. No backpacks. Period. There are lots of other prohibited items, too, so read the full list before you show up with a flag, banner, sign, noisemaker, or laser and get turned away.

2. Wear a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen.
Though there are evening matches, daytime matches are brutal, and the Monday and Tuesday games, at least, are going to be scorchers; the temperature is predicted to top 95F. There’s little, if any, shade on the courts, especially the numbered courts outside the Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong stadiums. Is there some unwritten rule that says the fans must sweat and squint along with the players?

3. Bring cash.
The venue is a small city, with food vendors (everything from BBQ to sushi) and shops, all waiting to capitalize on your enthusiasm and your lack of alternatives. A bottle of water can set you back $5.00 or more, and you’ll need to shell out $13.00 for a Grey Goose “signature” US Open Cocktail.

There’s gear, of course- t-shirts, hats, tennis racquets, books, and oversized balls you can buy, made especially for autographs.

In short, bring cash. Or your ATM card; Chase has machines placed strategically for your withdrawing convenience.

4. Brace yourself for the bourgeois.
Tennis is not football.

Ball boys and girls stand with their hands clasped behind their backs (which, by the way, are emblazoned with enormous Ralph Lauren logos; he’s a sponsor of the games). You are asked to put your cell phone on vibrate, to refrain from talking, and to restrict your coming and going to breaks between sets. Which, by the way, is when the ball boys and girls produce gigantic umbrellas to hold over players’ heads, shading them from the punishing sun:

It’s more formal than Broadway theatre.

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To see all of Francisco’s photos from the 2010 US Open qualifying matches, visit his portfolio.