The US Open set new single-session and daily attendance records during its recently completed 2023 edition of the tennis tournament, becoming the first Grand Slam to welcome more than 950,000 spectators over a three-week period.
Some 957,387 fans attended over the 20 days of the main competition and US Open Fan Week, which took place before the main draw, marking an overall year-on-year increase of nearly 8%, according to organisers.
The 2023 main-draw attendance was a US Open record of 799,402, including sell-outs in all 25 sessions at Arthur Ashe Stadium – the centre court at the complex – for the second year in a row.
With attendances of 28,804 and 28,143 respectively, the men’s and women’s championship sessions were the highest-attended such clashes in US Open history.
The tournament also set a new Labor Day weekend record in attendance, with 201,787 fans arriving at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows over three days.
For the first time ever, the overall attendance in week one of the main draw topped 500,000, while day three of the first week saw 73,000 fans arrive – another record.
More than 150,000 fans attended US Open Fan Week – a 41% increase over last year’s record of 111,924.
Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day on August 27 also set an all-time attendance record of 40,868, breaking the previous high of 35,525 set in 2022.
US interest was partly driven by Coco Gauff, who became the first American teenager to win the women’s competition at the US Open since Serena Williams back in 1999.
Image: Sudan Ouyang on Unsplash
