New blue courts for US Open

All courts for the US Open tournaments are having a new court colour scheme this year - a blue inner court surrounded by a green outer court.

The USTA National Tennis Center (NTC) in Flushing Meadows, New York is the home of the US Open. It is the world’s largest public tennis facility.

All courts for the US Open tournaments are having a new court colour scheme this year - a blue inner court surrounded by a green outer court. The USTA feels the new court color will heighten visibility of the ball for players, spectators and television viewers.

This new look marks the first change of court colors at the US Open since the event moved to the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York, in 1978 from Forest Hills. The US Open (formerly the US Championships) was played on grass from 1881 through 1974. The tournament moved to green clay from 1975 though 1977, before moving to hardcourt at the USTA National Tennis Center in 1978.

USTA National Tennis Center opened in 1978 when the United States Tennis Association turned a former World’s Fair site into the USTA NTC, located just a few minutes from Manhattan.

The NTC is open to the general public throughout the year. It has 33 outdoor and nine indoor courts. The 33 outdoor courts do not include the Arthur Ashe, Louis Armstrong and Grandstand courts. Arthur Ashe court, with a seating capacity of 23,000, is widely recognized as one of the world’s greatest sports and entertainment venues. Louis Armstrong has a seating capacity of 10,000 and Grandstand seats 6,000.

There are 22 field courts located within the gates of the tennis center and 11 additional courts built by the USTA at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, which is adjacent to the main entrance. These 11 courts are run by the New York City Parks Department and are used as practice courts during the US Open.

NTC basically operates as a community tennis facility. Besides the Grand Slam event, it hosts a number of events throughout the year for various categories -- children, teens, adults, physically challenged and seniors.