In the summer of 2020, the world’s loudest tennis arena fell silent. Arthur Ashe Stadium, usually vibrating with 23,771 fans, was reduced to empty seats and echoes of bouncing balls. Ticket sales collapsed, prize money shrank, and the US Open, a tournament that had long been the financial heartbeat of American tennis, teetered on the edge.
Fast forward just five years, and that same arena is unrecognizable, not just filled, but overflowing. More than a million fans poured into Flushing Meadows in 2024, sipping 556,782 Honey Deuce cocktails, packing luxury suites that go for more than a Manhattan penthouse, and fueling record-breaking revenues. The result?
The US Open didn’t just return, it reinvented itself as tennis’s financial juggernaut, pulling in $624 million in revenue and a profit of $277.9 million in 2024. That’s more than quadruple Wimbledon’s profits and far ahead of Roland Garros or Melbourne.
To put that in perspective:
* Wimbledon made around $67M in profit.
* Roland Garros managed around $397M in revenue.
New York, however, has no such doubts. The US Open is now the richest Slam in tennis history. But how did it fall so far during COVID, and how did it climb back even higher?
COVID’s gut punch and the rebound that followed in the US Open
For most of the 2010s, the US Open was steady money. Profits rolled in year after year, rarely straying from a reliable range of $129 million to $162 million, averaging around $142 million across the decade at least to 2019. Even its rare stumbles, like the dip to $126 million in 2016, were minor speed bumps. By 2018, the Open hit a peak of $162 million in profit, followed closely by $157 million in 2019. In short, the Open was predictable, profitable, and firmly entrenched as one of sport’s most dependable cash cows.
Then came 2020, and the bottom fell out.
Profits didn’t just fall, they went negative, plunging to –$12,000, according to Sportico. The 2020 US Open, stripped of its fans by the pandemic, cost the USTA nearly $200 million. To survive, the organization cut a quarter of its staff, sold off $85 million in investments, and tapped a $150 million revolving credit line just to keep the lights on.
With fans locked out, Arthur Ashe Stadium turned from a roaring theater into a hollow echo chamber. Ticket sales? Gone. On-site dining, merchandise, and hospitality? Wiped out. Even the players felt the shockwave: the singles champions’ prize money dropped from $3.85 million to $3 million. For the first time in decades, the Open wasn’t a sure bet; it was fighting just to survive.
But the rebound was as dramatic as the collapse.
* 2021: $180M profit
* 2022: $228M profit
* 2023: $255M profit
* 2024: $277.9M profit
By 2024, the Open had turned crisis into opportunity.
It was a record-setting year by every metric. Ticket sales soared, sponsorships climbed, and hospitality revenue hit new highs. But the US Open’s real advantage doesn’t come just from financial spreadsheets; it comes from where it’s staged.
Why New York Wins
The US Open isn’t just a tennis tournament; it’s a financial and cultural powerhouse, and New York gives it a clear edge. In 2024, the event drew 1.05 million fans, an 8% increase over the previous year. Ticket revenue alone hit $209 million, while corporate hospitality brought in $83 million, with luxury suites ranging from $10,000 to $867,000. Unlike Wimbledon, which caps attendance, or Roland Garros, which has smaller grounds, the Open can scale seating and apply dynamic pricing to meet demand. Sure, champions of the 2024 US Open were Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, but the real winner was the tournament itself.
Key Numbers at a Glance:
* Sponsorship Revenue: Brands like American Express, Rolex, JP Morgan, Emirates, IBM, and Aperol.
* Broadcast & Media: ESPN’s 11-year, $770M US deal plus global syndication reaches 180+ countries, adding $145M.
* Merchandise & Food: Merchandising grew 20% YoY; Honey Deuce cocktail sold 556,000 units
Add it up, and the Open generated a record $624M. In 2024, Arthur Ashe wasn’t just a court; it was a stage. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce mingled with Serena Williams and Simone Biles in the stands, while the food courts felt more like a celebrity-chef showcase than a concession line. The case is no different this year either, as Biles and a bunch of Hollywood A-listers were spotted courtside. This is the only Slam where sport collides with fashion, music, and celebrity at scale. And if that sounds like entertainment, wait until you see how it powers economics.
How does the US Open sell more than tennis?
The US Open wins on scale and location. With New York’s $2 trillion economy, 20 million residents, and global tourism, it taps into one of the richest markets in the world. Over a million fans pour into the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center each year, nearly double Wimbledon’s traditional cap of 500-600K, and Roland Garros’ footprint and spillover benefits feed hotels, restaurants, and local businesses. Accessibility by subway, train, and air only multiplies reach. In 2024, Fan Week alone brought 1,048,669 visitors before the first ball was hit, turning the event into a two-week festival rather than a 14-day tournament.
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What makes the Open truly dominant is how it monetizes every square foot. More than 20 global sponsors from AmEx to Polo Ralph Lauren build lounges, fan zones, fashion activations, and champagne bars. Luxury suites sell for six figures, ranging from $15,000 to over $100,000 per session, dynamic ticket pricing maximizes demand, and celebrity-chef dining keeps fans spending. At night, Arthur Ashe feels more like a concert than a match, with booming intros and over 23,000 fans under the lights. By closing the season, the Open also owns the biggest storylines: chasing records, retirements, and breakthroughs. Which raises the question: how long can it keep winning on all fronts?
Inside the US Open’s Weak Spots
The US Open may be tennis’s financial giant, but even giants have weak spots. The tournament supplies nearly 90% of the USTA’s revenue, leaving it dangerously dependent on one event; any disruption, from bad weather to star withdrawals, could hit hard. The cost of running and modernizing the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center keeps climbing, while soaring ticket prices ($220 for grounds passes, up to $8,750 for premium courtside) risk shutting out everyday fans. Heavy reliance on corporate sponsors adds another layer of vulnerability if budgets tighten. And with younger audiences flocking to global sports and digital entertainment, tennis must constantly reinvent how it connects.
If Wimbledon is tea and tradition, and Paris is clay and romance, then the US Open is neon New York part Wall Street deal, part Broadway show, part block party under the lights. And right now, that recipe isn’t just winning matches; it’s winning the entire sports economy. The US Open turned crisis into cash and tennis into theater. That’s not survival. That’s domination.