Category Archives: Practice Day

I kid, I kid. Who has that kinda change lying around?

Oh, right – The thousands of incoming travelers cashing in Euros like lottery tickets.

But, seriously – ticket prices for the most anticipated matches can be extremely intimidating to the more modest spender. You can easily get disheartened and tell yourself there is no chance you’ll get to see your favorite players in action.

Luckily, that’s not totally true. Yes, the Nadal or Sharapova matches might be out of your wallet’s league, but you just might be able to catch these 2012 favorites practicing on Sunday, August 26th.

Practice Day is a US Open standard and it’s TOTALLY FREE. The Tennis Center opens to the public at 11AM. Seated players spread out onto all of the courts, (except Arthur Ashe) to loosen up with their hitting partners. The hitting partners play a major roll, prepping their pro for the opponents to come by mimicking their styles. In many cases, watching these extremely intimate moments up close can be more thrilling than an actual match.

As long as you arrive at The Billie Jean King National Tennis Center early, (9AM is sufficient) you can get fantastic seats in the courts. It is never publicized in advance which player will be on which court, but if you are an all-around fan, you will undoubtedly be pleased by what you’re able to see.

It doesn’t stop there – Practice Day is universally regarded as the best opportunity for fans to actually meet the players, get autographs, snap a photo, etc.. Unlike Arthur Ashe Kid’s Day, which can be a bit of a mob scene, Practice Day is historically a much quieter day – The “hidden gem” of the Open, if ever there was one.

So if you, like me, are semi-broke or just don’t have what it takes for the big Slam seats, head over to Flushing on Sunday, August 26th for what could very well be a day to remember.

I kid, I kid. Who has that kinda change lying around?

Oh, right – The thousands of incoming travelers cashing in Euros like lottery tickets.

But, seriously – ticket prices for the most anticipated matches can be extremely intimidating to the more modest spender. You can easily get disheartened and tell yourself there is no chance you’ll get to see your favorite players in action.

Luckily, that’s not totally true. Yes, the Nadal or Sharapova matches might be out of your wallet’s league, but you just might be able to catch these 2012 favorites practicing on Sunday, August 26th.

Practice Day is a US Open standard and it’s TOTALLY FREE. The Tennis Center opens to the public at 11AM. Seated players spread out onto all of the courts, (except Arthur Ashe) to loosen up with their hitting partners. The hitting partners play a major roll, prepping their pro for the opponents to come by mimicking their styles. In many cases, watching these extremely intimate moments up close can be more thrilling than an actual match.

As long as you arrive at The Billie Jean King National Tennis Center early, (9AM is sufficient) you can get fantastic seats in the courts. It is never publicized in advance which player will be on which court, but if you are an all-around fan, you will undoubtedly be pleased by what you’re able to see.

It doesn’t stop there – Practice Day is universally regarded as the best opportunity for fans to actually meet the players, get autographs, snap a photo, etc.. Unlike Arthur Ashe Kid’s Day, which can be a bit of a mob scene, Practice Day is historically a much quieter day – The “hidden gem” of the Open, if ever there was one.

So if you, like me, are semi-broke or just don’t have what it takes for the big Slam seats, head over to Flushing on Sunday, August 26th for what could very well be a day to remember.