Reaching Flushing Meadows is the easy part; you can always catch a train to Queens if you reside in a New York borough. But that’s arguably the cheapest part of a US Open trip. It’s getting through the ticket checkout without wincing that’s the real challenge.

And even if you somehow survived the ticket checkout and managed to grab a seat, don’t expect the hard part to be over. In fact, the organizers have another surprise waiting, and no, it’s not a pleasant one.

The tournament is set to begin on August 23, but the seats have already been sold out. The resale value of those tickets is a staggering figure, raising questions about who these seats are actually for. But here’s where the story takes an interesting turn.

The US Open main draw doesn’t begin until August 30, but the action starts a week earlier with qualifying, Fan Week, and the revamped mixed doubles event. And the demand is already through the roof. Take Roger Federer’s one-night exhibition on August 25, for example. Featuring the five-time US Open champion alongside 2003 champion Andy Roddick, four-time champion John McEnroe, and two-time champion Andre Agassi, the event has already sold out. And who wouldn’t want to be an early-birdface-value ticket buyer when the USTA has presented this event as a “once-in-a-lifetime” night, and the face value seats were priced as low as $238. 

However, the resale prices have exploded, with finals’ ticket prices reaching $24,000 to $30,000 and official resale prices around $11,925 for each ticket. Men’s singles resale tickets are also extremely high, reportedly topping $20,921, and women’s singles final tickets priced at $5,885 face value, the day before the men’s final. Even tickets for the opening day of the main draw, in the upper tier of Arthur Ashe Stadium, have been listed on resale sites for over $400. However, those numbers don’t sit well with the USTA’s own financials.

The curious economics of Flushing Meadows

In 2024, the total revenue reported by the governing body was $623.8 million, which included $559.6 million from the US Open, close to 90 percent of the total revenue. That leaves an operating profit of approximately $277.4 million after expenses of $282.2 million, on a tournament that lasts for only about three weeks.

Meanwhile, the USTA is planning to take on around $400 million in private debt to renovate its New York venue, and is even contemplating a new player performance facility with a total cost of up to $800 million. 

There is still some hope remaining for common tennis enthusiasts. The face value of ground passes is $65; show court tickets sell for under $200 for some of the sessions, and Ticketmaster offers entry-level tickets at $43 and Grandstand tickets at $180 for some of the sessions. The qualification round of Fan Week is free, and only an access pass is needed for the week. Even the lower-cost ground passes have been resold for more than $300, blocking all the ways for a budget-conscious fan. 

In fact, this year, the US Open has doubled down on catering to a more corporate audience than its die-hard tennis fans. It’s hardly surprising, though. The tournament is already the biggest revenue generator among the four Grand Slams, helped in no small part by Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest tennis arena in the world (with a capacity of more than 23,000 spectators).

There’s a world of difference between the US Open and the other Grand Slams. The typical price of a second-week Center Court ticket at Wimbledon is around $300, and is not even close to the tickets that are sold in New York this year. With the prize money issue already being heated up between the players and Grand Slams, this increased revenue will further extend the debate over their revenue share.