It was a paparazzi dream: tens of celebrities seated in one stadium with no way to escape—until the changeover.
As with any major sporting event, the US Open continues to attract a faithful celebrity following each year, luring in the biggest names in sports, fashion, politics, and the arts.
Actors Bradley Cooper, Lindsay Price, and Whitney Port were on hand for the USTA/Heineken Player Party which kicked off the weekend prior to the start of the US Open.
Then on Monday night, Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker played host to the opening ceremonies, which celebrated the US Open’s 40th anniversary. Also making appearances were television personality/domestic diva Martha Stewart, actor Greg Kinnear, and American Idol judge Paula Abdul.
Later in the week more names from the small and big screens took in some action from the courts, including Frasier and Cheers star Kelsey Grammer, Alec Baldwin, and fellow Night Court alums, John Lithgow and Stephen Root.
Young Hollywood made an appearance later in the week. Chase Crawford, of Gossip Girls fame, took time out from shooting in Manhattan, where the show is based, to watch some of the night action on Sunday as did Old School’s Luke Wilson, present without his equally famous brother, Owen.
As is always the case in New York City, fashion icons also ever present. Roger Federer fans, Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour and fashion designer Oscar de la Renta, sat alongside one another to take in some night action earlier in the week. Wintour made another visit to Flushing Meadows on Friday, while de la Renta was MIA, perhaps tending to more important matters. His collection was being showcased at MasterCard’s Luxury Week in Hong Kong. Vogue’s Editor-at-Large, Andre Leon Tally, sporting an EleVen hat from Venus Williams’ fashion line, took in her match from the stands on Saturday.
But this year, unlike any other it seems, was the year of athletes. Spanish pro golfer (and Martina Hingis Ex), Sergio Garcia, made multiple visits to the Billy Jean King National Tennis Center. He is currently competing at the Barclays Golf Tournament in nearby New Jersey.
PGA stars Paula Creamer and Annika Sorenstam also came out as did swimmer Aaron Piersol, fresh off of his gold and silver medal wins in Beijing. Piersol had a friendly hit on court prior to the DeHeart/Nadal match and showed off one of his gold medals to the crowd. He returned for more tennis the following day and scored a photo with Jelena Jankovic, as did Sorenstam.
Speaking of gold medalists, Elena Dementieva had some crowd support in her match on Sunday night. Her boyfriend, Buffalo Sabres right wing man Maxim Afinogenov, cheered her to victory over China’s Li Na.
And finally, hometown sporting heroes were a staple throughout the first week of the Open, usopen.org reports. Leilani Mitchell and Megan Duffy of the WNBA’s New York Liberty franchise were in the house on Monday. Yankees catcher Ivan Rodriguez and Hall of Fame member Reggie Jackson, as well as former New York Giant Phil Simms, attended on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the New York Post reports that another slew of celebrities is headed for the pricy suites of Arthur Ashe stadium, including Donald Trump, Catherine Zeta Jones, Christie Brinkley, Jim Carrey, Jimmy Buffet, Derek Jeter, Nicole Kidman, Michael Phelps, and more.
Of the suites linked to famous tennis names, Suite 10, AKA Roger Federer’s guest box, will host Anna Wintour and Oscar de la Renta; Suite 11, Venus Williams’ box will reserve a seat for Janet Jackson; and Suite 105, the American Express hub, is expecting visits from Tiger Woods, Robert De Niro, and Ellen DeGeneres, although Woods and De Niro may have alternate offers coming in from the Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic camps, respectively.