NEW YORK—Arriving at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center today, it was difficult to imagine that in just about five days time, the site would be a seething, bubbling, cauldron of humanity—or the version that passes for it here in Gotham. During this qualifying week, the turnout by savvy fans is still so sparse that you risk second-degree burns just by plopping down somewhere on the aluminum bleachers that, absent fannies, have been heating up for hours. Entry is free, and if you’re too star-conscious to enjoy matches between lowly qualifiers, you can always hang around the practice courts.
The first tennis player I saw this year was Serena Williams; she was walking into the practice courts just as I was picking up my credentials. Okay, I didn’t actually see her. I just heard a wave of “Look, there’s Serena” or “Wow, that’s Serena” noise roll toward me from the fans gathered outside the fence. Mind you, these were fans who weren’t even officially inside the grounds; they were kind of like the kids who hang around in the street beyond the exterior walls at certain Major League Baseball stadia, hoping that someone hits one out of the park—literally.
While I was having my bag checked, I did see the first pro I could identify as such—Stan Wawrinka, whacking a giant serve on the renovated P1 practice court. If you’ve ever been to the Open, you know that ogling the practice courts right by the West Gate has become a beloved pastime. It proves that scads of fans really are more happy to just feast their eyes on the stars; they don’t necessarily feel a need to be a party to all that grim, sweaty, deuce-ad business. The habit has also created serious pedestrian traffic problems that even a New York cyclist might not want to take on.
Hence, the biggest change/addition at the tournament for 2014: The new, lengthy gallery that separates the five practice courts (P1 to P5) from the newly repositioned Courts 4, 5, and 6. The gallery is two stories tall, with plenty of open space to let sunlight in. It features entrances to the tournament courts at intervals for its entire length. If you go upstairs, you can sit and watch players practice on the north side, or move over to the south side to watch a tournament match on 4, 5, or 6. The gallery itself offers welcome shade; it even has a two-level water fountain, although I’m not sure how the concessionaires feel about that.
All in all, it’s like someone hauled in and parked a battleship between those courts, a feeling that’s especially strong if you’re on the upper deck looking down at them. This addition is going to be very popular, although I’m not sure how it will bear crowds, for five practice and three tournament courts is a lot of interesting real estate, especially when it’s populated by familiar names.