Why the US Open Desperately Needs the Superstars to Deliver

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: August 22, 2014

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After the advent of Open era tennis in 1968, the U.S. Open spent a decade trying to establish its unique Grand Slam identity. Peter Bodo, tennis historian and author of The Courts of Babylon documented the following changes:

The U.S. Open could not tout tradition like Wimbledon, and its grass courts were soon ripped away and replaced by green clay. But that surface lasted only three years. It was too comfortable for European or South American stars like Bjorn Borg, Manuel Orantes and Guillermo Vilas. It did not cater to Americans.

Other changes were made to make the U.S. Open a spectacular event, something that could attract the interest of general sports fans. Matches were tightened with tiebreakers, and floodlights allowed for night matches and big TV deals. In 1978, The venue was moved to the new, enormous USTA Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows.

The new changes were a spectacular success for the brand and visibility of U.S. tennis. It was primed as a rock-star sporting event, built around brash, compatriot superstars Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe who would combine to win the next seven U.S. Open titles.

The modern game of tennis at the U.S. Open was built on superstars, and the demand is no less important in 2014.



 

Superstars and Flashy Tennis

American tastes for sports superstars are insatiable. They like their athletes to have larger-than-life personalities and appealing styles to play tennis. It’s just as important, perhaps more, in how a tennis player performs as it is for him or her to win.



Numerous sporting options for American audiences are hard-hitting, filled with highlight packages and viral replays. The general sports fan is entertained by the violent collisions in football, slam dunks in basketball and showmanship of fringe-sports like professional wrestling. The action must be constant and the preferred players big-na...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

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