The Name Game

The US Open faces an interesting challenge. It is dominated by Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest arena in the world dedicated solely to tennis. But last year, the USTA introduced a stunning new Grandstand to replace the one that was once an appendage of the now-demolished Louis Armstrong Stadium. It cries out for a name —as does Court 17, that gem of an arena that has been neglected since its debut in 2011.

- Peter Bodo

“There could be a lot of commercial appeal in selling the naming rights, but we’re not going that way,” says Chris Widmaier, the USTA’s managing director of corporate communications. “We’ve talked about various ideas as it relates to the infrastructure, but selling the naming rights isn’t in the picture now.”

The plan remains for Grandstand and Court 17 to retain their current, bare bones identifiers. Besides Ashe, only the new Louis Armstrong Stadium will have a proper name, as part of the USTA’s agreement with the landowner, New York City.