OPERATION STADIAWORLD: If you had to choose three words to describe Arthur Ashe Stadium – which would you pick? Zausner: Iconic, electric, spectacular. STADIAWORLD: The stadium’s last major reconstruction took place in 2016, when a new retractable roof structure was installed. Are there any current or future major remodeling plans you can tell us about? Zausner: While we don’t have any major plans we would be ready to announce anytime soon, we’re always reviewing feedback and survey data from any number of our stakeholders to understand how we can continue to enhance the US Open experience for everyone and maintain our place at the forefront of worldwide sports and events. STADIAWORLD: What are the biggest challenges in tennis currently – and specifically in operating Arthur Ashe Stadium? Zausner: One challenge that no tennis or outdoor sports venue is immune from is unpredictable weather. While our two stadiums with retractable roofs position us nicely to continue play in front of nearly 40,000 on-site spectators and certainly many more on television no matter what, the US Open is still an outdoor event that stages nearly 1,000 individual matches throughout the course of three weeks, and 15 of our 17 competition courts are fully outdoors. We have tremendous scheduling and weather support teams on-site to help navigate the weather during the US Open, but significant interruptions to that overall schedule are never fun! Danny Zausner “Continue to enhance the US Open experience” Danny Zausner, Chief Operating Officer, USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, talks about the operation of Arthur Ashe Stadium, the fan experience at the US Open – and about the effects of bad weather. Picture: USTA NEARLY 1,000 INDIVIDUAL MATCHES IN THREE WEEKS www.stadiaworld.com SPORTS VENUES 2023/24 | 31
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