Geneva, 21 August 2024 – The leading tennis players and rising stars will gather at Flushing Meadows from Monday 26 August to Sunday 8 September to compete in the final Grand Slam® tournament of the season. This year’s US Open promises to deliver typically enthralling matches in the electrifying atmosphere at Arthur Ashe Stadium, whose seating capacity of close to 23,800 makes it the world’s largest tennis arena. Home favourite and Rolex Testimonee Coco Gauff will return to New York to defend her maiden Grand Slam® singles title, aiming to replicate the composure, skill and fortitude that enabled her to lift the trophy last year.
Gauff has been an enthusiastic member of the Rolex family of Testimonees since 2019. She says:
“I always look forward to playing at the US Open and I think the experience of playing on Arthur Ashe helped me win last year. I’m used to all the sounds, and the crowd’s energy is definitely important for me – it pushes me through some of the toughest matches. I’ve been with Rolex since I was 15 and for them to have believed in me from such a young age is incredible. This year, returning as the defending champion in New York, will be a first for me, so let’s see what happens. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
The US Open is the only Grand Slam® tournament to have been played every year since its inception in 1881 and across three different surfaces. It began on grass (1881–1974), moved to clay (1975–1977) before becoming a hard-court event (1978 to the present day). During this time, the US Open has been the stage for several members of the Rolex family of Testimonees to achieve Grand Slam® glory, with a select few producing back-to-back victories. They include Chris Evert, Stefan Edberg, Roger Federer and Pat Rafter, who all thrived in its vibrant atmosphere. Defending a title at the US Open brings its own unique challenges, according to Evert:
“Winning the US Open on my home ground was always special but just because you won it the year before doesn’t mean you’re favourite to do so again. Once I won a match, I forgot about it, moved on and focused on getting through to the second week. That was always my mindset going in, whether I was defending champion or not. With Coco’s fans supporting her this year it will create an amazing dynamic.”
The American legend lifted the women’s singles trophy at the US Open on six occasions, holding the title for four consecutive years, from 1975 to 1978, while Federer remains the only male player in the Open Era to have triumphed five times in a row, between 2004 and 2008. Federer adds:
“The US Open is different because New Yorkers come to the event, they sit down and they expect a great performance. It creates immense pressure in the biggest stadium in tennis, especially under the lights, which is when you usually play your biggest matches. The US Open was always a dream tournament for me – to stay in the city, go out to Flushing Meadows and to play tennis.”
Recognizing the human endeavour and passion for tennis that the tournament has championed over the decades, Rolex became Official Timekeeper of the US Open in 2018. This year several of the Swiss watchmaker’s Testimonees and former winners will join Gauff in action, including Carlos Alcaraz, Bianca Andreescu, Sloane Stephens and Iga Świątek, with Dominic Thiem set to take part in the final Grand Slam® tournament of his career. Meanwhile, Taylor Fritz, Holger Rune, Ben Shelton and Jannik Sinner will be among those striving for a maiden US Open singles title, alongside this summer’s golden girl, Qinwen Zheng. Reflecting on her relationship with Rolex, Qinwen says:
“I feel very proud to be a Testimonee. Rolex is prominent on the tennis circuit and at many of the tournaments that I compete in, so it is very meaningful for me. Rolex has a great eye for spotting young players with excellent potential and then nurturing talent – they saw something in me before my results fully showed it.”
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