Normally, the goal when attending the U.S. Open is to catch as many matches as possible. Now that we’re well into the second week, the pace of the tournament has slowed down a bit. It’s a good time to take a break from the action on the courts and check out some of the other attractions going on around the ground at the National Tennis Center. (These are also good places to duck into if the weather reports are accurate and there are cloudbursts over the next few days.)
Start with a visit to the U.S. Open Gallery, which is situated underneath the giant drawboard at Louis Armstrong Stadium. It’s pretty easy to walk right past the nondescript storefront of this space, but if you do, you’ll miss out on a great exhibit. “The Grand Slam: Tennis’ Ultimate Achievement” has been put together by the International Tennis Hall of Fame in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Rod Laver winning all four majors in a calendar year, the second time he accomplished that feat. Laver and the other 13 individuals who have completed a calendar-year Grand Slam in singles, doubles and mixed doubles are featured. (Note: It’s also the 25th anniversary of Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver winning the women’s doubles Grand Slam.)
On display are Laver’s spiked shoes and replica trophies, the wooden racquet Stefan Edberg used when he won all four boys’ majors in 1983 (he’s the only player to win the junior Grand Slam) and Steffi Graf’s replica trophies and racquet from her Grand Slam in 1988.
Those who have won all the majors over their career get a special mention as well, which explains why Daniela Hantuchova, a career Slam-winner in mixed doubles, is on one of the wall panels.
Laver loaned his trophies and shoes specifically for the exhibit, but there are items from the Hall of Fame’s permanent collection, like the cream-colored leather outfit designed by the Bob Mackie of tennis, Ted Tinling, and worn by Maria Bueno, a women’s doubles Slam champion in 1960. “We have a nice display of all his stuff at the Hall of Fame. And an entire vault full of dresses from his collection that we regularly rotate in and out,” said Joanie Alger, a research collections archivist with the Hall of Fame who gave me a tour of the exhibit.
This is the 11th year that the Hall of Fame has curated an exhibit at the Open. It’s small, but packed with great images and mementoes surrounding the games’ greatest players. There’s also a raffle to attend next year’s Hall of Fame championships and induction ceremony among other prizes.
The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. through the end of the tournament.
Vintage Tennis Auction
For more tripping down tennis’ memory lane, you must see the items on the block in the Vintage Tennis Auction. Guernsey’s auction house, which is running the show here, says this is the first major auction for tennis in the United States. With more than 500 lots listed, it certainly feels like a significant event.
As you browse through all the relics in the collection, you might notice, like I did, that there’s a lot literature about tennis. On one of the shelves was Lot 125A, a pair of pocket-sized books with plain covers, no title printed anywhere. I looked at the preview exhibition handout, and next to the lot number was printed, “The Two Rarest Books on Tennis: Sciano and Sambucas.” Then I saw the estimated selling price, $60,000 - $70,000. Holy smokes!
These little books are the two copies up for auction of Tratto del Givoco della Palla by Antonio Scaino. According to Guernsey’s online description of the book, this is the first book written about tennis, and was published in Italian in 1555. The other book being sold in this lot is Emblemata et Aliquot Nummi Antiqua Operis, by Johannes Sambucus, the second edition from 1566.
The item listed above the rare books caught my eye. It’s Lot 125, a stained glass window with an estimated price between $70,000 - $80,000. This window, believed to be from the 1880s, is of a man in Colonial attire holding a tennis racquet, and has the highest estimated selling price of any other item.
So while some of the prices made my jaw drop, the range of items was what really impressed me. Beyond the usual goods you expect to see up for auction (antique racquets, autographed posters and trophies), there are kitschy pieces, like a collection of bobbleheads that included Billie Jean King, Nick Bollettieri and Serena Williams with an estimated selling price of $300-$375; rarities, such as the gold bracelet won by Blanche Bingley at Wimbledon in 1886 for $22,000 - $25,000; and oddities, including a complete set of Wheaties boxes featuring tennis players for $900 - $1,100.
If you’re interested in bidding on the items, the auction will be taking place over two days, this Friday at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday at 11:00 a.m. If you don’t have a ticket to the sessions for those days, but want to be present for the auction, you can purchase a $5 grounds pass. There’s also an online service for bidding. More information can be found at guernseys.com.
SmashZone
Finally, if you feel like regressing a little, say to when you were about 12 years old, visit the SmashZone, also located in the indoor facility. The USTA has courts set aside for its QuickStart program. But those are for little kids. Older ones, like me, should play the American Express “Challenge a Pro” game. Well, it’s not really a game. It’s more like a simulated game against a pro. Participation is incredibly simple, it takes less than five minutes and it’s free. All you have to do is take the tennis racquet handed to you, stand in front of a green screen, follow the directions of the guys handling the camera (“Act like you just won the point.”), and then watch yourself playing against either Caroline Wozniacki or Sam Querrey. Here’s how my video turned out (I beat Querrey, and I did it without moving my legs!):
So, even though there’s still a lot of tennis taking place around the center, take a moment to check out these other attractions. You might just learn a little history about the game or, in a virtual reality, beat a pro.
Sarah Thurmond is an associate editor for TENNIS. Follow her on Twitter.