Going to a tennis tournament can be a fun experience, but the best of those experiences can come at a grand slam. A grand slam will have more people, more matches, a bigger space and a lot more excitement than most other tournaments. At least, that is how I feel after attending a grand slam. This year was my second year in a row attending a grand slam and it was just as thrilling as my experience from the year prior, possibly even more thrilling. Both years, I went on the first day, which is the best day to go to as you get the most matches and you can truly make the most out of your ticket. Through all of this time that I have spent at the U.S. Open, I have learned a lot about the secrets to attending in order to maximize my enjoyment. For instance, as I said before, the first day is the best day to go to the tournament. Nevertheless, that tip is just the “tip” of the iceberg in terms of advice that I can give. I believe that everyone deserves to have a fun time at a tennis tournament, and so I want to help out those who are interested. That is why I have written up this unofficial guide so that people can have the best visit possible. Many of these tips are US Open specific, but some could also be applied universally to various professional tennis tournaments. Here is everything that you need to know, based on first-hand knowledge, about having an amazing time at the US Open.

1. Go to the Outer Courts

A lot of people believe that the most action comes from the big stadiums where the top players play. While that can be true some of the time, usually the main courts will be the least exciting. You will usually have to sit far away and even though you may see a good player, in the earlier rounds they will often be paired against someone quite below them, meaning the match will lack excitement. If you want to have a really fun time at a grand slam, you should watch the matches on the outer courts. You will be able to get a lot closer to the court due to the condensed seating, which may include room to stand, and you might also see some more competitive matches. Novak Djokovic vs. Radu Albot? Predictable outcome. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina vs. Rinky Hijikata? Anything can happen. The players may not be the most well-known people, but they will usually end up in a more even match up, which makes their matches a lot more intense. In addition, when you go to a big stadium, you are usually stuck sitting there watching that match for a while. In the outer courts, you can get up a walk around super easily, allowing you to see everything that the tournament has to offer. It goes to show that sometimes smaller is better.

2. Sit by the player’s benches if possible

One of the most fun parts of watching a professional tennis match is getting to be up close with the players. That can include getting pictures and autographs from them. However, there are certain areas that you need to be in order to get the best chances of that possibility. Your first instinct may be to sit or stand by the gates where the players leave. After all, they can’t be in the court forever. Nevertheless, they are usually on the move quickly when they are leaving. The best way to accomplish the goal of getting an autograph or selfie is to sit by the player’s benches, which is the area where they sit during changeovers, drink water, change shirts, etc. The bench is the first place they go to after the match is over and it is when they are full of energy. If you are right by the bench with your phone or autograph sheet/ball ready, they will see you quickly and will be ready to sign and smile. If you’re lucky, you may even get a wristband or towel. Remember though, oftentimes the loser will not sign an autograph, so if you find yourself by the bench of the losing player, quickly make the switch over to the winning side. Don’t worry, the loser won’t notice.

3. If you see a good seat, decide how important the match is to you

Because of how popular the US Open is, most of the matches are guaranteed to be quite crowded. However, since tennis matches usually take a couple hours and there are a lot of tennis matches to see at once, the matches will be somewhat sparsely attended at the beginning, but then really be packed by the end. Therefore, if you get a seat at a match, the seat can be somewhat of a commitment. If you find that seat at the beginning and then decide to leave for a bit and come back towards the end, it is likely that seat will not be there anymore. Therefore, when you see a seat, decide if you are willing to make the commitment and hold on to the seat. You don’t have to, but if you want to be close to a player by the end, your early seat may be valuable. It is what will help you be close by for autograph time. Think about your seat option carefully so that you will have an idea if you will have regrets in the future.

4. Don’t wait in line for seats.

When you are at the US Open, you will see people waiting in line for the high tier seats. The seats may be better than the free for all benches in terms of view and you might be less crowded in. That being said, I do not believe they are worth it. Of course, as I said before, you might want to sit behind the player’s benches. However, when the players’ benches are by the tiered seats, there are usually less options, so you might not even get to those seats in time. That is one of the reasons why the free for all bench seats are better, you can get to them whenever and you don’t have to be the first ones there to get the close seats. They could just randomly pop up whenever. Furthermore, there is no waiting for these seats. With the tiered seats, you often have to wait in a long time, and since they don’t let people in when the match is actually going on, it could be a couple games before you sit down and watch what is actually happening. No one will stop you from going to the lower bench seats. In my opinion, there is no benefit to the tiered seats outweighs the free for all seats, so you should try to go with the latter whenever possible.

5. Keep up with the schedule on your phone

Sometimes the way to have the most fun is to be able to be organized. When you are walking around, it is not always going to be clear what matches are happening. They may show some scores every now and then, but those scores are often just for the big matches. If you want to know when some interesting matches are happening, you should make sure you have quick access to the schedule and scores on your phone. You can download the US Open app, which is free to download (and other grand slams have apps too if you go to them), you can download the general tennis app, or you can simply Google and just keep the tab open. The schedule will be good to give you a general idea of how your day will go and the scores will tell you minute by minute what is happening. Some matches take two hours, some take five hours (the longest US Open match just happened with Dan Evans defeating Karen Khachanov in over five and a half hours. The point is, you should have the scores ready at all times so you know where you should go and who you will get the chance to see.

6. Explore players you have not heard of

If you go to a tennis tournament like the US Open without being a huge follower of the sport, your first instinct may be to go to a match with a player whose name sounds familiar. However, that will not always be an option. With a first round made up of 128 players, even a tennis aficionado like myself found names that I had not heard of before. Even so, I wanted to check out matches with players I don’t know well. Why? Because I could learn about new people, possibly spot some future big players, and go a little out of the box with my experience. I don’t really know Alexandre Muller and Adam Walton that well, but I still watched them play each other and I had a fun time.The same should go for everyone else. Even if you don’t know the two players of a match, you may find their playing styles to be exciting or they could have an interesting personality on the court. You will never know if you don’t take a chance.

7. Drink water

The US Open takes place from late August to early September, the summertime, which is usually a hot time of year. In addition, there are some matches that may be crowded, so you will be forced to stand up to watch them, and there is also the walking from match to match. Therefore, you are going to get sweaty and tired fairly quickly. Try to buy a water bottle at the court when you get there and just keep refilling it. A water fountain may get the job done too, but the water bottle will help get more water into your body. You don’t want to pass out in front of thousands of people. This water will help keep you active so you can go from match to match with minimal problems. In a way, going to all of these matches is a sport itself.

8. Go to the Big Fogg

As mentioned before, water is important to beat the heat, but you can go bigger. Let me introduce you to the beauty of the Big Fogg machine. Just outside court 17 was a row of the Big Foggs. What is the Big Fogg? It is an oscillating misting fan that will cool you off the second you step in front of it. If you have been in front of the hot sun for hours, standing in front of the Big Fogg will feel like you are being reborn. It’s shocking that the US Open does not charge for standing in front of these machines, they are that good. Just be careful to not get your autographs too close to the machine, as there is water coming out and you don’t want your autographs to be wiped away. Also, be prepared for the fact that if you stand in front of the Big Fogg machine for a while (like I did) your clothes and hair will get a bit wet, so get ready for that sacrifice. Otherwise, the Big Fogg is one of the greatest places to stop by at the US Open, so make sure to check it out.

9. Don’t be afraid to push

If you want to get to where you want to be at this tournament or get an autograph from a player you really like, you have to be determined. It may not be nice, but it is everyone for themselves. When Andrey Rublev won his match, people were swarming him like he was a rockstar. If I wanted my autograph, I had to shove my way through. I almost tripped a couple times, but I made it out alive with an autograph and selfie. You will never see these people again, don’t worry about them. Obviously, don’t cause any injuries and don’t be mean, but that does not mean you have to be polite either. Everyone there will have a mission and they may be shoving too, so don’t be afraid of what will happen. Again, be careful, but be brave.

10. Try a Honey Deuce

This is a tip for those who are over 21 and it is certainly a valuable tip. A lot of alcohol is sold at the US Open and there are a lot of options for adults to choose from. There is an Aperol Spritz, which has become a big drink at this tournament.  While that may be a tasty beverage, you can get one of those anywhere. When you are at the US Open, you should use this opportunity to buy yourself a Honey Deuce. This signature drink of the tournament is not to be missed, as it is quite tasty. The drink is made up of vodka (specifically Grey Goose as they are one of the tournament’s sponsors), lemonade, raspberry liqueur and topped with three honey dew balls, which kind of look like tennis balls. I will be honest, I’m not a honeydew fan so I quickly got rid of that part. However, the drink itself was delicious. I already love lemonade and raspberry, now those flavors just had a bit of a kick. You won’t find this specific drink elsewhere, so you might as well buy this cocktail while you are at the tournament. You could even get a cute reusable cup to take home with you. It’s a thrilling sport with a yummy drink, what could be better?

11. Be a small child

This may be something that you can not control, but it definitely seems helpful. The small children seem to get the most opportunities at the US Open. They are able to get the closest at the end of the matches and players tend to go towards them first. They are usually the ones that get the wristbands and towels I mentioned earlier (but that does not mean you shouldn’t try). Small children also usually have more energy and can last several hours of the day standing. I get weaker by the years. So if you can’t be a small child, bring one, because they will get a lot of attention and probably have the time of their lives.

Bonus Observations and Notes (From my personal experience)

• Andrey Rublev’s hair is even prettier in person
• Players barely look your way when they leave the practice courts
• The chicken tenders were extremely fried
• Why do french fries cost almost the same amount as the entree?
• Do people actually like the radio headphones? I feel like those would take me out of the match
• Pablo Carreno Busta is a sweetie for signing and taking pictures after his loss
• Alejandro Davidovich Fokina can get a bit emotional when losing, but it is somewhat endearing
• There are free Heinken samples
• Ugo Humbert has an amazing smile
• Shout out to doubles player Ryan Seggerman, who I got to chat with for a while along with his family
• The line was insanely long just to watch Carlos Alcaraz practice. PRACTICE. Not worth my time
• Courts 4-6 are the easiest courts to observe, Court 7 is the hardest, Court 8 is the oddest
• Shout out to the ball boys and ball girls, you all work so hard and everything that you do is noticed
• Black pen would have been better for autographs than my red pen

We’re in the thick of the tournament right now. I only saw one day of the tournament in action but have been keeping up with the scores every day. Get ready for my full tournament recap. As for future attendance, I’m counting down the days until the 2025 US Open.