US Open honours champions from the past in Opening Ceremony

The Unisphere and the grounds of the 2008 US Open.

Probably this is the grandest U.S. Open ever. This year’s Open is special as it marks the 40th Anniversary of the tournament and the first tournament of the Open Era.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg ushered in this year’s tournament by addressing the crowd, “On behalf of the city of New York, welcome to the one and only US Open."

Forest Whitaker

The host of the evening's festivities was Oscar winning actor Forrest Whitaker, who spoke about the history of the tournament.

Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, left, and her daughter, Camera, walk into Arthur Ashe Stadium, the facility named for her late husband, Arthur Ashe, during opening ceremonies at the U.S. Open tennis tournament.

In honor of that special moment in tennis history, Whitaker introduced a procession of 25 past champions of the tournament including Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe and her daughter Camera Ashe as well as Virginia Wade, the first women’s singles US Open champion.

Former U.S. Open champions Rod Laver, left, and Virginia Wade greet each other during opening ceremonies.

The Champions entered the stadium in chronological order of when they won their titles. Rod Laver, the only man to complete a Grand Slam in the history of tennis followed Wade. Billie Jean King, the winner of the US Open in 1971, 1972 and 1974, the winner of 39 Grand Slams and revolutionary figure for women’s sports entered Arthur Ashe Stadium at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to rousing cheers from the crowd.

Chris Evert and John McEnroe were also hometown favorites as they took the stage. Martina Navratilova, the winner of 59 career slams, was present as was Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander and Monica Seles.

Billie Jean King

Martina Navratilova

Mats Wilander

Boris Becker

Tracy Austin

Chris Evert

Gabriela Sabatini

Ivan Lendl

John McEnroe

Champions still in the game – Lindsay Davenport, Marat Safin, Serena and Venus Williams, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova and Roger Federer, the only man to win four consecutive US Open titles – were all introduced to the fans at Arthur Ashe.

Marat Safin

Maria Sharapova

Lindsay Davenport

Serena Williams

Venus Williams

Roger Federer

Andy Roddick

The fans were treated to the music of Earth Wind and Fire. Just as the ceremony closed, red, white and blue fireworks erupted atop the stadium.


(Images and text via Yahoo! Sports, U.S. Open website)

The Business of Tennis: Forbes Special Report

Check out the latest special report by the guys at Forbes.com in conjunction with the U.S. Open.

One of the articles named the 10 top-paid tennis stars in the world. Roger Federer is still no.1, at least on their top earning tennis players list.

Top Paid Tennis Stars:
1. Roger Federer
2. Maria Sharapova
3. Rafael Nadal
4. Andy Roddick
5. Venus Williams
6. Serena Williams
7. Justine Henin
8. Novak Djokovic
9. Ana Ivanovic
10. James Blake

Check out other interesting articles featured in this special report:

I Was A Teenage Champion
Tracy Austin
The life of a tennis phenom is never simple.

Embrace Pressure
Michael Chang
The ability to perform under pressure separates the best tennis players from the rest.

The Rough Business Of Coaching
Brad Gilbert
It's a tough road with no safety net, but I wouldn't change it for the world.

Why Is Tennis Writing So Bad?
Bruce Schoenfeld
For a sport that attracts its share of literary luminaries, the vast majority of tennis prose is sadly insipid.

Secret Life of A Tennis Pro
Vince Spadea and Dan Markowitz
A journeyman player survives on the professional circuit.

Make Some Noise
Tom Van Riper
It's time for tennis to stop shushing the fans.

Building A Tennis Career From The Bottom Up
Jeff Pyatt
Making a career when the prize money is just enough to get by.

Economics of the US Open
Peter Hoy
Running the numbers on the nation’s biggest tennis event.

US Open By The Numbers

How To Become A Chair Umpire
Eric Arnold
Think you have what it takes to make the calls at a US Open match? It's tougher than it looks.

No More Tennis Elbow
Matt Woolsey
A new treatment could heal damaged tendons and muscles without the need for surgery.

Can Videogames Help Your Tennis Game?
Mary Jane Irwin
For beginners, yes. But don't expect to become Roger Federer.

In Pictures: Virtual Tennis Through The Ages

Map: Top Tennis Players By Country, 1978-2008
Peter Hoy
The distribution of top players has changed significantly over 30 years.

Video: Martina Navratilova
The tennis legend shares some of her top career moments.

Video: Federer vs. Nadal
Is an epic rivalry between tennis' two greatest players enough to draw U.S. viewers?

Video: Business On The Court
Pandora.com CEO ranks nationally in men's singles tennis.

Forbes Autos: Cars of Tennis Stars
Tamara Warren
Buying cool cars isn't the problem for top tennis pros, it's finding the time to drive them.

Forbes Traveler: Top Luxury Tennis Resorts
Jennifer Rosini
Hitting the courts in high style.

(Via Forbes.com)

Heidi Klum Designs US Open T-shirt

Heidi Klum has designed an official US Open t-shirt to be sold at the 2008 US Open.

The limited edition Heidi Klum t-shirt is part of the USTA’s wide-ranging green initiatives at the 2008 US Open and will be sold at the Octagon, the US Open store located in Louis Armstrong Stadium, on USOpen.org and at US Open SoHo.

The design will be printed on a 100% organic cotton t-shirt. Organic cotton is grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment.

Klum – who, along with husband Seal, is an avid tennis fan -- used her children’s crayons to sketch colorful butterflies, turning the body of each butterfly into a tennis ball. Instead of designing hard lines or using digital art, she made her designs feel organic and home-made, leaving her scraggly lines.

Once the butterflies were complete, the creative team at the USTA took the 11 versions of butterflies Heidi drew and placed them into Heidi’s intricate template. The front of the t-shirt was later polished off with Heidi’s handwritten “US Open 08,” using a heart in place of the zero. The use of a drawn heart is a trademark element of Heidi’s signature.

“I think it’s important to keep our environment healthy and I really believe everyone, even in small ways, can take a proactive approach to keep the environment in the best shape possible,” said Heidi Klum, supermodel, executive producer and host of Bravo’s series Project Runway.

"I was so honored to be asked to design this shirt. I hope people will like it and, by purchasing it, do something positive for the environment.”

A portion of the profits from the Klum t-shirt will benefit Unisphere, Inc., the non-profit organization that maintains and preserves Flushing Meadows Corona Park, home of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

(Via U.S. Open website)

US Open Soho Store Opens in Downtown Manhattan

New Yorkers or those of you heading to the U.S Open this week can look forward to get your hands on the U.S Open branded apparel at the USTA first-ever pop-up store in New York City.

Through a multi-platform partnership with Team Retail Solutions, a leading event merchandise management company, US Open Soho will build awareness for the US Open and provide access to exclusive US Open merchandise for fans who cannot attend the event.

US Open SoHo will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week, beginning August 22 through September 10. The store will be located at 129 Prince Street, on the corner of Prince and Wooster, in New York City’s SoHo shopping district. One of the featured products at US Open SoHo will be the new US Open Breakpoint DVD board game which includes footage and images from some of the most memorable moments in US Open history.

Additionally, the store will carry a vintage Tad Davis clothing line capturing the spirit of the 40th anniversary of the Open Era and co-branded US Open products by Under Armour.

Heidi Klum, as part of the USTA’s wide-ranging green initiatives at the 2008 US Open, has designed a limited edition official US Open t-shirt that will also be sold at US Open SoHo.

In conjunction with the store’s opening, two special appearances and autograph signings are scheduled featuring Hall of Fame tennis journalist Bud Collins on Sunday, August 24 at 5 p.m., and American tennis star (recently featured in the Playboy magazine) Ashley Harkleroad on Tuesday, August 26 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Other autograph signings will be announced throughout the week.

(Images via U.S. Open website)