Planning to watch the US Open from Flushing Meadows? If you know someone who knows someone selling tickets at a reasonable price, you’re probably in luck. For newcomers to New York, though, getting a seat can be a very different story, especially when ticket prices start looking eye-watering.

And even after paying up, getting through the gates isn’t always straightforward. Tennis journalist Simon Cambers may have just explained why, lifting the lid on a ticketing system that appears to be getting increasingly complicated.

“A grounds pass ticket for day 1 at the @usopen is currently $363,” he wrote on X. “Some might call it market forces, but in simple terms, it’s an outrage.”

Cambers pointed out that the other Grand Slams have way cheaper ground passes in comparison. For context, a grounds pass for any day in the opening week of Wimbledon costs $44.70. The pass costs $45 at the French Open and $35 at the Australian Open. This just shows that the US Open is charging the attendees way more than the other majors.

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The average get-in price at this year’s US Open sits at $311. In comparison, it was $262 last year, which is still very much on the higher side. On the other hand, the average price to attend a day session at Arthur Ashe Stadium is $348, a 21.4% increase over the last 30 days. The average price for a night session is $231. But this isn’t any big surprise, as the tournament has always been the most expensive one of the four Slams. But still, a line needs to be drawn at some stage.

The expensive ticket prices become even more illogical when two of the most popular players of the sport are doubtful about participating in the tournament. Both Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are still recovering from their respective injuries, and there is no guarantee whether they will regain their fitness in time for the US Open. The two have also not signed up for the mixed doubles event, so the situation does appear to be serious.

Alcaraz is the defending champion of the tournament, while Sinner was the one who he had defeated in the final. If the two do end up missing the Grand Slam, then the ticket sales can seriously be affected. Both of them have huge fan bases, and they won’t be paying exorbitant prices to watch some other player in action.

So, it won’t be a shock if some venues in the opening week do not get sold out. With there being so many matches and not all of them involving top players, it is expected that there will be a number of empty seats at the venues. The tournament will begin with the mixed doubles event, which will be held from August 24 to 26 during the Fan Week.

The extravagant ticket prices of the US Open Fan Week

The US Open main draw doesn’t get underway until August 30, but Flushing Meadows will be buzzing well before then. Qualifying, Fan Week, and the revamped mixed doubles event will kick things off a week early, and the demand is already looking huge.

Take Roger Federer’s one-night exhibition on August 25. The five-time US Open champion will share the court with 2003 champion Andy Roddick, four-time champion John McEnroe, and two-time champion Andre Agassi, and the event has already sold out. With the USTA billing it as a “once-in-a-lifetime” night and face-value tickets starting at $238, it’s easy to see why fans were quick to grab their seats.

Moreover, this year, the US Open seems to be leaning even harder into its corporate crowd, sometimes at the expense of its die-hard tennis fans. It’s not exactly a surprise, though. The tournament is already the biggest revenue generator among the four Grand Slams, with Arthur Ashe Stadium, at more than 23,000 seats and the largest tennis stadium in the world, playing a major part in that commercial appeal.

However, with the prize-money debate between players and the Grand Slams already heating up, this rise in revenue could add even more fuel to the ongoing argument over how much of the sport’s earnings should make their way back to the players.