Attending The US Open Or Playing In It? Our Top 5 Tips For a Successful Event
(Billie Jean King)
The US Open has landed in the Big Apple which means two major things; one, summer is coming to an end, and secondly, the best tennis stars will be playing in our favorite concrete jungle under the stadium lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium for the 141st US Open. (Shoutout to our Billie zip jacket named after the icon) The grand slam takes place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center annually at the end of August into early September. Last year, our RH muse Naomi Osaka won the women’s final, and we will be eagerly cheering her on this year once more. One of the best parts of the US Open is that it is played on a hard court, which means the tennis is faster than at Wimbledon where they play on a grass court or Roland Garros which is played on a clay court. So, whether you were invited to attend the US Open or still feeling inspired to pick up a racquet and learn how to play, we would be remiss to not give you 5 more ‘must-have’ tips for the court.
1. Sunscreen - Tan lines are cute when you are Jessica Alba in Into The Blue, but a racerback tan line and a tennis skirt tan line is the antithesis of sexy. The quickest way to ruin a swimsuit look or a beautiful dress is with a large ‘X’ across you back and a sock tan, yikes. Wear sweatproof sunscreen to avoid this major fashion faux pas! If you are attending a tennis match, make sure to wear sunscreen too! Matches are long and finding a shady spot would be as hard as returning Serena William’s serve. Looking for a brand that is safe for you and the sea? Read our top sunscreen picks of 2021 here.
2. Chic Tennis Crew – As you may know, the US Open is like the front row at an Alexander Wang show mixed with floor seats to a Knicks game. It’s a big see and be seen event and your crew is as important as your craft. Be sure your looks are on point with the rest of your team and be camera ready as your face may end up on Page Six in an accidental photo bomb alongside the Hadid sisters. If you need any inspo for your tennis looks, check out our Chris Tennis Dress or Rally Dress.
3. Balls – If you are hitting the court without a pro, make sure to pick up a few tubes of tennis balls. Don’t be fooled by your new tennis skills, you will DEFINITELY need at least three tubes of balls unless you want to spend your time running around the court and its outskirts finding the tennis balls that soared when you accidentally had a lapse in judgement and thought you were Babe Ruth hitting a home run at Yankee Stadium and not playing tennis. If you are attending a match, you can try and get a tennis ball signed by your favorite players and save it as a fun memento of your fabulous day out.
4. Learn the Lingo – The easiest way to look like an amateur is to not be familiarized with the lingo. Sorry, your nights spent at Madison Square Garden cheering on the Knicks won’t give you any brownie points when on the tennis court.
a. Points/ Game – Tennis broken down by ‘game’, ‘set’ and ‘match’. A women’s tennis game is the best out of three sets, and to win a set you need to win 6 games by at least two points. ‘Games’ are kept score by starting at “love” and then each point won the player is awarded beginning with 1 point = ‘15’, 2 points = ‘30’, then 3 points = ‘40’ and then ‘game point’. So, 40-Love means that the person serving has the advantage and the person they are playing against hasn’t won a point yet in this game. The serve switches after each game.
b. Set – Sets are made up of at least 6 ‘games’ won by a single player. First player to 6 games wins the set, but they must win by 2 games so it can be 7-5, etc.
c. Match – The winner must win 2 out of the 3 sets to win the match.
d. Men’s Tennis – Men’s tennis is played in the same format but the match is won by whoever wins 3 out of 5 sets.
5. Be quiet! No, not really but tennis can be tense and out of courtesy, you should be silent when someone is serving and only boisterous after an exceptional shot or someone wins the point. Do NOT be that person whooping it up at the wrong time, you might actually be escorted off the property and momentarily the most hated person in NYC. This is not how you want your 15 minutes of fame to come to you.
