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Tennis legend Serena Williams announced on Tuesday that she intends to retire after the US Open.
This has caused the demand for tickets to the tournament to skyrocket completely.
USTA spokesman Chris Widmaier told the New York Post that the news led to “unprecedented” ticket sales on Tuesday.
Serena Williams celebrates after winning her women’s singles semifinal match against Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina on day eleven of the 2019 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 5, 2019 in borough of Queens in New York City. (Elsa/Getty Images)
“You talk about the Serena effect, it’s like a tsunami,” he said. “Since people found out about the news, we have sold, from 3 p.m. [Tuesday]13,000 tickets for the Open, including 4,500 or more for opening night.”
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Widmaier said selling 13,000 tickets in one day is “a spectacular day.”
Before Tuesday, tickets for the first night of the tournament, Aug. 29, at Arthur Ashe Stadium were retailing for as little as $35. Now, the ticket price on Ticketmaster (via verified resale only, as standard tickets are no longer available) is $81.55, and that’s just to buy a lone ticket. To enter with another person, you must spend at least $123.
SERENA WILLIAMS REVEALS INTENTIONS TO RETIRE AFTER US OPEN
Serena Williams trains on center court ahead of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, Friday, June 24, 2022. (Adam Davy/PA via AP)
In fact, someone is currently bold enough to sell two tickets in section 317, row X, seats 13 and 14 for a minimum of $7,000 each on Ticketmaster verified resale.
Demand is sky high, but Williams isn’t even guaranteed to play on that date. The draw for the tournament is revealed on the Thursday before the tournament, so we might update this article one more time tonight if it turns out the 23-time Grand Slam winner is playing that night.
Serena Williams holds the championship trophy after defeating Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the championship match of the 2012 US Open tennis tournament in New York. (AP Photo/Mike Groll, File)
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The women’s final will be on September 10.