Arthur Ashe Stadium at the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens recently unveiled its new retractable roof as well as numerous changes and additions to the tennis complex. Finished in time for this year’s U.S. Open, the roof and master planning of the rejuvenated site was served up by Detroit-based firm Rossetti.

Spanning 236,600 feet, the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) waterproof roof primarily will be used to cover the court during periods of rainfall and is able to open or close in under six minutes. USTA executive director and chief operating officer Gordon Smith said it “remains to be seen” if the roof will be used as a shading device, later adding that the USTA’s “overriding goal is to be an open court tournament at all times.”

To counter water run-off issues, a 15-foot-wide and 4-foot-deep metal gutter traces the structure’s perimeter. Meanwhile, an attached power unit will aid temperature regulation and run the roof’s opening and closing system.

The new Grandstand stadium was built as part of the site’s master plan. The new 8,000 capacity venue uses a PTFE skin to form a partial bowl around the arena, intended to emulate the foliage of the stadium’s surrounding greenery. For more information on this development, see our full article here.

Arthur Ashe Stadium
Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens, NY
Tel: 718-760-6200
Architect and engineers: Rossetti