That change goes along with the Lindner Family Tennis Center doubling in size through a $260 million renovation that was announced last year.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
The construction project, completed over the last year, includes a 56,000 square-foot, two-story player center, a permanent fan plaza plus a 2,000-seat sunken stadium, one of 10 new courts installed on the west side of Grandstand Court. There are now 31 courts.
There is new landscaping around the complex. All the courts received a fresh coat of paint. Asphalt around the center was replaced by concrete.
“Someone told me in passing this is like the Ritz Carlton of tennis,” said 23-year-old professional tennis player Peyton Stearns, a Mason native. “I’d say that’s very true.
“When (the fans) walk in, they’re going to see the renovations and be wowed,” she said.
Tennis players can typically spend 10-12 hours on site, said Caty McNally, a 23-year-old professional tennis player and Indian Hill native. There are now multiple spots to relax and recover, as well as new food options, she said.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
“All of that plays such a big part that maybe people don’t really realize on the outside but on the inside, it’s really important,” McNally said. “It’s just really great for players. I think players are going to want to be here on site.
“It’s amazing,” McNally said. “I’m just so grateful to be back here playing this year, and then to be able to call this my home tournament, it’s unbelievable.”
The tournament, formerly known as the Cincinnati Masters and the Western & Southern Open, has been around since 1899.
“We look forward to welcoming the world’s best tennis stars to compete for the Cincinnati Open title in August,” said tournament director Bob Moran in a press release. “We have received a lot of excitement from the players about coming back to see our transformed campus and experiencing the new player amenities. Players and fans alike will enjoy the re-imagined venue and world-class atmosphere as the sport’s best compete for the title.”
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
Here’s what fans should know about the event:
Men’s field: The defending champion, Jannik Sinner, leads the list of players competing. He tops the ATP rankings and won the Australian Open and Wimbledon championships this year.
Four other former Cincinnati Open champions on the men’s side will participate: Novak Djokovic (2023, 2020, 2018); Alexander Zverev (2021); Daniil Medvedev (2019); and Grigor Dimitrov (2017).
Among the other top contenders are: Carlos Alcaraz, the No. 2 player in the ATP rankings with five tournament championships, including the French Open this year; and Alexander Zverev, the No. 3 player in the world with losses to Alcaraz in the last two French Open finals
Women’s field: Aryna Sabalenka returns to defend her 2024 championship. She’s the No. 1 player in the World Tennis Association rankings. Last year, she won the U.S. Open and Australian Open.
Two other former women’s champions are in the field: Coco Gauff (2023), the second-ranked player in the WTA rankings; and Madison Keys (2019), the No. 8 player in the world.
Among the other top contenders are: 2025 Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek, the No. 3 player in the world; and Jessica Pegula, who lost to Sabalenka in the final last year and ranks fourth in the world.
Ten different women have won the championship in the last 10 years. Serena Williams was the last repeat champion in 2014 and 2015.
Star power: Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams, 45, received a wild-card entry into the tournament in the mixed doubles event. She will make her 11th appearance at the tournament. Williams will compete with Reilly Opelka.
Williams played in a WTA Tour event, the D.C. Open, earlier this month for the first time in more than. year. She won a match to become the oldest woman to win a tour event since Martina Navratilova, 48, in 2004.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
Schedule: Qualifying rounds start at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. Gates open for fans at 9 a.m.
The finals start at 3 p.m. Aug. 18.
Prize money: The singles winners earn $1,124,380, while finalists earn $597,890. On the doubles side, the winners earn $457,150, and finalists earn $242,020.
How to watch: Matches will air on TennisTv.com and the Tennis Channel.
History lesson: Roger Federer owns the most men’s singles championships at the Cincinnati Open. He won seven titles between 2007 and 2015.
Federer was the last repeat champion in 2014 and 2015.
On the women’s side, Ruth Sanders Cordes and Clara Louise Zinke each own five titles. Cordes won five times from 1913-1922, and Zinke won five times between 1926 and 1931.
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