With the start of the U.S. Open approaching, fans planning on watching and attending were handed a big blow. The tournament starts August 25 at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens, but the tournament will be without Rafael Nadal. Nadal injured his wrist in July and has not played since losing at Wimbledon. While the absence of Nadal will open up the tournament for a new champion, some prices for U.S. Open tickets have dropped due to the withdrawal.
The biggest impact by Nadal's absence is in the prices for the Men's Final. Before his announcement, the Men's Final had an average price of $837.33. Now prices have dropped down to $773.64, a 7.6 percent decrease in a short span of time. Even with the decrease on the secondary market, it is unlikely there will not be a full 22,547 in attendance at Arthur Ashe Stadium for the Men's Final on September 8.
Surprisingly, though, ticket prices for the U.S. Open have been increasing overall. Over the past two weeks, the average price across the entire tournament has risen from $318.04 to $327.82, an increase of 3 percent. Currently the average price of the entire tournament is more expensive than it was last year when Nadal won. Last year the average price for U.S. Open tickets was $316.48.
There have also been some sessions that have decreased in price that have little or nothing to do with Nadal's withdrawal. The session which included both the Women's Final and Men's Doubles Final had the average price drop from $405.07 to $388.82 in the past two weeks, a decrease of 4 percent. However, all the Finals sessions are likely to increase in price as the tournament plays out and the later matchups are revealed.
Early session prices have also increased on the secondary market since they are the most in demand as the tournament is about to start. Tickets for Session I had an average price of $131.70 just two weeks ago and now have an average price of $141.26, a 7 percent increase. The session including the Men's Semifinal and Women's Doubles Finals remain the most expensive on the secondary market. The average price for that session is currently $892.06 on September 6.
While there have been some notable price differences since Nadal pulled out of the tournament, there has not been a drastic negative impact on the tournament. With the absence of Nadal, the U.S. Open will not be void of the world's best tennis players. Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray will participate on the men's side while Serena Williams will defend her title from last season.