Well, that’s misleading, on several levels. Not a concert but definitely free. In my previous, previous job, proofreading for Barclays, I was often called upon to review press publications for the US Tennis Open, in Queens. Maps, schedules, etc. Barclays was a major supporter. I never dealt with Fan Week.
This year, being fully retired, I gave Fan Week a try. I enjoyed myself. Officially, Fan Week is 8/22–27. I went on 8/23 and had a great time. I saw many top-notch players: David Goffin, Dennis Novak, Vasek Popisil, Paul Martinez, Ons Jabeur, Marketa Vondrousova, Gael Monfils, Stan Wawrinka, Gauthier Onclin, and Marco Trungelitti. I’m not making this up, you know.
The weather was glorious, though I probably should have used a bit more sunscreen than I did. The campus is massive, and I only saw a small part of it. I saw medium-sized courts (though even those were more intimate than what I’m used to seeing on TV). I saw really small-audience courts (obviously, all of the courts are the same size). I even saw the Louis Armstrong Stadium court which was massive and offered much-needed shade.
I only saw the ends of various sets of various matches, since I wanted to experience as much of the experience as I could.
As expected, food options were very expensive, but I got a great artichoke spread with cannellini beans and chickpeas for lunch. Reasonable price and very filling. I skipped the beer options. Way overpriced.
Am I glad I went? Yes. Will I do it again? Most likely not. That said, it continues through Sunday, 8/27. Be forewarned that Saturday, 8/26, is Kids’ Day (not that there’s anything wrong with that). If you like tennis and would like to see some pros up close and personal for free, give it your consideration.
ConcertMeister (aka NoncertMeister)
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