The United States Open will use blue instead of green tennis courts this year in an attempt to make balls easier to see for players and television viewers.
The area outside the court’s lines will stay green, US Tennis Association (USTA) spokesperson Chris Widmaier said on Monday.
Blue courts also will be used for the 10 tournaments in the US Open Series, the summer hard-court circuit leading up to the season’s final grand slam.
”The new court colours have been tested and proven to enhance visibility of the ball for both players and fans,” USTA executive Arlen Kantarian said.
”In addition, it provides an instant visual link between the US Open Series tournaments and the US Open, helping to create a unified ‘regular season’ for tennis leading up to the US Open.”
The first event with the new colour will be the RCA Championships at Indianapolis from July 18 to 24.
The US Open runs from August 29 to September 11. — Sapa-AP