Would you pay $175,000 for a luxury bunker at the US Open?

The US Open has long catered to tennis fans of all stripes, from hedge fund magnates and celebrities who eat rock shrimp in luxury suites to drunken fanatics who ride the subway and shout from the top rows after midnight. That gap is likely to widen in the future.

The United States Tennis Association is considering a major renovation of Arthur Ashe Stadium, which could include adding ultra-luxe spaces to enhance the already lavish experience for its biggest spenders. The association is also considering adding another building on the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, where the stadium is located, to improve player and office space and add more parking.

Renovation options include so-called bunker suites: exclusive lounges in the ground below the playing level, with gastronomic catering and high-quality facilities. Such suites have become popular – and incredibly profitable – at other sports venues across the country. They would be located next to the main court at the US Open and admission could cost as much as $175,000 for one person during the two-week tournament. The USTA is a non-profit organization and spends most of its revenue on the development of tennis in the United States.

These plans came to light on November 10, when the USTA distributed an online survey to a group of about 15,000 people, targeted as high-paying attendees of previous US Open tournaments and other likely customers. A 15-minute survey asked respondents about player meet-and-greets, early access and valet parking.

They were also asked to choose between several luxury options being considered for Arthur Ashe Stadium. For example, for entry to a proposed elite Rackets Club, were they more likely to pay $3,700 per person for a one-day session (day or night), or $93,000 for the entire two-week tournament?

The USTA leases the land and stadiums at Flushing Meadows Corona Park from New York City, just as the Yankees and Mets do with their stadiums. The USTA would pay for any new construction.

“Ashe isn’t going anywhere,” said Daniel Zausner, the tennis center’s chief operating officer. “It’s really just about what’s next. How to renovate? How do we make sure it feels current?”

The US Open may be the country’s most glamorous major sporting event – ​​a single court seat can cost as much as $8,000 – but the tournament also has a mainstream image, with access to the tennis masses.

Billie Jean King, after whom the National Tennis Center was renamed in 2006, grew up playing in public parks in California and believes the US Open, and tennis in general, should be widely accessible to people of all backgrounds.

“Today, almost two decades later, I am proud that the US Open continues to welcome all tennis fans and provide access and the opportunity to see the greatest athletes in our sport,” she said in an email. “I have heard that there are plans to improve conditions at Arthur Ashe Stadium, but I am not involved in those discussions. Every time we raise a dollar, from any source, 70 percent of that money goes back to community tennis.”

Ashe is the largest tennis stadium in the world, with a capacity of almost 24,000 seats. Opened in 1997, it is the second-oldest major sports venue in the metropolitan area, behind Madison Square Garden, which completed an estimated $1 billion renovation in 2013. It currently features two levels of luxury suites, where fans have access to specialty food, beverages, restrooms and choice courtside views.

Mr Zausner claimed that whatever renovation takes place will not affect the more affordable seats at the top of Arthur Ashe Stadium, the so-called promenade, where thousands of fans watch and cheer in their thousands for the US Open well into the night. He also said the USTA will not ask the city for more parkland.

The USTA’s mission is to grow tennis in the United States, and by law it is required to convert its revenue, the vast majority of which comes from the US Open, back into American tennis at all levels. Despite this mandate, the US Open generally functions like any other commercial sporting event, and is an expert at sucking in cash from all corners of the operation, especially ticket sales and concessions. The US Open is the USTA’s hugely lucrative bake sale.

The lease for the tennis center will provide the city with a minimum of $400,000, plus 1 percent of gross revenues over $20 million. For 2021, the most recent annual data available, the USTA paid the city $4.17 million in rent. The more money the tournament generates, the more the city earns.

This year’s US Open win is expected to exceed that. The 2023 tournament set attendance records, with almost 960,000 spectators, including 157,000 who were given free entry during the qualifying draw in the week before the tournament’s main rounds.

With recent capital investment in the new 15,000-seat Louis Armstrong Stadium, grandstand and Court 17, as well as renovations to the existing outdoor courts, Ashe is the only stadium on the site that has remained relatively untouched over the past quarter century. The only upgrade was the $150 million retractable roof completed in 2016, paid for by the USTA

But tournament officials say Ashe is showing his age, and they want to renovate the stadium in a more modest version of the Madison Square Garden upgrade. The Garden’s bunker suites are considered the most exclusive and breathtaking experience.

It is still a long way from the current phase of recruiting potential customers to finally breaking ground for construction. After receiving feedback from the survey, the USTA will look for a design firm and then go through the planning and approval phases with the city. From there, it would seek approval from the USTA board of directors for financing and then hire a general contractor.

Mr. Zausner expressed confidence that the USTA board would agree to some form of renovation. In the meantime, the facility will remain open to the public for recreational tracks most of the year.

“As a product of public parks, I am most focused on the fact that the National Tennis Center is a year-round public park,” Ms. King said. “It is not a facility that is only open three weeks a year.”