The Manhattan Tennis Association and Love & Lob are hosting a Wimbledon Men's Final Watch Party this Sunday at One4One on the Lower East Side.
We've hosted a couple of these already and they've been a lot of fun, bringing together tennis players and fans from across the city. If you'd like to take a look, here are the details:
11am Sunday July 12 One4One 141 Chrystie St LES RSVP
Every August and September, New York becomes the center of the tennis universe.
For two weeks (or three, if you know about Fan Week) the world's best tennis players descend on Flushing Meadows in Queens. Luxury Manhattan hotels fill with players, coaches, agents, executives, celebrities, and tennis fans, while otherwise rational adults happily spend the equivalent of a respectable bottle of vintage Romanée-Conti Burgundy on courtside seats at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The US Open is one of the few sporting events where the tennis is only part of the spectacle.
The rest is New York.
And New York is having a moment right now let me tell you.
The Knicks have finally won an NBA championship after a 53-year wait. The FIFA World Cup has brought the world's biggest sporting event to the region, with the final scheduled for MetLife Stadium just across the Hudson in dare I say it, New Jersey. The city feels energized in a way that's difficult to quantify but immediately noticeable.
By the time the US Open arrives, New York will already have spent an entire summer acting like the center of the sporting world.
Then the tennis takes over.
Having spent years working with luxury hotels, concierge teams, private clubs, and arranging experiences for visiting tennis guests, I thought I'd share a few observations for anyone considering a trip to New York's Grand Slam in 2026.
Most first-time visitors focus entirely on the main draw.
This is understandable, yes the official tournament runs from August 31 through September 13, 2026, but many serious tennis fans will tell you the most enjoyable week happens before the tournament officially starts.
The week before is known as Fan Week, and admission to the grounds is completely free.
This is also when qualifying takes place.
Which means that while the stars are practicing on Ashe and Armstrong, dozens of players you've probably never heard of are fighting for their livelihoods on the outer courts.
Former Top 100 players. College standouts. Journeymen. Future stars. Men and women who have spent years bouncing between airports, hotels, and Challenger events hoping for one good week. All grinding it out in the late August heat.
The quality of tennis is also absurdly high and best of all, you get to see it up close, absurdly close.
You can stand a few feet from players who would comfortably beat everyone at your local club without dropping a point.
For years, Fan Week was one of New York's best-kept secrets.
Not anymore.
Attendance records continue to break. What was once a relatively sleepy week on the grounds has become a major event in its own right.
The US Open itself is now the most attended Grand Slam in the world. Prize money continues to climb. It is the richest of the four majors.
And then there is the Honey Deuce.
The Honey Deuce has been the tournament's signature cocktail for nearly twenty years and has somehow become a symbol of the event itself.
Last year it cost $23.
Like New York real estate, it appears to appreciate annually regardless of broader economic conditions.
If your schedule allows, arrive during Fan Week and stay through the opening rounds of the main draw.
You'll see more tennis, spend less money, and probably have a better experience.
A question I get constantly.
During the US Open:
The common denominator isn't luxury.
It's privacy.
The players already have luxury.
What they're paying for is security, discretion, recovery facilities, and the ability to move around New York without feeling like they're still at work.
If budget is not a consideration, Aman remains in a category of its own.
One of the biggest advantages is that the two restaurants inside Aman, Arva and Nama are not open to the public. Only hotel guests and Aman Club members have access.
This sounds like a small detail until you've spent a week navigating New York restaurant reservations.
The result is a remarkably calm dining room and a level of privacy that's increasingly difficult to find in Manhattan.
If your idea of luxury is being left alone, this is your hotel.
My recommendation for first-time visitors.
If Aman is the most private luxury hotel in New York, The Mark is the most social.
Every year during the Met Gala, the hotel becomes an unofficial backstage area for the event. Celebrities, athletes, designers, executives, and assorted famous people drift through the lobby.
The Upper East Side location is excellent.
Central Park is steps away.
The people-watching alone is worth the room rate.
Smaller. More intimate. Exceptional service.
And one of the best hotel pools in New York.
After closing down for around 5 years post pandemic the Four Seasons Hotel is back! Designed by I.M. Pei, it is a Midtown landmark on Billionaires' Row.
The spa is exceptional, the rooms are generous by Manhattan standards, and the pace feels noticeably calmer.
Recently restored and reopened.
One of the great hotels of New York is finally back.
An underrated choice.
Excellent location, large rooms, and often better value than some of its competitors during tournament week.
Classic New York luxury.
No gimmicks required.
For fitness-focused travelers, this is the answer.
The attached Equinox flagship is arguably the best hotel fitness facility in New York and perhaps anywhere in the United States.
The second weekend of the US Open tennis tournament is the Labor Day Weekend, occurring from Friday, September 4 through Monday, September 7, 2026.
Check into your hotel.
Dinner at:
Drinks afterward:
New York remains one of the few cities where a reservation or dropping a managers name at the door can go a long way to getting you in. Ask your hotel concierge to help you along your night out, relationships in NYC is what makes the city hum.
Day Session at the US Open.
Enter through the President's Gate at Ashe and enjoy the view from court-side seats. Don't forgot to enjoy the luxury food options available only to court-side seat ticket holders.
A few food highlights:
When the sun starts to fall, car service it back to Manhattan, change into evening attire at your hotel and aim downtown for Dinner at Torrisi.
Take it easy and enjoy your hotel breakfast in the morning.
Then walk at a leisurely pace thru Central Park and catch some of the early fall colors enveloping the very old tree's.
Head back to the US Open for evening court-side seats at Ashe. Enjoy the show, this is the Fourth Round (Down to the last 16 players) and yes, this is when it starts to get very, very serious.
Brunch at Casa Cipriani.
One of the best views in Manhattan.
Watch helicopters arrive and depart from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport while overlooking the East River, Brooklyn waterfront, and New York Harbor.
Evening private yacht charter by Big Apple Charters.
Cruise the East River and Hudson River, pass beneath the Brooklyn Bridge, circle Lower Manhattan, and watch the skyline light up after sunset.
One thing many visitors don't realize is that some of New York's best tennis experiences happen away from the National Tennis Center in Flushing Queens.
The newly opened Hudson River Tennis Club is one of the most impressive additions to the city's tennis scene in years.
Four brand-new hard courts built inside an old stocks and securities trading floor located on the third floor of a high security financial office building in Tribeca.
Top rated coaching staff.
Premium facilities. Design forward.
Private club atmosphere.
For serious players, arranging a lesson or court time there can be a surprisingly memorable complement to a week spent watching the professionals.
Thanks for reading. I am happy to answer any questions about hotels, hospitality, transportation, restaurants, tennis clubs, or planning a US Open trip to New York.
