Tennis and A Day at the US Open with Kids

Tennis...I grew up watching and playing tennis. I remember being in awe of players like Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Pete Sampras, and Andre Agassi. My second date with Hubby was even a tennis date. 

It is a sport that I have enjoyed for a long time, but lately masked by my love for running and hiking. It is something that I wish we could play more of, but haven't really had the time to especially after having the kiddos. However, since last summer, my eldest son has taken an interest and we had him take lessons and so far he has really enjoyed them. 

We actually went to the Open last summer as Hubby's sister and her family were in town. The kiddos had a blast with their cousins. We weren't sure if we were going to go this year until we found a great deal through Time Out New York where tickets were 40% off. When we told the kiddos we were going again this year, they were excited. 

The gates opened at 10am and we arrived right on time. We made sure we didn't take a backpack as they aren't allowed. You can check out their list of things you can't bring inside here. Things we did bring were lots of snacks for the kiddos, juice boxes, bottled water, sunscreen, sunglasses, and hats. You need to be prepared for the heat and humidity. One thing we did forget was a towel. Hubby really could have used it to wipe sweat away. An umbrella could be useful as well while waiting for a match to start, although you have to put it away once the match starts unless you are at the top of the stands.

Something that we found very useful for the kiddos to occupy them when they got tired of watching a match was our Ipad. I brought it along as I know it is a way to keep them occupied. It's great! They are occupied and there is no whining or complaining and best of all they are quiet. It worked out really well, while one had the Ipad, the other was actually watching the tennis match going on.

We went on a very hot and humid day, so make sure to keep hydrated. We refilled our water bottles at drinking fountains often. Ice cream treats or smoothies also kept the kiddos happy. We found that the lemonade was another treat that helped cool them off along with breaks in the shade at changovers.

We watched a lot of great matches the day we went. We saw Serena & Venus play doubles in Louis Armstrong Stadium.

Monfils vs. Dimitrov in Arthur Ashe Stadium

My favorite match of the day was watching the Bryan Brothers play doubles in the Grandstand. This was my favorite because we were in the front row!

The Bryan Brothers are awesome! I love how they are so good to their fans. They won their match and spent over 20 minutes afterwards signing autographs and taking pics with fans. We got our ball signed by both brothers and Mike Bryan stopped to take a pic with Hubby and our 3 year old.

It was and awesome day of tennis at the U.S Open. It really is amazing to watch these players. They hit so hard and fast and they are definitely tough! Playing in the heat and humidity is no joke. They are amazing!

Do you play tennis?