Serena Williams has caused a tidal wave of ticket sales for the upcoming US Open, after writing in a piece for Vogue that she is planning to retire at some point after the tennis event.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner hinted in the fashion magazine that she is looking to end her tennis career soon, prompting thousands to buy tickets for what could be her last tournament.
Following her announcement, over 13,000 tickets were sold in just one day for the event.
United States Tennis Association (USTA) spokesman Chris Widmaier told The New York Post: “You talk about the Serena effect, it’s like a tsunami. Since people have learned of the news, we’ve sold, as of 3 pm [Tuesday], 13,000 tickets to the Open, including 4,500 or thereabouts for opening night.”
This number could be “unprecedented” according to Widmaier.
The US Open is set to begin at the end of this month on August 29, with fans already anticipating that Williams will win her first-round match as 1,500 tickets were sold for the night of the 31 following her announcement.
The draw for the event, which takes place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, has not been announced yet.
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