My Experience as a Wheelchair User at the US Open 2026
After five years of living in New York City, I finally attended the US Open. My friend Megan invited me just a couple days before, citing that ticket prices for the grounds were somehow only $11 each (we visited on Friday, September 11th, during the semifinals). Looking at the schedule, we discovered that they were hosting a bunch of wheelchair matches on that same day. It was an opportunity I could not turn down.
I had been hesitant to attend such an event in years prior for a few reasons. Many of my friends who attended previously had special box viewing access thanks to their companies. As far as I’m aware, I was not offered that benefit. On top of that, tickets to the US Open (including access to Arthur Ashe Stadium, the main court) can cost anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars. I did not feel passionate enough about watching tennis to commit to a ticket of that price. Perhaps the biggest reason, though, included the warnings from my friends over the lack of accessibility.
If you’re new here, I have a progressive muscle-weakening condition called Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, which has led to increasing mobility issues over the last several years. For some time, I limped around on my own, prone to the occasional fall. Eventually I had to travel with friends to help with my struggling balance. I then began using a cane to get around, still struggling but making my disability more visible (which welcomes others to provide more support/help/access). Ultimately, I got a power wheelchair, my now preferred method of transportation. While there are still many obstacles to overcome, in my chair I have so much more freedom than when I relied more heavily on my legs.
That being said, I am so glad I did not attend the US Open without my power chair. My friends were correct, it requires a lot of walking (or rolling if you too are on wheels). My recommendation to those with physical limitations is to use a chair if you have the option. You can rent mobility devices from companies like Cloud of Goods, or the US Open provides a limited wheelchair escort service, but it only transports guests from the entry to their seat (read more about this service here https://www.usopen.org/en_US/visit/guests_with_disabilities.html).
In my case, my friend Megan (who also has LGMD) has a car, which my able-bodied boyfriend drove us in. We parked in Lot H at the New York Hall of Science, which included accessibility parking. Megan has an accessibility parking placard, which granted us access to that lot. The staff over there was extremely kind and helpful. We exited our personal vehicle and boarded a WAV (wheelchair accessible van) that had room for the both of us - me in my Jazzy Carbon Ultralight power chair, and her in her Travel Scoot - plus my boyfriend, who sat in the front. The van took us all the way to security at the main entrance to the grounds.
From there, we found a map of the smaller courts and located the wheelchair tennis games (the US Open website posts the daily schedules and court numbers). We watched junior girl’s singles, then moved to a men’s singles match at a bigger court across the way. We arrived around one or two, in between big matches, so the food and drink stalls had massive lines. I escaped into one of the Amex lounges that was blasting AC and had little games and activations, including one where they let me skip the line to get a tennis ball with my initials engraved. They also led us to an elevator that took us to the upstairs part of the lounge, where they had a bar (with zero line) to purchase the famous Honey Duece cocktails.
We stayed into the nighttime, exploring the entirety of the grounds, making friends near the bar (including many other wheelchair users), and watching some pretty incredible wheelchair tennis matches. Most notably, we got to see British partners Gordon Reid (former world No. 1 in singles) and Alfie Hewitt take on Spain’s Martin de la Puente and Ruben Spaargaren of the Netherlands. The Brits won the trophy, but both teams showed fantastic effort. You can watch the highlights of that game here: https://www.usopen.org/index.html#blaze/story/6aa47612255093146f30338d
I also caught some games for parathletes that do not use wheelchairs. I was in awe of the determination of my disabled community and giddy to see such representation.
Now that I have familiarity with the grounds, I would definitely be interested in returning for next year. Final piece of advice if you too are interested in attending the US Open - wear a hat and sunglasses, pack sunscreen and a portable phone charger, attend with a buddy who can help you get around, and ask the staff where the elevators and accessible entrances are. Like many people with disabilities, I was stressed over being in a new environment and worried my experience would be a nightmare, but I truly had the most lovely time.
Watch my video review of the US Open here: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8TmsD4j/
