Celebrities have descended upon New York’s Flushing Meadows in the Queens neighborhood of New York City to experience the U.S. Open, the country’s most elite tennis tournament.
Of course, the U.S. Open is always a star-studded affair, but this year’s tournament is particularly special as it marks Serena Williams’ final competition at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center before hanging up her racket for retirement. (As of press time, the 23-time Grand Slam winner has advanced to the third round of the tournament, defeating Anett Kontaveit, who is currently ranked as the No. 2 player in the world.)
“I have never liked the word ‘retirement,’ Williams said in her recent cover story for Vogue. “It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. I’ve been thinking of this as a transition … Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is ‘evolution.’ I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.”
Drawing all kinds of famous faces to the player’s box, Serena will be competing with her sister Venus Williams in the women’s doubles bracket, which begins Thursday night (Sept. 1) inside the famed Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Other tennis greats who’ve already advanced in this year’s Open include Coco Gauff, Victoria Azarenka, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Matteo Berrettini and more. Meanwhile, everyone from Offset and Zendaya to Hugh Jackman and Queen Latifah have been cheering (and sometimes politely watching) from the stands.
Check out Billboard’s gallery for a look at all the celebs hitting this year’s U.S. Open.
