The US Open will be going high tech this year. The annual tennis tournament, now in its 125th year, will be the first Grand Slam to introduce the electronic line calling technology and player challenge system during its opening game. Its benefits will include improving officiating for players, by adding instant replay technology and player challenges. Instant replay was used during the Nasdaq-100 Open, but only on the stadium court. Such extras will also add interest and excitement to audience viewing, both in-house and at-home. Fans will be interested to see how this new feature will change the flow of the game. The 2-week US Open, which will begin Aug. 28, consists of five major championships: the men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles and mixed doubles. Qualifying tournaments will run Aug. 22-25. Many changes have been made to the competition since its inception in 1881. It was first held in Rhode Island, eventually making the way to its current home in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. Additionally, the strict men-only rules were banished, allowing women to take part in the challenge in 1887. Declared the highest attended annual sporting event, the record hit an all time high in 2005 with 659,538 fans. The previous record, 20,000, was established in 2001. |
