Posted by: John S Kiernan

It’s that time of year again. Kids across the country are headed back to school. And the violent grunts of the world’s best tennis players are set to join the Big Apple’s city symphony as play in the 137th US Open commences Aug. 28.

To get you ready for two weeks of tennis bliss, WalletHub explored the ins and outs of America’s major, from the first serve to the champions’ giant checks. After all, there’s never any shortage of storylines bouncing around the hard courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Below, you will find an infographic filled with US Open fun facts, followed by expert commentary on the state of the global tennis industry and predictions for the 2017’s winners.

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Embed on your website<a href="http://ift.tt/2vCj1fE; <img src="//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/posts/23957/2016-us-open-by-the-numbers-fix4.jpg" width="" height="" alt="2016-US-Open-By-The-Numbers-fix4" /> </a> <div style="width:px;font-size:12px;color:#888;">Source: <a href="http://ift.tt/2vjZLsi; Ask The Experts: Let’s Talk Tennis

Think we'd let you watch the U.S. Open without predictions for this year's champions or additional explanation of some of the numbers you're still trying to digest? Not a chance. We've asked a panel of experts in various fields to give readers the lowdown on several tennis-related topics. Click on the experts' profiles to read their bios and responses to the following key questions:

• How does the US Open’s economic impact compare to that of other major sporting events?
• Do you believe that tickets for the US Open are overpriced (given that a full pass starts at $2,125)?
• What are the biggest issues facing the business of professional tennis?
• Who do you think will win the Men’s and Women’s Singles titles?

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• Ted Peetz Assistant Professor in the Department of Sport Science and Director of the Sport Administration Program at Belmont University
• Summer Zwanziger Elsinger Associate Professor of Management and Marketing at Upper Iowa University
• Srdan Zdravkovic Associate Professor of Marketing at Bryant University
• Lee Ann Walker Academic Program Manager - MBA for Marketing in the Malcolm Baldrige School of Business at Post University
• Patrick Rishe Director of the Sports Business Program & Senior Lecturer of Management at Washington University in Saint Louis, and Founder and President of the sports consulting firm Sportsimpacts
• Glenn Steimling Associate Professor of Kinesiology at William Penn University
• Gerald Kissel Assistant Professor of Sports Management in the Department of Business at Briar Cliff University
• Galen T. Trail Professor of Sport Administration & Leadership at Seattle University

Ted Peetz Assistant Professor in the Department of Sport Science and Director of the Sport Administration Program at Belmont University How does the US Open’s economic impact compare to that of other major sporting events? I tend to be skeptical of most economic impact studies, since methodology and calculations can vary greatly. I do feel the US Open has unique factors that attribute to it having major impacts, when compared to some other large sporting events. For example, the US Open occurs every year in the same location, compared to a Super Bowl or other annual events that change locations, therefore it has a reoccurring impact for New York City. It also takes a longer amount of time to compete (2 weeks) than most other events. It appears that the generally agreed upon estimated economic impact of the US Open hovers around $750 million, so whatever way you analyze it, there is no questioning that it is a major sporting event. Do you believe that tickets for the US Open are overpriced (given that a full pass starts at $2,125)? The pricing for the full pass may appear outrageous and would create a justifiable case of “sticker shock” for a casual fan, however the full menu of ticket options seems to be priced appropriately, given the market. When examining the pricing for the event, you need to consider the audience that is being targeted. Is a $2,000+ per ticket package attractive to a family of four? Of course not, but for a businessperson looking for a unique way to impress clients, this price point may be more attractive than a full-priced suite or hospitality tent at another sporting event. You could also look at the full pass as a sort of season ticket package, since the US Open occurs over a two-week span. If a passionate tennis fan wanted to fully embrace this pass, they would essentially be watching non-stop tennis for two weeks straight. When broken down on a day-by-day or match-by-match level, its value comes into better focus. Ultimately, the old adage “charge what the market will bear” seems to be in play here, since all ticket options for the event are sold out. What are the biggest issues facing the business of professional tennis? Star power. If you were to ask a causal sport fan to name the #5 rank player in the world (men or women) most wouldn’t have a clue. Sure, Rodger Federer and Serena Williams are global sport icons, but to the average sport fan, the current list of tennis stars isn’t very long. Another area that is an issue to every sport is finding ways to attract a younger audience, and getting more youth involved to grow your spectator and participant base for years to come. Who do you think will win the Men’s and Women’s Singles titles? I’ll go with the two Spaniards -- Nadal and Muguruza. Summer Zwanziger Elsinger Associate Professor of Management and Marketing at Upper Iowa University How does the US Open’s economic impact compare to that of other major sporting events? The Midwest is very removed from the economic impact of the US Open. The choice to follow tennis must be very intentional, thus the target audience is smaller and more specialized. Although the cost to attend the US Open is high, the population participating is smaller than, say, football Super Bowl attendance and viewing. There are only six professional tennis teams in the U.S. (with most in the American public not knowing), unlike a NFL or NBA team. The only level that tennis is played at in Iowa is recreationally and at some colleges within the state. Those that recreationally play, are concentrated in urban areas, as there are not courts in rural areas. Iowa does not have any professional sports teams, thus the main sport revenue source is college football, most notably the Iowa Hawkeyes. Do you believe that tickets for the US Open are overpriced (given that a full pass starts at $2,125)? Do tickets sell out at full ticket price? If not, the hypotheses would be the tickets are overpriced. The US Open runs for two full weeks, realistically most working adults do not have that much vacation time to utilize attend. Single session ticket purchase is much more likely to occur, based on constraints of work schedule. In general, tennis, like polo, rowing, or lacrosse, are considered posh (aka high socioeconomic sports), based on who has access to play in the U.S. This is different in the UK for example, while I lived Glasgow (which is still one of the highest per capita for those receiving government assistance — aka “living on the dole” in the UK), there was multiple public tennis courts around the city. My current relevance to tennis is the tennis team at the college where I teach -- almost the entire roster is composed of international players (and coach for that matter). What are the biggest issues facing the business of professional tennis?

• Reaching the public in a meaningful or mainstream manner;

• Maintaining (for the long term) a loyal follower base;

• Education on the sport of tennis, how to score, history;

• Starting interest in the sport at a young age, and then have school teams or clubs available for kids to participate in.

Who do you think will win the Men’s and Women’s Singles titles? Roger Federer and Garbiñe Muguruza (would like to see Venus pull out the win though). Srdan Zdravkovic Associate Professor of Marketing at Bryant University How does the US Open’s economic impact compare to that of other major sporting events? Although US Open is a niche event that appeals to a smaller segment of sport fans (than four major sports in the U.S.), it is a two-week event that is followed all around the world and has a profound impact on New York City metro economy. This two-week event contributes to temporary employment of a large number of support personnel needed to run the event, and accumulates revenue for the hotel and hospitality industry in the area. While it is not on the same level as the Olympics or the World Cup in terms of revenue generation, US Open benefits from sponsor involvement and TV rights sold to networks all over the world. This revenue raise contributes to improvements in facilities, increasing prize money given to the athletes, and providing a spectacle for an audience who has been attending the event in the record numbers in recent years. Do you believe that tickets for the US Open are overpriced (given that a full pass starts at $2,125)? The price of anything lives between two levels -- the lowest price at which a product or service is offered should ideally cover the cost associated with bringing the service to the market. The highest price is driven by consumer demand and, as long as record numbers of visitors are coming to the US Open, demand seems to be there for tickets that are $2,125 or higher. As I mentioned before, this is a global event, and the consumer segment coming to New York to watch the US Open might not be price sensitive. In other words, the demand for tickets has been inelastic, which justifies high ticket prices. What are the biggest issues facing the business of professional tennis? As with any other professional sport, human factor (athletes) present one of the biggest issues. It is uncertain whether Andy Murray or Novak Djokovic will be competing this year due to injuries. Due to the large follower base of these two athletes (and others who might not be there), attendance and TV viewership might be down. Who do you think will win the Men’s and Women’s Singles titles? On men’s side Nadal is back at number one, but young players like Dimitrov, Zverev, or Kyrgios could reach the top. On women’s side, Muguruza looks good, but Svitolina or Pliskova could do it as well. Lee Ann Walker Academic Program Manager - MBA for Marketing in the Malcolm Baldrige School of Business at Post University How does the US Open’s economic impact compare to that of other major sporting events? I believe it generates revenue on a larger scale than many other leading sports, simply because of the length of the tournament. For example, if you attended the Super Bowl this year, you likely only stayed a couple of days, but the US Open is a longer event, thus giving it a bigger opportunity to impact the economy. Do you believe that tickets for the US Open are overpriced (given that a full pass starts at $2,125)? This is supply and demand. I don’t see it as being a matter of being overpriced, because someone is willing to pay for it. Consumers make purchasing decisions when the value outweighs the price. If no one goes, the prices will decrease. What are the biggest issues facing the business of professional tennis? The same as it is for all businesses with competition, being able to attract young talent with competitive pay who, may decide that playing for the NBA, NFL, Indy, or MLB offers greater opportunity -- even if they are not starters. Who do you think will win the Men’s and Women’s Singles titles? I recall seeing Federer and Kerber as names to know in tennis. Patrick Rishe Director of the Sports Business Program & Senior Lecturer of Management at Washington University in Saint Louis, and Founder and President of the sports consulting firm Sportsimpacts How does the US Open’s economic impact compare to that of other major sporting events? Economic impact of a sporting event is driven by:

• How many non-local visitors are there (in this case, how many from outside of New York City area)?

• How long is their visit?

• How much do they spend?

• Is their primary reason for visiting the area due to the event in question?

Well, compared to many sporting events on the calendar, the US Open checks all the boxes:

• It's a 2-week event, and there are many international stars competing.

• Both the number of non-local visitors coming through the turnstiles and the percentage of attendees from outside of the New York City-area is going to be much larger than, say, for a typical MLB, NFL, NHL, or NBA game. Plus, tons of domestic and international media members covering the action, so this too adds to Econ Impact (after all, in some cases, these folks are there for the entire 2 weeks, paying for hotels etc.).

• Tennis is a more affluent sport than your typical sport, so this attracts socioeconomic groups that are more likely to spend big bucks while in town

• For most of these non-locals, their primary reason for their trip is to take in the tennis, even though they will obviously spend time/money elsewhere in NY during the tournament.

Do you believe that tickets for the US Open are overpriced (given that a full pass starts at $2,125)? Considering that it's a 2-week tournament, and most days there are both daytime and evening sessions, that's over 20 sessions of tennis at that price point, so a little over $100. So, I would say "no." The Open has continued to make their venue attractive with stadium and other facility upgrades, and their attendances continue to be strong. Doesn't appear they've reached any kind of tipping point just yet. What are the biggest issues facing the business of professional tennis? From the perspective of the business of professional tennis in America, TV ratings concern me, which in turn, can impact sponsorships -- lack of American stars. What happens in the sport when the Williams sisters and Federer and Nadal go away, which could all happen within the next 2-3 years? Where is the next American superstar? Glenn Steimling Associate Professor of Kinesiology at William Penn University How does the US Open’s economic impact compare to that of other major sporting events? It is a very unique event in the U.S., as it the only one of the four tennis Grand Slam events that is played in the U.S. Additionally, it is held every year at the same venue (unlike the golf US Open, Super Bowl, NBA, NHL & MLB and unlike other major pro events last a full two weeks). While single-day attendance numbers will not match a golf championship or football bowl game, the number of ticketed seats and ground passes for the fortnight greatly exceed a one-day event. Given the draw of being in the New York City metro area, with a large population base in driving distance, and with countless other things to do in New York City for out-of-town fans in the evenings (and if a day is to be rained-out), it is truly a destination event for every tennis fan. Do you believe that tickets for the US Open are overpriced (given that a full pass starts at $2,125)? While a face value of $2,125 appears steep, over the 24 sessions it averages out to under $100 per. For a major professional sporting event, that is a very competitive price, and coupled with the opportunity to add-on additional benefits, it is quite reasonable. What are the biggest issues facing the business of professional tennis? The ones that come to mind for me are:

• Lack of top U.S. male player/talent;

• Absence (temporary) of Serena Williams;

• Plateau of participation numbers in the U.S.;

• Length of time for 5-set matches;

• Competition for fans, TV rating, and advertising dollars.

Who do you think will win the Men’s and Women’s Singles titles? Men -- Federer looked good at Wimbledon, Murray & Nadal had poor results for them, which I expect them to rebound from, and Djokovic is out. Call me sentimental, but I’d like to see Federer take another Slam title. Women -- With Serena out, the field is quite open. Among the top ranked players, I think Kerber has the game to win, but Halep and Svitolina have played well recently. Madison Keys and Coco Vandeweghe have both had good results at Wimbledon, and would be a home-crowd favorite, and which Venus will show-up? I’m going off the deep-end here and picking Wozniacki to finally break through. Gerald Kissel Assistant Professor of Sports Management in the Department of Business at Briar Cliff University Do you believe that tickets for the US Open are overpriced (given that a full pass starts at $2,125)? What are the biggest issues facing the business of professional tennis? I honestly do not think that ticket prices mean anything anymore. If you are a golf fan, you will pay it --the non-fan will not; doesn’t matter. As for tennis -- it needs stars that can be household names. Again, true fans will follow the sport, casual fans will not. Both gold and tennis experience the current problem of being too long -- does not fit the pattern. Right now, women’s tennis is more marketable than men’s tennis. No American stars at the men’s level that are household names. Galen T. Trail Professor of Sport Administration & Leadership at Seattle University Do you believe that tickets for the US Open are overpriced (given that a full pass starts at $2,125)? I have two answers for this question. The first, from an open-market perspective, is that the Open should charge whatever the market will bear. However, from a social justice perspective, I would argue that doing so prices most people out of the market, and may prevent market growth in the long run, plus the Open is preventing anyone without the financial means of attending from doing so. However, the counterargument to that is that most people consume the Open through media in one way or another instead of attending, so the price of the pass doesn’t really matter, and it won’t impact the overall fandom of the Open. What are the biggest issues facing the business of professional tennis? One of the biggest issues is identifying how people will consume the sport product in the future. Will people still want to attend in the venue at high prices, or are they willing to forgo the ambience of the venue and watch the game through media? If so, how? Using what devices? What type of service? Where will they consume? As consumption patterns change, where will the revenues come from? The second issue is how to keep the best players on the field/court so that the fan receives the best possible product. Injury rate and games missed continue to deprive fans of the best players. Also, coaches holding players out for rest (e.g., Popovich and the Spurs) also impacts whether people are willing to pay for a lower-quality product. These two are a couple of the biggest issues in my view. Who do you think will win the Men’s and Women’s Singles titles? I think Federer will win the men’s. For the women’s, I have no idea. I think it is wide open. I would like to think Vandeweghe has improved enough to be competitive, but I not sure she has what it takes. How about Sharapova through the wildcard?

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