Iconic Images of the U.S. Open

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Aug 26, 2013

Iconic Images of the U.S. Open

Althea Gibson

Althea Gibson serves during the 1956 Open at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills. Gibson won two Opens in singles (1957, '58) and one in doubles (1957).

Ken Rosewall

Ken Rosewall slices a backhand during the Finals of the '56 U.S. Open. The Australian would go on to win the match, his first of two Open championships (1970).

Tracy Austin

Tracy Austin, 14, was the star at the 1977 Open, advancing all the way to the quarterfinals before losing to Betty Stove.

Chris Evert Lloyd

Chris Evert Lloyd strikes a backhand during a quarterfinal match at the 1980 U.S. Open. Lloyd would go on to capture the title, marking her fifth of six Open championships.

Bjorn Borg

Bjorn Borg takes a break during his 1980 championship match against John McEnroe.

John McEnroe

John McEnroe lets the crowd know he is No. 1 during a break in action at the 1981 U.S. Open.

Guillermo Vilas

Guillermo Vilas of Argentina strikes a forehand during the '82 Open.

Chris Evert Lloyd and Martina Navratilova

Longtime rivals Chris Evert Lloyd and Martina Navratilova embrace at the net after Navratilova beat Lloyd for the '83 title. It was the first of her four U.S. Open championships.

Martina Navratilova

Navratilova defeated Chris Evert in the final of the 1994 U.S. Open, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. It was her sixth consecutive Grand Slam singles title.

Boris Becker

Boris Becker serves during the '85 Open. Becker, who had captured the world's attention by winning Wimbledon earlier that summer at 17, won his only Open title in 1989.

Ivan Lendl

Four-time Open champion Ivan Lendl reaches for a forehand during the1985 tournament. The Czechoslovakia native won that year and the next two.

Yannick Noah

France's Yannick Noah serves during a quarterfinal match at the '85 Open.

Andre Agassi

Image is everything, at least that was Andre Agassi's mantra early in his career. In this photo, the Las Vegas native strikes a forehand during an early-round match at the 1990 U.S. Open.

Jennifer Capriati

Fourteen-year-old Jennifer Capriati became a household name during the 1990 U.S. Open, where she advanced to the fourth round before bowing out.

Jimmy Connors

At 39, Jimmy Connors stole the show at the '91 Open, where he battled a bad back and reached the semifinal before falling to Jim Courier.

Monica Seles

Seles retained her women's title in the 1992 Open, defeating fifth-seeded Arantxa Sánchez Vicario of Spain 6-3, 6-3. It was her sixth Grand Slam title in the previous eight events.

Pete Sampras

Pete Sampras, 22, displays his trophy after winning his second U.S. Open.

Arantxa Sanchez Vicario

Arantxa Sanchez Vicario earned her only U.S. Open title in '94, becoming the first woman from Spain to win the event.

Steffi Graf

Steffi Graf during the awards ceremony at the 1995 U.S. Open.

Michael Chang

Michael Chang lunges for a forehand during the '96 Open. Chang, who won the 1989 French Open at 17, reached the finals in 1996 before falling to Pete Sampras.

Serena Williams

Serena created a stir when she competed in this cat suit at the 2002 U.S. Open.

Andy Roddick

Andy Roddick embraces the championship trophy after defeating Juan Carlos Ferrero for his only Grand Slam victory.

Venus and Serena Williams

Venus & Serena Williams strike a pose at the annual Arthur Ashe Kids Day prior to the start of the 2004 U.S. Open.

Andre Agassi

One of only five men to win all four Grand Slams, Agassi called it a career after losing in the third round of the 2006 U.S. Open. He won eight Grand Slam titles and 52 other tournaments and, in 2003, became the oldest man to be ranked No. 1 in the world.

Arthur Ashe Stadium

The grounds crew washes down the court during a break in the action.

Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova is the picture of happiness after capturing the 2006 U.S. Open.

Serena Williams

Williams reacts after defeating Jelena Jankovic to win the 2008 title.

Kim Clijsters

Kim Clijsters celebrated the 2010 with her daughter, Jada. Clijsters became the first mom to win the title since 1980 and did so by prevailing in her third tournament back from retirement.

Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal rejoices after winning his first U.S. Open title. The victory also gave him a Career Slam.

Andy Murray

Andy Murray became the first British man in 76 years to win a Grand Slam singles titles by getting past Novak Djokovic 7-6 (10), 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2.