The Arthur Ashe Stadium will raise the roof with some of the best action tennis has to offer at the US Open.The jewel in the crown of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre was opened in 1997 and is now one of the best venues in the sport.The Arthur Ashe Stadium now has a roof to protect against inclement weatherGettyHowever, arriving at the success of the current venue hasn’t been straightforward, with numerous delays and hiccups along the way.In 1978, US Open organisers ended their 68-year run holding the annual event at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills.It was relocated to the 1,200-acre plot of land now known as Flushing Meadows, which was once a swampy marshland before its extensive renovations to accommodate the 1939 New York World’s Fair.The 1964 edition of the latter brought with it the construction of the Louis Armstrong Stadium, which later served as the US Open’s primary venue from 1978 until 1997.The Arthur Ashe Stadium then ushered in a new era for the Grand Slam, becoming the world’s largest purpose-built tennis stadium.The 23,771-capacity arena boasted 90 luxurious suites and five top-tier restaurants, and cost $254million, as per the New York Times.But its sheer size, combined with the site’s swamp-like soil, meant initially it was feared that constructing a roof wouldn’t be feasible.Such a roof would need to be large, but lightweight to avoid loads on the existing structure, while simultaneously being watertight.In contrast, smaller Grand Slam courts at the Australian Open and Wimbledon were able to debut roofs in 1988 and 2009, respectively.By 2012, rain delays had forced a rethink after the US Open’s men’s singles final was pushed back a day for a fifth straight year.Murray beat Djokovic in the 2012 US Open final to win his first Grand Slam on a Monday after weather delays the day beforeGettyArthur Ashe Stadium roofClosing the top of Ashe Stadium became the centrepiece of a monster $600m renovation plan with a $150m retractable roof.6,500 tons of steel are coated in a lightweight and durable Teflon-coated fibreglass membrane fabric (PTFE).It then requires special engineering to support the 520-square-foot square steel roof without adding additional weight to the venue.Steel piles run around 175 feet deep to deal with the soil, with Jon Disbrow, the principle architect on the project, telling Popular Mechanics: “They go through the terrible soil to bedrock and get filled with concrete. “They are spanning vertically through all that old organic soil and ash, and debris to get down to support the structure and make it stable.”The retractable roof was welcomed by tennis greats when it was added in 2016Two years later, a second retractable roof was added to the Louis Armstrong StadiumGettyArthur Ashe Stadium upgrades under $800m planNearly a decade later, the Arthur Ashe Stadium is undergoing another major upgrade as part of an $800m (£592m) project.A new player performance centre will cost $250million (£185m) and is expected to be opened in time for the 2027 edition of the US Open.Director of Professional Tennis Operations and Player Relations at the United States Tennis Association (USTA), Eric Butorac, told the Nothing Major podcast: “For the fans, we are going to totally redo Arthur Ashe Stadium from the seating bowl side.“The suites are going to move. There is going to be new court-side seats for 2026, and then they will have some club spaces in 2027.”Arthur Ashe Stadium is hallowed ground in tennisGettyOn the changes already implemented for the 2025 US Open, Butorac added: “There are a couple of new touches this year.“There’s a bar on Court 17, between Courts 16 and 17. You can see into 17 and have a great view.“It’s something we are trying this year, and we could use that at some other points throughout the venue next year.”The 145th edition of the US Open will officially get underway on Sunday with the start of the singles draws.