FLUSHING, N.Y., March 23, 2020 – The USTA today announced that following an extensive RFP process, Laykold has been selected as the new court surface for the US Open and the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The new agreement is in place for five years. The 2020 US Open begins on Monday, August 24 with US Open Fan Week and the US Open Qualifying Tournament. The Main Draw of the 2020 US Open runs from August 31, through September 13.
The new Laykold courts will be manufactured by Advanced Polymer Technology (APT), a member of Sport Group, the world’s largest business dedicated to sports surfaces. APT is unique in the industry for its fully integrated global supply chain – from raw materials to installation. This integrated supply chain will allow for the consistency in court quality control, playing performance and sustainability. Laykold courts are the only courts with vapor barrier designed specifically for the court system, which also greatly increases consistency in both court performance and court speed.
The Laykold courts also come with the strongest environment credentials in the industry. APT is the only ISO 14001 environmental-certified court manufacturer in the world. As such, they are fully compliant with all aspects of sustainability and aligned with the USTA’s sustainability commitments and values.
“At the conclusion of the complete transformation of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, we felt it was time to explore all new approaches and technologies to court surfacing,” said Danny Zausner, Chief Operating Officer of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. “During this exploration, Laykold quickly rose to the top, and working with them, we are confident we will have the best-playing and best-performing courts in the world.”
“Laykold has been trusted in the tennis court industry for 75 years and to add the US Open to our roster of major events around the world is a landmark moment for us,” said Jim Sacco, Chief Operating Officer of Advanced Polymer Technology. “We have been waiting for an opportunity to showcase our quality at the world’s biggest tennis tournament, and we are delighted to have been chosen. We are grand slam ready.”
Laykold also provides court surfaces for many professional tennis events and professional tennis exhibitions around the world, including the Miami Open and New York Open. The USTA has previously utilized Laykold at three Fed Cup ties held in the United States.
Sport Group
Employing over 1,900 people and operating in 70 countries, Sport Group is the largest business dedicated to sports surfaces. Sport Group’s global businesses include AstroTurf, Polytan and APT. Sport Group’s global product brands are market leaders; LigaTurf (soccer) is used at FIFA headquarters, Rekortan (tracks) is used at the most Diamond League venues and Poligras (field hockey) has been used at 7 Olympic Games including Tokyo 2020, Laykold (courts) is used at the US Open, Miami Open, New York Open, and Fed Cups.
Advanced Polymer Technology (APT)
A member of Sport Group, APT is a global manufacturer of sport surfaces including Laykold (acrylic courts) and LigaTurf and Poligras (synthetic turf). From Olympic stadiums to community facilities, APT creates safe, reliable, high performance surfaces. APT is an advanced chemical company, with research and development undertaken by chemists working with sports professionals to establish the specific characteristics required to assist athletes in performing at their very best.
Laykold
Manufactured by APT, Laykold is Sport Group’s global court brand. It is the choice of premier tennis facilities across the world, including the Miami Open (since 1985), the New York Open, Fed Cup, and from 2020 the US Open and Western Southern Open. The Laykold range includes a wide variety of hard court, cushion court, and turf systems. Laykold is the only court brand with gel technology, these courts provide greater force reduction and are made from 60% renewal materials.
USTA
The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level — from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization with more than 655,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, one of the highest-attended annual sporting events in the world, and launched the US Open Series, linking seven summer WTA and ATP World Tour tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns approximately 90 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S. and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA’s philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, provides grants and scholarships in addition to supporting tennis and education programs nationwide to benefit under-resourced youth through the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network. For more information about the USTA, go to USTA.com or follow the official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat.
For more information, contact:
Chris Widmaier, USTA Communications, (914) 696-7284, widmaier@usta.com
Jessica McManus, Laykold Marketing Manager, +1 724 452 3034, mcmanus@advpolytech.com
