14 Unique Rules US Open Players and Spectators Must Follow, Including Dress Codes and Bathroom Breaks

Competing in the US Open is a big deal, but so is having the chance to watch the tennis matches that are part of it from the stands.

This means that as the fourth and final Grand Slam tournament of the year continues in August 2025, the players and spectators are required to follow a list of rules and regulations known as the Code of Conduct.

Eric Butorac — then-director of player relations for the United States Tennis Association and former doubles pro — told PEOPLE in August 2023 that “the rules of the sport are the same” for the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open, but they vary for players and guests.

“When it comes to Code of Conduct for players or spectators, definitely Wimbledon would be the most strict,” he said. “They still play in all-white attire. You can’t have any color on your clothing.”

The now-senior director of player relations and business development explained that the US Open differs because of its location.

“We’re definitely a Slam that’s more similar to America,” he added. “We’re the biggest stadium. We pay the most prize money. We’re the loudest. … You come into Arthur Ashe Stadium and it’s people standing and screaming, but that’s sort of iconic to America.”

Here’s everything to know about the US Open rules players and spectators are asked to abide by.

Players must be a certain age to qualify for the US Open

To qualify for the US Open, athletes must be at least 14 years old and meet eligibility requirements. However, there is no maximum age limit. In recent years, young tennis stars have proven that age is just a number.

In 2017, Coco Gauff made her debut at 13 after becoming the youngest player to appear in a US Open junior final. Six years later, she became the first-ever teenager in over 50 years to win the 2023 Western & Southern Open at age 19.

“We definitely see the crazy breakthroughs a little bit more at the really young age on the women’s side a little more than on the men’s side,” Butorac told PEOPLE.

Players don’t have to be world ranked to play in the US Open

Athletes who dream of playing in the US Open do not have to be statistically the best in the world to compete. In fact, there are several routes athletes can take to enter the championship tournament.

The US Open’s singles main draw tournaments have 128 players. While 104 of those players get in directly with their world ranking, 16 are reserved for “Qualifiers” who play their way through the 128-player “Qualifying Tournament,” and eight are reserved for “Wild Cards.”

The Qualifying Tournament is the centerpiece of US Open Fan Week (free for fans to attend), and Wild Cards are entries the tournament gives away.

Players must abide by a specific Code of Conduct

In addition to rules and regulations, athletes competing in the US Open must follow a Player Code of Conduct. The game’s centuries-old traditions largely contribute to the high quality of sportsmanship and expected behavior, including words and actions.

“Players shall conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the etiquette, spirit, sportsmanship, and exemplary standards of behavior expected of the sport,” according to the USCTA Board of Directors.

The Player Code expectations include refraining from using profanity, mistreating or damaging any aspect of the court or equipment, not using banned or inappropriate performance enhancement substances, arriving on time for every match.

Butorac added: “You can’t scream swear words, you can’t break your racket, you can’t hit a ball in anger out of the stadium.” Though he notes that it’s “all up to the judgment of the chair empire.”

Spectators must abide by a Code of Conduct, too

Spectators must comply with the Guest Code of Conduct while at the tournament. This includes not entering any tennis court, wearing shirts and footwear at all times, consuming alcoholic beverages responsibly and lawfully, and not opening umbrellas during play.

If spectators fail to adhere to the US Open Guest Code of Conduct, they will be “subject to ejection without refund and/or possible arrest, and may be prohibited from attending future US Opens,” according to the official US Open website.

Players must follow a specific dress code

“Every player must be dressed in a professional manner for all matches. Clean and customary tennis attire must be worn,” according to the official 2023 US Open Handbook.

If the attire is deemed “not acceptable” in the referee’s “opinion,” they “will have the authority to order the player to change” immediately.

In comparison to Wimbledon, which requires its players to wear almost entirely white, Butorac said the US Open dress code has “nothing to do with colors.” While they “can wear everything as bright as they want,” they “do have to wear clothing from an approved manufacturer.”

He added that “restrictions on your logo size” also exist. “So you could have a Nike logo or an Adidas logo, but it has to be reasonable” in dimensions. “Something like three inches by two inches,” he approximated.

“It can’t be Nike all the way across the front of your chest. It has to just be a standard logo,” Butorac explained. “It’s been that way for many years.”

Spectators must follow a specific dress code, too

Similarly, spectators must abide by a specific dress code. Guests are “forbidden to wear any clothing or accessories with indecent, inappropriate, or offensive messaging or imagery” while attending the US Open.

Members of the ball crew must go through a tryout process 

Of the thousands of applicants who apply to be an official member of the US Open Ball Crew, roughly 300 are selected — and about 200 of them are returning veterans from years prior.

New ball crew members are selected through a vigorous tryout process that takes place in late June. In 2023, 1,200 people applied to try out, but only 100 were selected to work the event. 

Tryouts are intense, requiring extreme concentration, speed, agility and hand-eye coordination. At the very least, applicants must prove that they are capable of moving around the court in a speedy fashion and retrieving tennis balls without interrupting the match.

Members of the ball crew have to be a certain age

Just like US Open players, ball crew members must meet a minimum age limit to apply for the position. The youngest a ball crew member can be is 14 years old; however, there is no upper age limit.

Once selected, ball crew members are paid per hour. (Fun fact: The US Open is the only Grand Slam that pays its ball people!)

Line judges no longer can decide whether balls are ruled in or out

Gone are the days of questionable calls! Since 2021, line calls for every US Open competition have been made electronically, via Hawk-Eye Live, per Reuters.

Human line judges at the tournament have been replaced by optical technology to determine whether a ball is ruled in or out. However, the “out” calls heard are recordings made by real umpires.

“Players love it because it’s super accurate,” Butorac told PEOPLE. “They don’t have to worry about human error or having to challenge a call themselves. They can just reliably know that this is going to happen and it’s going to happen [automatically].”

Players must adhere to specific time constraints prior to the official start of the match

There are specific rules regarding the pace of play to guarantee matches don’t go on too long. Colloquially known as the “1-4-1,” players are expected to adhere to specific time constraints before the official start of the match.

Matches don’t begin the moment players step on the court. They have one minute after they arrive on the court to meet the chair umpire at the net for the coin toss. Then, they’ll get a standard four-minute warmup followed by one more minute to get on the court to start the match.

Time constraints are present during gameplay, but are based on various factors during the match’s flow. Players who don’t abide by the specific times could be penalized with a time violation.

Players are allowed a certain number of bathroom breaks per match

Players are permitted to leave the court to take “toilet breaks,” according to the 2023 Grand Slam Rulebook.

“A player may request permission to leave the court for a toilet break, a change of attire break, or both (authorized break) but for no other reason,” the rulebook reads.

The number of breaks available differs for singles and doubles.

The Grand Slam Rulebook also states that a Line Umpire must “go with a player who takes a toilet, heat or change of attire break to ensure the player does not use the break for any other purposes.” If the rules are violated, the Line Umpire must report it to the Chair Umpire.

Players must be offered access to quiet rooms

The USTA announced a Mental Health Initiative in August 2021 for players competing in the US Open. Part of the initiative included increased mental health resources, such as licensed mental health providers and quiet rooms.

“There’s a quiet lounge that we put right adjacent to the locker rooms that allows for players to have a nap or rest if they have a really late match that night or have a lot of time,” Butorac says. “There’s one room with some beds in it, one room with a bunch of lounge chairs, but just a really quiet space for players to go and relax.”

“We recognize that ensuring the mental health of the players is an area that needed to be addressed, and we are taking formative steps to give athletes the necessary resources to compete at the highest level,” USTA CEO and Executive Director Mike Dowse said at the time.

Men and women players must use the same tennis balls in matches

The 2023 US Open marked the first time men and women players hit the same tennis balls. The adjustment came after multiple women complained in 2022 about hitting inferior products, the Associated Press reported.

“Every year, the WTA informs us of what Wilson US Open ball they would like their athletes to play with,” tournament director Stacey Allaster said at a news conference, per ESPN, at Arthur Ashe Stadium in August 2023. “Last year during the tournament, we had some players that wanted to change the ball.”

Allaster explained that after meeting with the players, she directed them to WTA chairman and CEO Steve Simon and their player council representatives. The decision was made at the end of the 2022 tournament following feedback from players, giving Wilson enough “lead time” to produce the volume of balls needed for the US Open.

The US Open uses more than 100,000 Wilson tennis balls throughout the tournament. “Tennis balls used in a match are changed after the first seven games, and after each subsequent nine games,” according to the official US Open site.

“We had used different balls for the men and women for a lot of years,” Butorac told PEOPLE, with men using extra duty balls in comparison to regular duty balls. “But the women’s players as an organization came to us and they said that they wanted to use Wilson extra-duty balls.”

“So we said, ‘Great, no problem.” He added, “I think it’s a positive thing.”

Men and women players must be paid equally

In 1973, the US Open became the first of the four Grand Slam tournaments — and the first-ever sporting event — to offer equal prize money to men and women competitors, led by the legendary Billie Jean King.

The 2023 US Open marked the 50th anniversary of that benchmark achievement.