Travel Tips and Advice for the ATP Masters 1000 in Cincinnati, US.
The Cincinnati Open, or Cincinnati Masters, is the third largest tennis tournament in the U.S. It’s is part of the ATP Masters 1000 events and one of the Premier 5 events for the WTA players.
This is a highly recommended tennis event to visit for several reasons. You’ll get to see plenty of the biggest names in tennis, but it’s a smaller and more affordable event compared to the US Open or other Grand Slams at a really nice venue, the Lindner Family Tennis Center.
Let’s look a bit more in details at this tournament along with our advice that will come handy before planning your trip.
The Tournament
This year, the Cincinnati Open will take place from 11th to 19th Aug, 2024.
This hard-court event has been held for 125 years, one of the oldest tennis tourneys in the states and still in its original city. Now it’s just changed back to its original name (was previously known as the Western & Southern Open or W&S Open).
It is played on outdoor hard courts and the tournament is played as a best of three sets for both the ATP and WTA.
The defending singles champions from 2023 are Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff, following final victories over Carlos Alcaraz and Karolina Muchova.
Players in 2024
Basically all the top ranked players will be competing at the Cincinnati Open once again, including Sinner, Alcaraz, Djokovic, Swiatek and Sabalenka. For a complete list of players, check here.
Location
The venue is located north-east of the city (Mason, OH), a nice and safe area in Cincinnati and around 40 min drive from the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
Overall it’s easy to travel around in this area but if you still want a hotel within a mile or so from the venue, be prepared to pay a hefty price.
Tickets
We recommend buying tickets from the ticket section of the official website. There are choices between Single Sessions, Full Series Packages, Mini Plan Packages or other luxury/VIP packages.
As of writing, 4th Aug 2024, not all tickets types are available. From the official site; “Center Court is sold out for 10 of the event’s 16 sessions. In addition, Grandstand is sold out for four of 13 sessions.”
The Venue and Grounds
The Lindner Family Tennis Center features 17 courts, including the Center Court taking 11,614 spectators. The P&G Grandstand, Holcim Stadium 3 and Court 10 are the other permanent stadiums and among the 8 match courts.
For the Center Court, you can get in and out during the matches, but you will need your tickets every time you want to get in. It’s a very well planned stadium and even from the highest seats, the view is quite good. This means you won’t have to go for the most expensive tickets.
We highly recommend trying the other smaller, outer courts as well as there are still very good matches and you’ll get closer to the action there!
Overall, it’s a very nice area with super-helpful volunteers and beautiful surroundings. The whole event area is very well kept and clean. I would also say it’s family friendly as there are many outdoor activities for children around the venues.
Another feature is free water fountains and even sun-cream dispensers for all visitors.
Parking
With certain ticket packages, you will get a parking pass. There is also a free, public parking available, quite a distance from the courts, but with golf cart shuttles taking you to the entrance.
Food and Drink
Well, this is the one area that this event can surely improve. There’s a food court with plenty of options for food. However, as it often is at these big events, the food is not fantastic, rather expensive and there can be, at times, long waiting in queue. For Box seat ticket holders the situation is much different, with access to bars and food with less people.
What to bring?
Bring a water bottle that you can fill up around the grounds for free. Also make sure to have a cap/hat, sunglasses and comfortable shoes to walk around in. We recommend having your tickets always nearby as they are needed at certain places around the courts, especially when exiting and entering the main court.
Note that all bags will go through a complete and thorough search at the entrance, and that backpacks are not allowed. Some of the items not allowed into the venue is: large flags, alcoholic drinks, bottles/cans, food, professional video cameras, animals, tennis racquets etc.
Other Tips when going to “Cincy”?
- Keep updated via the official app and website
- Check out the interactive fan zone
- For any baseball fans, check if Cincinnati Reds are playing a home game
- Try to arrive earlier than first play time (usually at 11.00) to avoid a lot of people
- It’s not unusual with rain here so bring towel/umbrella if needed
- Schedule of play-sheets is usually available at the information desk near the entrance
- Try the Marriott hotel in Mason if you want to “bump into” one of the players, as they often stay there during the event
If you have visited the Cincinnati Open event, make sure to give us your thoughts and comments below!
