Tennis and vodka, a business of more than 5 million in New York

New York, tennis and… vodka. The ‘Honey Deuce’ cocktail turned out to be a perfect deal for the US Open, where Carlitos Alcaraz amplifies passions. Its price rises every year more than American inflation. It costs 20% more than last year and despite 22 dollars per cup, it is estimated that the tournament will sell more than 250,000 in this edition for a profit of more than 5.5 million dollars.

Vodka, raspberry liqueur and lemonade, with three balls of frozen melon to symbolize tennis balls. Since its introduction in 2007, more than one million ‘Honey Deuce’s’ have been sold and this year there will be more than 9,000 liters of vodka in glasses. The restoration, along with millions in sponsorship deals, is turning the US Open into a money-making machine. Players benefit from these deals with a record prize pool of over $60 million.

There is no shortage of culinary opportunities in Flushing Meadows, with forty bars and restaurants serving food and drink for all tastes. The common denominator is the high prices: $22 for a cocktail, $14.50 for a beer, $10 for a hot dog.

PRICES WILL INCREASE BETWEEN 10% AND 20%

This year, also due to record inflation in the United States, prices for food and drinks in Flushing Meadows have increased between 10% and 20%.

Honey Deuce’s popular vodka-based cocktail, a Flushing Meadows court favorite, is on sale for $22 this year. In 2021 it is worth twenty and previously it was sold for 18.

Since they were first launched in 2007, more than one million Honey Deuces have been sold in Flushing Meadows, recording remarkable sales increases every year, according to data published by ‘Forbes’. Last year more than 250,000 cocktails were sold, for a total of more than 9,000 liters of vodka, and this trend has increased in this edition.

For the most demanding tastes, lunch or dinner based on oysters and champagne can also be enjoyed in one of the Arthur Ashe boxes. A half-dozen oysters sell for $31 and champagne is $32 a glass.

In a city known for its high cost of living, prices in Flushing Meadows stand out as very high. The price of a Honey Deuce is comparable to a cocktail at the Four Seasons in midtown Manhattan, one of the most luxurious hotels in the city.

CADILLAC REPLACED MERCEDES

In 2021, the tournament exceeded 100 million dollars in revenues generated by sponsorship contracts and this edition, the first since 2019 without the limitations caused by the coronavirus pandemic, appears richer due to the signing of new millionaire agreements.

One of the most famous is the “several-year” contract signed with the American car manufacturer Cadillac, after the Mercedes sponsorship contract, valid since 2009, expired. Economic data did not appear on the new agreement with Cadillac, but it deals with numbers that are around eight figures: the German house paid an amount more than 9 million dollars per year.

Cadillac, which recently launched its first line of electric cars, has its logo online and also opened a 3,000-square-foot showroom in Flushing Meadows.

The list of sponsors does not lack the usual Rolex, JP Morgan, American Express or Emirates Airways and they are joined by Moderna biotechnology, one of the main producers of vaccines against the coronavirus.

RECORD NUMBERS ON THE STANDS AND ON TV

The announcement of Serena Williams’ retirement in early August, the return of Rafa Nadal after three years and the spectacular rise of Carlos Alcaraz, one of the local fans’ favourites, raised the prospect for This US Open and the Number of fans in the stands and the spectators are being recorded. high.

The three rounds played by Serena Williams, all televised in prime time in the United States, were the most watched on the “ESPN” network, owners of the rights, with a peak of five million viewers in the second round against Estonian Anett Kontaveit .

$50,000 FOR A BOX IN THE FINAL

The American legend said goodbye on Friday when she fell to Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic, but each of her fights has been a huge event. Seeing his “last dances” is expensive: more than 700 dollars on average in digital sales applications to sit in Arthur Ashe.

Both tickets cost half as much until last July, when Williams’ intention to retire from tennis was not yet known.

There are almost no tickets left to attend the women’s final, on Saturday, and the men’s final, on Sunday, with prices reaching up to $50,000 for boxes on digital sales platforms.

There is no doubt that the grand finale will be another catwalk for celebrities, when politicians like Bill Clinton, athletes like Lindsey Vonn or Tiger Woods, filmmakers like Spike Lee, among many others, will parades in the honor boxes of an annual contest. still raising the level of excesses.