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\n Shush! The group that runs the U.S. Open would like to keep the area quiet \u2014 at least during matches.
\n Photo: Bruce Bennett\/Getty Images\n <\/p>\n
Tennis is posh. Casinos are crass. So it seemed inevitable that the group that runs the U.S. Open would clash over something when it came to Steve Cohen\u2019s plan for a casino just across from Flushing Meadows. Now, just days before<\/a> the board tasked with making final decisions on the three available licenses will tour the site, the U.S. Tennis Association is suing the city<\/a>. USTA wants a judge to block the city from making any kind of agreement with Cohen\u2019s Metropolitan Park<\/a> casino \u2014 at least, not until a judge makes sure its own contract with the city isn\u2019t being stomped on. \u201cThe threat of serious damage to the US Open and the National Tennis Center is now both real and potentially disastrous,\u201d per the suit.<\/p>\n \n Citi Field, just across the park from the tennis center, could soon get livelier. The problem, according to the USTA, is its 99-year lease with the city gives it some control over the area during its annual tournament \u2014\u00a0a so-called superiority clause (really) that bars competing events (other than Mets games) and gives it access to some parking spots and control over marketing and concessions in the park. If it\u2019s difficult to imagine 23 days without events at the proposed casino, that\u2019s because the project is backed by Hard Rock Entertainment, a\u00a0brand that revolves around, well, rock. The proposed casino is being pitched<\/a> as bringing the area \u201c365 Days of Entertainment\u201d with a new music venue that may be too close for comfort.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Also in the suit: USTA claims it asked the city for the right to look over the potential lease to make sure its rights are upheld, but the city refused \u2014\u00a0telling the tennis association to wait for the next administration, which, of course, takes office after this will all shake out. That felt disingenuous to USTA, per the lawsuit, which says it \u201cconfirms that that the City has threatened to \u2014 and intends to \u2014 default on its obligation.\u201d (Glass houses, perhaps<\/a>?) USTA has been burned \u2014\u00a0or almost \u2014 before, it claims in the suit: \u201cIn February 2025, in violation of the NTC\u2019s Lease rights, QBC announced that musician Billy Joel would perform at Citi Field on August 21, 2025, during the US Open.\u201d (Fate stepped in, thankfully<\/a>. Per the suit, \u201cMr. Joel took ill.\u201d)<\/p>\n The group isn\u2019t opposed to a casino in general, according to what a spokesman told Crain\u2019s. But the suit will still make life more difficult for the project and is careful to block off any easy way out \u2014 stipulating that monetary damages would be an \u201cinadequate remedy.\u201d Instead, they\u2019re asking that a judge review the lease \u2014\u00a0adding paperwork and a delay at a key moment. Cunning \u2014 very tennis.<\/p>\n Sign Up for the Curbed Newsletter<\/p>\n A daily mix of stories about cities, city life, and our always evolving neighborhoods and skylines.<\/p>\n Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/f992ead561c2c9bbc52da3125802e4b943-GettyImages-2162405862.rhorizontal.w700.jpg\")
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\n Photo: Chris Bernacchi\/Diamond Images\/Getty Images\n <\/p>\n