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U.S.T.A.’s Dabble in Blue Becomes a Tidal Wave

Tennis has spent the last decade in a blue period that even Picasso would have marveled at.

In 2005, the courts at the United States Open were changed from monochromatic green to blue inside the lines and green outside.

The blue wave has since swept across the country and beyond. Once primarily a motley of greens and reds, hardcourts around the world have become predominantly blue.

As the Open sought its own identity just over a decade ago, its green surface came under scrutiny. Thought to have been inspired by the color of grass, once the dominant surface in the sport, the color left tournament organizers uninspired.