The children of William "Slew" Hester, the man credited with establishing the National Tennis Center, have filed a lawsuit against the United States Tennis Association (USTA), alleging the organization is attempting to erase their father's legacy and is violating a decades-old settlement agreement. The lawsuit claims the USTA has demolished the Hester family's box seats in Arthur Ashe Stadium and is demanding nearly half a million dollars for inferior replacement seats.
Bill and Kathryn Hester, Slew Hester's heirs, stated that the USTA's current board does not adequately recognize their father's contributions. Slew Hester, an oilman and former USTA president, was instrumental in relocating the U.S. Open from the West Side Tennis Club to the then-disused Singer Bowl in Queens in the 1970s. He convinced city officials to transform the facility into the National Tennis Center, with construction completed in 1978.
In recognition of his efforts, Hester was reportedly granted lifetime box seats for himself and his heirs, a memorial plaque, and a namesake restaurant. His family asserts that these seats in Arthur Ashe Stadium were highly prized and that their father cherished them. Following his death in 1993, the family claims the USTA's attitude changed.
They allege that when Arthur Ashe Stadium was built, their seats were moved to a less desirable location, and the USTA began charging an annual fee. A subsequent settlement agreement in 1998 provided for better seats in Box 35G, along with bus and restaurant passes, and continued lifetime access to the U.S. Open for Bill and Kathryn Hester, provided they paid the fees and the tournament remained at the National Tennis Center.
However, the Hesters claim the USTA has since sought to undermine this agreement. They point to the elimination of their box in the recent $800 million renovation of the tennis center, which removed all lower-bowl seating. The USTA offered the family regular seats for the 2026 competition at a cost of $460,000, a price they say is set to increase. The family argues that this offer constitutes inferior seating at more than double the previous cost, representing the latest effort to diminish Slew Hester's legacy.
Further compounding their grievance, the family claims Slew Hester's memorial plaque has been removed from the National Tennis Center without explanation. The USTA, while declining to comment on the pending litigation, stated that it has fulfilled its commitments by offering the Hesters the opportunity to purchase seats comparable to their previous ones and on the same terms as other purchasers.