The US Open 2026 merch just dropped and as a lifelong tennis fan I always look forward to seeing how they evolve the collection each year.
I have a soft spot for this tournament. In 1994, I was a ball boy at the US Open.
One afternoon I was walking back through the corridor between the stadium and the grandstand when security started clearing people out of the way. I looked to my left and Steffi Graf was right there, shoulder to shoulder with me, security surrounding us both. She glanced over, said hello, and walked into the stadium. I kept walking to the ball boy meeting area like it was a normal Tuesday.
It wasn't.
Thirty years later I run branded merchandise programs for a living, which gives me a different lens when I look at how they've evolved their merch strategy.
A few things caught my eye in the 2026 collection:
🎾 The theme is "Celebrating Our New York Story" — leaning into the NYC identity which feels right for the only Grand Slam played in America
🍹 The Honey Deuce collection is back — if you've been to Flushing in August you know that cocktail is as much a part of the experience as the tennis
👔 Premium lifestyle brands like Polo Ralph Lauren® and Peter Millar anchor the collection. This is a lifestyle brand now, not just a sporting event
That last point is something we think about a lot at SBS. The most successful branded merchandise programs aren't built around logos. They're built around names and experiences people already want to be associated with.
Browse the full 2026 collection at usopenshop.org — The Open runs August 24th through September 13th.