US Open Features First All-Woman Leadership Team Overseeing Player Medical Services

In 2023, the US Open Tennis Championships featured its first all-woman leadership team overseeing player medical services following the appointment of Mount Sinai physician Melissa Leber, MD, to Director of Player Medical Services—the second woman in the tournament’s history to hold the position. In her role, she managed a multidisciplinary medical team from Mount Sinai, which has served as the official medical services provider for the US Open for more than a decade.

“Serving on an all-woman leadership team at the US Open was such an honor,” says Dr. Leber, Director of Emergency Department Sports Medicine and Associate Professor of Orthopedics and Emergency Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Not only did we demonstrate Mount Sinai’s dedication to gender equality—both at the US Open and in orthopedics—we also sent a strong message to the world that sports medicine is a career women can and should pursue.”

Female Physicians Take Center Court at the US Open Tennis Championships

Dr. Leber is hardly new to pro tennis, having served as a player physician at the US Open since 2013. She joined Alexis Colvin, MD, Professor of Orthopedics, and Associate Dean for Alumni Affairs at Icahn Mount Sinai. Dr. Colvin is the first woman and Asian American to serve as the tournament’s Chief Medical Officer, a position Dr. Colvin has held for the past six years. She has also been the physician for the U.S. team competing at the Billie Jean King Cup for nearly a decade. Drs. Colvin and Leber planned for and oversaw the medical services provided to players at the annual US Open tournament, held each August in Queens, New York.

“It was really exciting to work alongside Dr. Leber in her new role, and I was proud of what our team accomplished,” says Dr. Colvin. “The success of our medical team at the US Open with two women at the helm is a true milestone in professional sports.”

In her new role heading player services, Dr. Leber managed approximately two dozen physicians and a team of acupuncturists, massage therapists, physiotherapists, and medical assistants. That team cared for hundreds of players, including singles, doubles, senior, junior, and wheelchair players. These services required an incredible amount of effort and planning, Dr. Leber says—and she gained so much from the experience.

“It’s hard to be a successful tennis player, constantly traveling the world in an individual sport without a team for support,” Dr. Leber says. “It’s so rewarding to help make these athletes’ lives easier in some way, and I believe our team really makes a difference.”

Holistic Medical Care for Athletes

To care for players, the medical team included specialists from orthopedics, emergency medicine, radiology, and internal medicine. Managing acute and chronic sports injuries is an inevitable part of the job, but that’s just the beginning, Dr. Leber says. She and her team treated any medical concern, from sore throats to seizures. They also helped connect patients to specialists at Mount Sinai as needed. “These players travel all over the world and often plan to address primary care concerns when they’re here in New York,” she says. “We can help them take care of things such as eye exams, colonoscopies, or OB/GYN care.”

One of the biggest challenges during the fast-paced tournament was building trusting relationships with players whom physicians may see only a few days a year. “These athletes get medical care and advice from so many doctors in so many countries. It can take a while to build their trust,” Dr. Leber says. “We get to know them and bring a well-rounded approach to care so they can stay in the game—not only during the tournament but for the long term.”

Dr. Leber is a registered musculoskeletal sonographer with years of experience in diagnostic ultrasound and ultrasound-guided procedures. She has worked as a physician, medical liaison, and consultant for professional basketball and football teams and leagues in the United States. These experiences, alongside her board certifications in sports medicine and emergency medicine, brought a unique perspective to the US Open.

“My background is helpful because I can handle anything that comes our way,” she says—a useful skill during the 2023 tournament when she was called to handle medical emergencies among spectators. She also brought lessons learned courtside back to her daily practice. “At the tournament, I’ve seen how acupuncture, massage, and other alternative therapies can make a difference to an athlete’s well-being. Now I’m bringing more of that to my sports medicine practice,” she says.

The U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) and Mount Sinai will continue to benefit from the collaboration. The USTA recently renewed its partnership with Mount Sinai through 2026, continuing and expanding Mount Sinai’s roles as official hospital, health system, and medical services provider of the US Open Tennis Championships and official medical services provider of the U.S. Teams for the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup events.