Should The U.S. Open Build A Roof?

By Sandra Harwitt

For many people, the fact that the skies cried rain today in New York was appropriate as we marked the eighth anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks. It was dreary and somber, a perfect setting as people called out the names of all those who died on 9/11 in memorial services.

At the U.S. Open, the inclement weather shut down the tennis, leaving many players hanging about until they were told they had to wait no more.

Rafael Nadal, who spent much of the afternoon playing Fosbal with friends, was the last to get dismissed as tournament officials hoped they might get a window of opportunity to complete his match.

Alas, that didn’t happen and everything was put off until tomorrow.

So now the line-up is all messed up and it is written in stone that we will be watching the men’s final on Monday for a second consecutive year.

First on tap for Saturday is the conclusion of the last men’s quarterfinal match between Nadal and Fernando Gonzalez, which Nadal leads by one set and is serving at 3-2 in the second set tiebreaker. That will be followed by a men’s doubles final, and then the Caroline Wozniacki and Yanina Wickmayer semifinal. The big show – the semifinal between Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters -- will slide right in to what was supposed to be the women’s final.

On Sunday, the men will play the semifinals during the day and the women’s final will play in the evening at a time to be determined.

And the men will get their chance to crown a champion on Monday – the time to still be determined. And the women’s doubles final will also take place on Monday.

And, of course, all of that is dependent upon Saturday featuring clear skies.

So what’s going to be the big topic of conversation? Obviously, when will the U.S. Open step up and construct a convertible-topped roof on the stadium to keep play going?

The Australian has had it for years – they have it on their two main courts. Wimbledon unveiled their roof this year, so the place most revered for being steeped in history is now cutting edge.

The French Open apparently has plans for a new stadium avec roof (avec -- that’s with, in French), which would be off-campus and connected from the park across the street.

But the U.S. Open – no plans seem in the works yet.

And I’m not really that disturbed about it, to be honest, because part of me just can’t wrap my head around a Grand Slam being played indoors.

I perfectly understand the advantage of a stadium with a roof – the tennis goes on, matches get concluded, fans are happy, and part of the players are smiling.

But there’s an unfair element to the roof and it can’t be denied.

A Grand Slam is supposed to be an outdoor tournament. Once you close the roof it becomes something very different – perfect conditions.

Once you close the roof, the top players get to keep to the intended schedule of one day off as they are normally scheduled for the show court at an event. The other folks? Well, they sit around and wait for the rain to stop and play hectic schedules and make-up matches.

That makes a Grand Slam two distinctly different events.

An interesting aside, from an atmosphere perspective, the Australian roof never evoked a strong opinion from me. Presumably, as Australia always had the indoor component from my first visit Down Under in 1990, it didn’t bother me from how it felt to watch a match indoors. I still have reservations about the fairness of closing the roof at an outdoor event, but being under the roof still creates a buzz in Oz.

At Wimbledon, however, when they closed the roof, it somehow lost that special Wimbledon feeling – the atmosphere just deflated and it just felt like anyplace. Some, I’m sure, will disagree with me. But some will have the same observations. It just felt like any stadium anywhere you go.

All that said, it’s the 21st Century and it’s hard not to imagine that sooner than later there will be a roof on Arthur Ashe stadium, even if the USTA hasn’t revealed any concrete plans. Time will tell.

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Just an observation – Somehow, Roger Federer always lands on the right side of the draw, the side that is always on schedule and not hindered by the rain. As one of my fav colleagues, George Vescey of the New York Times, said when I mentioned this ideal phenomenon – “It’s good to be Roger!”

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U.S. Open History On September 11, 2009

In 1977, Guillermo Vilas, the Bull of the Pampas, wins his U.S. Open crown in a four-set match over Jimmy Connors. The Open was on clay back then and the Argentine owned the surface, so much so that he won the final set at love. It was the last ever U.S. Open match played at the grand West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills.

In 1988, Mats Wilander wins the longest men’s final in U.S. Open history, a five-setter in four hours, 55 minutes. The match comes with a bonus beyond the trophy and the check – Wilander also strips his final opponent, Ivan Lendl, of the No. 1 ranking, which he claims for his very own.

In 1994, an unseeded man claims the title – the first unseeded man since Fred Stolle of Australia did so in 1966. The champion – Andre Agassi, whose ranking had dipped, but thirst for Grand Slam trophies was still very much alive.