CBSSports.com: Get a roof: Time to protect U.S. Open from rain
By Art Spander
The Sports Xchange/CBSSports.com
NEW YORK -- It's the city that never sleeps. But it's not the city where it never rains. At least during a U.S. Open. Either of them.
In June, at Bethpage Black farther out on Long Island, the golfing version was flooded and had to be extended an extra day until Monday. Now the same thing might happen for the tennis Open.
They would have played through the night Thursday -- and Friday in the wee hours -- except it's impossible to hold a racquet in one hand and an umbrella in the other.
And also because when they get wet, the painted lines that mark the boundaries of a court get as slippery as ice.
At Wimbledon, where the bad weather is infamous, a $140 million roof was erected before the start of this summer's tournament. It basically was unneeded -- it was closed a couple of times more for show than out of necessity.
The show Thursday at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center was a soggy and unfinished one.
The quarterfinal between Rafael Nadal and Fernando Gonzalezreached only the second set. Not long after that, many spectators decided it was time to reach for their metro passes and head for the No. 7 train.
Nadal won the first set, 7-6, and then rain began to fall. After a 1-hour, 16-minute suspension, play resumed at 9:43 p.m. ET. But the rain also resumed, and a second suspension came at 10:19 with Nadel ahead in another tiebreak, 3 points to 2.
Several times, blowers and squeegees were brought out to dry the courts, but as quickly as the water was removed the rain began again. Finally, at 12:01 a.m., the announcement was made that play had been postponed. Midnight Madness.
Nadal's star power is the thing that gets him into the night matches, the U.S. Tennis Association needing someone the television audience will watch. The lesser players -- in attraction, not necessarily skill -- had the daytime start. That proved advantageous.
So, while there still was a bit of sunshine and plenty of daylight, Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina defeated Marin Cilic of Croatia in the other men's quarter, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1. His opponent will be the winner of the Nadal-Gonzalez match.
When that will end, nobody will guess. A storm is forecast for the region today, when the women's semifinals also are scheduled.
The tournament appears headed for who knows what. Last year the men's final had to be played on Monday. A repeat is very possible.
They're seriously going to think about a roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium, as large as it is, with a capacity of 24,000. The tournament is too big, drawing more than 700,000 spectators during the two weeks, and too important to have it be affected by weather.
Originally, when Ashe was built a dozen years ago, a roof was considered, but because of the stadium size -- the largest in tennis -- the cost proved prohibitive. However, rainouts create chaos.
Nadal and Gonzalez were on and off the court and the fans were in and out of their seats until they started heading for the exits -- the fans, not the athletes. If and when play resumes, the winner, should he beat Del Potro and go to the final, will have to play all or part of three matches over three days.
Tiebreaks have helped Nadal, who after the first set and before the rain fell called for the trainer, who checked Rafael for a recurrence of the stomach muscle problem that bothered him earlier in the Open.
Nadal, of course, missed a chance to defend his Wimbledon championship this year because of tendinitis in both knees. He was out a month and a half, returning for two events before this Open.
Assuming he gets past Gonzalez, the muscular guy from Chile against whom Nadal has a 6-3 record, and then the aggressive Del Potro, it would seem a Nadal-Roger Federer final is ahead. Except assuming anything about Rafa in the U.S. Open, where he's never gotten beyond the semis, is dangerous.
Equally dangerous is thinking the U.S. Open will go merrily along on cue. A couple of years ago, after a heavy rain, an army of young people were brought on to the court and on their hands and knees mopped up as might a swabbie in the Navy.
Very inelegant and not terribly effective. Get a roof.
- - - - - -
http://www.cbssports.com/tennis/story/12187468
© 2009 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved.
The Sports Xchange/CBSSports.com
NEW YORK -- It's the city that never sleeps. But it's not the city where it never rains. At least during a U.S. Open. Either of them.
In June, at Bethpage Black farther out on Long Island, the golfing version was flooded and had to be extended an extra day until Monday. Now the same thing might happen for the tennis Open.
They would have played through the night Thursday -- and Friday in the wee hours -- except it's impossible to hold a racquet in one hand and an umbrella in the other.
And also because when they get wet, the painted lines that mark the boundaries of a court get as slippery as ice.
At Wimbledon, where the bad weather is infamous, a $140 million roof was erected before the start of this summer's tournament. It basically was unneeded -- it was closed a couple of times more for show than out of necessity.
The show Thursday at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center was a soggy and unfinished one.
The quarterfinal between Rafael Nadal and Fernando Gonzalezreached only the second set. Not long after that, many spectators decided it was time to reach for their metro passes and head for the No. 7 train.
Nadal won the first set, 7-6, and then rain began to fall. After a 1-hour, 16-minute suspension, play resumed at 9:43 p.m. ET. But the rain also resumed, and a second suspension came at 10:19 with Nadel ahead in another tiebreak, 3 points to 2.
Several times, blowers and squeegees were brought out to dry the courts, but as quickly as the water was removed the rain began again. Finally, at 12:01 a.m., the announcement was made that play had been postponed. Midnight Madness.
Nadal's star power is the thing that gets him into the night matches, the U.S. Tennis Association needing someone the television audience will watch. The lesser players -- in attraction, not necessarily skill -- had the daytime start. That proved advantageous.
So, while there still was a bit of sunshine and plenty of daylight, Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina defeated Marin Cilic of Croatia in the other men's quarter, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-1. His opponent will be the winner of the Nadal-Gonzalez match.
When that will end, nobody will guess. A storm is forecast for the region today, when the women's semifinals also are scheduled.
The tournament appears headed for who knows what. Last year the men's final had to be played on Monday. A repeat is very possible.
They're seriously going to think about a roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium, as large as it is, with a capacity of 24,000. The tournament is too big, drawing more than 700,000 spectators during the two weeks, and too important to have it be affected by weather.
Originally, when Ashe was built a dozen years ago, a roof was considered, but because of the stadium size -- the largest in tennis -- the cost proved prohibitive. However, rainouts create chaos.
Nadal and Gonzalez were on and off the court and the fans were in and out of their seats until they started heading for the exits -- the fans, not the athletes. If and when play resumes, the winner, should he beat Del Potro and go to the final, will have to play all or part of three matches over three days.
Tiebreaks have helped Nadal, who after the first set and before the rain fell called for the trainer, who checked Rafael for a recurrence of the stomach muscle problem that bothered him earlier in the Open.
Nadal, of course, missed a chance to defend his Wimbledon championship this year because of tendinitis in both knees. He was out a month and a half, returning for two events before this Open.
Assuming he gets past Gonzalez, the muscular guy from Chile against whom Nadal has a 6-3 record, and then the aggressive Del Potro, it would seem a Nadal-Roger Federer final is ahead. Except assuming anything about Rafa in the U.S. Open, where he's never gotten beyond the semis, is dangerous.
Equally dangerous is thinking the U.S. Open will go merrily along on cue. A couple of years ago, after a heavy rain, an army of young people were brought on to the court and on their hands and knees mopped up as might a swabbie in the Navy.
Very inelegant and not terribly effective. Get a roof.
- - - - - -
http://www.cbssports.com/tennis/story/12187468
© 2009 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved.