Instead of a roof at the US Open...

[Evan77]

nothing really matters. this is the worst USO ever. they'll do nothing and hope that it won't rain next year or it won't be too windy or whatever. last 5 years, all finals were played on Monday.

they generate so much money, yet they are too lazy to do anything. like really, move the USO to Mexico or Sahara if you can't afford to build the freaking roof or rebuild the Ash.

and they call this a Grand Slam. Grand my ars. Get rid of that STUPID SATURDAY CRAP.

It's not fair to players, it's not fair to spectators, it's not fair to us silly tennis fans ...

 

[gully]

USTA really needs to address both the stadium and the scheduling. I haven't seen a men's final live in five years (and I am as dedicated a fan as anyone) because my local affiliate is far more devoted to Dr Phil and demoted tennis to a substation few receive.

I like the OP's idea a lot: event finale on Labor Day weekend would make for a lot of family traffic in the second week, especially for out-of-staters. It would also allow them to schedule the men to play Saturday/Monday, the women Friday/Sunday, in fairness to the players and in hopes of better quality finals.

The hardcourt season can easily sacrifice a week. Essentially, that's what happens in an Olympic year anyway.

If no roof can be built over Ashe, USTA needs a plan B for emergency indoor play, even if it is less than perfect. What they have in place now is no plan at all, and each year it makes for a bigger mess, with players, sponsors, fans all dissatisfied and the USTA looking like a buncha maroons.

 

[Paul Murphy]

http://www.tennis.com/news/2012/09/rain-raises-roof-question-again/39351/

 

[R_Federer]

Two words...Labor Day. They won't move the Open simply because of that.

Like others have said, you can just make the men's final on Labor Day Monday, which can make it possible for them to still have "Super Saturday". This will probably make CBS very happy allowing them to have "Super Saturday" plus the tennis not interfering or competing with the NFL.

Again, like others have said, it just makes sense. There is NO reason why they have to keep the tournament in the current two week slot.

The last 5 finals have sucked because on MONDAY over the years they would be showing OPERA and DR PHIL and such on my CBS Station instead of the match. I would still get the match on another station but it wouldn't be in HD.

 

[RF20Lennon]

But I dont think Arthur Ashe can even support a roof it was built as an outdoor stadium much like football stadiums

 

[R_Federer]

But I dont think Arthur Ashe can even support a roof it was built as an outdoor stadium much like football stadiums

Move it to Dallas and play at Cowboys Stadium...all money goes to Jerry Jones .

But yeah the complications apparently of a roof on Arthur Ashe make the idea of moving the tournament up a week a good one.

 

[skip1969]

the calendar is so packed, and the summer hard court season, especially. hard on the body, plus no break for the players? it would be hard to more the uso up a week unless there was a total revamp of the calendar. and i'm not sure that's ever gonna happen. i like the idea, though.

it's probably a case of, if it was gonna happen, it should have happened a looooonng time ago. now it may be too late.

labor day marks the unofficial end of the summer in the us. it means, the draining of swimming pools in public parks and the start of school for students. and for american sports fans, it means a shift in focus to the autumn sports. baseball season is winding down, and the fans of the few teams in the playoff hunt are focused on the run-in. everyone else is gearing up for american football, either college or professional. i know that doesn't mean a damn thing for all of you european posters, but it's a HUGE deal here. this first week of september, tennis is an afterthought. and it becomes even less relevant once rain delays and postponements kill any of the tourney's momentum.

i know tennis is a global sport (and that's what i love about it), but if you can't keep the fanbase energized in your own backyard, then you've got to look at why.

a lot of people on this board have ragged on wimbledon for years about their dress code and their boring, traditional stance, their country club snobbery, their lack of a roof (before they got their roof) . . . you name it. but at least they have their finger on the pulse of their fanbase. and they haven't had a champion in forever to brag about.

it just seems the the usta and the uso are wandering around a bit lost.

 

[R_Federer]

the calendar is so packed, and the summer hard court season, especially. hard on the body, plus no break for the players? it would be hard to more the uso up a week unless there was a total revamp of the calendar. and i'm not sure that's ever gonna happen. i like the idea, though.

it's probably a case of, if it was gonna happen, it should have happened a looooonng time ago. now it may be too late.

labor day marks the unofficial end of the summer in the us. it means, the draining of swimming pools in public parks and the start of school for students. and for american sports fans, it means a shift in focus to the autumn sports. baseball season is winding down, and the fans of the few teams in the playoff hunt are focused on the run-in. everyone else is gearing up for american football, either college or professional. i know that doesn't mean a damn thing for all of you european posters, but it's a HUGE deal here. this first week of september, tennis is an afterthought. and it becomes even less relevant once rain delays and postponements kill any of the tourney's momentum.

i know tennis is a global sport (and that's what i love about it), but if you can't keep the fanbase energized in your own backyard, then you've got to look at why.

a lot of people on this board have ragged on wimbledon for years about their dress code and their boring, traditional stance, their country club snobbery, their lack of a roof (before they got their roof) . . . you name it. but at least they have their finger on the pulse of their fanbase. and they haven't had a champion in forever to brag about.

it just seems the the usta and the uso are wandering around a bit lost.

Good post, I agree there are definitely complications regarding the schedule but then again there are complications about other proposals as well such as the roof.

 

[BreakPoint]

I always thought the US Open would be successful if they did start a week earlier. And held the Men's Final on Labor Day. With Women's Final the day before. Men's semis Saturday. Women's semis Friday.

If the CBS Open had decided long ago to make the US Open conclusion a Labor Day tradition, then watching the men's final every year would have become an event for Americans.

And of course the scheduling of the semis and finals for men and women - every other day - makes perfect sense. And matches what other majors do.

That's actually a terrific idea! I wonder if the USTA has ever considered it. I'd bet they have but rejected it for whatever reason.

CBS would still get their 5 weekend days of TV broadcast time just like they do now. It's just that the non-Labor Day weekend would be the weekend before instead of after.

One problem I see is that it would eliminate a week of the smaller tournaments leading up to the US Open and I'm sure the people invested in those events won't be too happy.

 

[R_Federer]

That's actually a terrific idea! I wonder if the USTA has ever considered it. I'd bet they have but rejected it for whatever reason.

CBS would still get their 5 weekend days of TV broadcast time just like they do now. It's just that the non-Labor Day weekend would be the weekend before instead of after.

One problem I see is that it would eliminate a week of the smaller tournaments leading up to the US Open and I'm sure the people invested in those events won't be too happy.

This is all what I have suggested with this thread. I mentioned that the USTA can just pay the New Haven tourny or whatever to make them happy. Pay them A LOT. They will still save compared to adding a roof. Just have New Haven after the US Open or something...it's not a really big tourny anyway.

 

[BreakPoint]

This is all what I have suggested with this thread. I mentioned that the USTA can just pay the New Haven tourny or whatever to make them happy. Pay them A LOT. They will still save compared to adding a roof. Just have New Haven after the US Open or something...it's not a really big tourny anyway.

There's also Winston-Salem the week before. But they won't do that because it would put the Master's Cincy the week right before the US Open. They would have to eliminate tournaments that come before Canada and Cincy Masters and move them also up a week so that the players can still get a week of rest right before the US Open. So all of those other tournaments would also have to agree to move up a week. They would have to eliminate tournaments like Atlanta, Los Angeles, or Washington D.C., and one of the clay tournaments in Europe. Likewise for the WTA tournaments.

In essence, a lot of people (tournament directors, sponsors, investors, executives, managers, etc.) all over the world would all have to agree for this to happen. And with Wimbledon now being pushed back a week, the squeeze is already on from the other end of the calendar, so basically two weeks of summer hardcourt and clay events wold have to be eliminated somewhere.

 

[GhostDog]

There's also Winston-Salem the week before. But they won't do that because it would put the Master's Cincy the week right before the US Open. They would have to eliminate tournaments that come before Canada and Cincy Masters and move them also up a week so that the players can still get a week of rest right before the US Open. So all of those other tournaments would also have to agree to move up a week. They would have to eliminate tournaments like Atlanta, Los Angeles, or Washington D.C., and one of the clay tournaments in Europe. Likewise for the WTA tournaments.

In essence, a lot of people (tournament directors, sponsors, investors, executives, managers, etc.) all over the world would all have to agree for this to happen. And with Wimbledon now being pushed back a week, the squeeze is already on from the other end of the calendar, so basically two weeks of summer hardcourt and clay events wold have to be eliminated somewhere.

Well, I know Johnny Mac has been very vocal about getting the ATP/WTA to shorten the schedule.

I know it's a long shot, but perhaps if players are vocal about it, something would happen.

Yeah, it would be unfortunate for those host cities to loose those smaller tournaments, but so be it, the US Open is more important.

 

[gully]

No reason two 32-draw events can't co-exist the week before the USO. These smaller events change all the time--remember Indy?--and shouldn't wag the dog. There's room, if the USO is moved up a week, for two Masters' and four small events, if some of the smaller ones are scheduled concurrrently.

Best idea: demolish the upper tier of Ashe at least and redesign it as a smaller, open-air/retractable-roof arena with at least some intimacy. Add covers to the new Armstrong and the old grandstand. Recognize, after years of evidence, that (a) no one is served by the monstrosity that is Ashe and (b) the weather demands a a better plan than "wait and hope."

 

[NLBwell]

Move it to Dallas and play at Cowboys Stadium...all money goes to Jerry Jones .

.

I like that idea. You would have the biggest tennis stadium and be able to play indoors. Maybe even have two courts and the stadium split in half. Cowboys could play on Monday night.
Biggest tournament of the year used to be in Dallas - WCT Finals for the couple of years when it was the biggest.

 

[Smasher08]

Best idea: demolish the upper tier of Ashe at least and redesign it as a smaller, open-air/retractable-roof arena with at least some intimacy. Add covers to the new Armstrong and the old grandstand.

This. Take Ashe down to 19,000 or so and roof it.

And for the record, there also needs to be a rest week in between Canada and Cincy.