Us Open a Joke to have men play semis and final back to back!

[Japanese Maple]

I know this comes up every year, but I think it is a disgrace to the players and the fans to have the men play best of five set matches after two grueling weeks on Saturday and Sunday!
How good of a final would we have if Federer and Djokovic were playing in the final after yesterdays exhausting 5 set epics? Your body needs time to recover and consecutive days of playing at the end of the tournament just isn't enough time to do so! I believe this is why we saw two blowout finals for Sampras against Hewett and Safin-Pete at his advanced age needed a day to recover. As a fan you invest all this time watching the Open over two weeks than get treated to a pathetic final all because of the all mighty dollar! No other Grand Slam sells their soul to advertisers like the US Open!

The Usta is a money grubbing organization who has nothing to show for all the money they rake in at the Open-US player development is a joke! The speed and physicality of the mens game has changed and they definitely need a days rest between the semi's and final.

I hope that Nadal and Fed play 5 set matches in the semis and Nadal beats Fed 6-2, 6-3, 6-0 in the final. Then and only then will the USTA get off their high horse and make the necessary change and give the players, fans, and the game the respect it deserves and stop being so arrogant!

 

[VGP]

That's what makes the US Open even that much harder to win.....

 

[BjornBorg]

Could not agree more. It is a DISGRACE. That's why Pete beat Andre in '95, because Andre had to play Becker (3rd best in the world) until almost 11:00 at night on Sat.

That's why Pete got smoked by Safin in 2000--playing a late Sat. match.

It makes no sense. They do not give these guys a chance to have their bodies be rested and ready. It's all about TV revenue. Well, the answer is to play the Men's final on MONDAY night under the lights. How cool would that be! Guys would be rested, no sun to deal with, temperatures would be great, crowd would be electric.

You'd get a highter quality tennis match as well. There would be even more people watching it. It would give an older guy who made it there more time to prepare. How much better will Nadal be with two deserving days rest? They'd all be better. Let's face it, the quality of men's US Open finals has never been that great most of the time. That's why this is only the third or even fourth best major--because of this. It's such a disgrace that the USTA tennis commissioner and all of them should be lambasted by the national media. That's the only way it would change. But not enough people care.

Nadal will probably lose the final because he will be a bit tired from all the cumulative play from the past four months and the stress to his knees with all those best of 5 hardcourt matches. The tendonitus becomes an issue. Novak?? He'll probably have 100 things wrong to blame if he somehow gets to the final and loses--his pinky toe inflammation being the latest.

 

[matchmaker]

I completely agree. The USO is a joke with these back to back semis and final.

I also think it is unworthy of being a GS because at the USO the fifth set is cut short by a tiebreak.

 

[Messarger]

Drakulie, nadal, exhausted, you know the drill.

 

[wangs78]

Well, I agree with some of the points here, but you have to consider that the format also allows more fans to make it to the semifinal matches bc saturday during the day is definitely easier to get to than Friday night for many ppl in New York. A lot of ppl in New York, myself included, work late hours in the financial services industry and wouldn't get out of work early enough on Friday to take a train to Flushing Meadows for the matches. So in a way, it's good for the fans. And the players wouldn't enjoy the stature today if not for the fans.

And I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing for the men's semi-finals/finals to really test the physical fitness of the eventual champion. I see no reason to change the current format so that aging stars, who would benefit most from an extra day's rest, would get an advantage.

To be a champion, one should earn it. And for the USO, that means winning on Sat. and Sun. There's no "disgrace".

 

[Deleted member 3771]

The Australian Open is the best hard court slam. It does everything right.

The US Open organisers' logic is probably that the US open makes it easier on the players by having 5th set tie breakers, so that allows them to be fresher for the semi and finals on consecutive days.:shock:

The US Open organisers needs to get with the times and use their common sense like all the other slam organisers do.

 

[ClarkC]

Well, I agree with some of the points here, but you have to consider that the format also allows more fans to make it to the semifinal matches bc saturday during the day is definitely easier to get to than Friday night for many ppl in New York. A lot of ppl in New York, myself included, work late hours in the financial services industry and wouldn't get out of work early enough on Friday to take a train to Flushing Meadows for the matches. So in a way, it's good for the fans. And the players wouldn't enjoy the stature today if not for the fans.

And I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing for the men's semi-finals/finals to really test the physical fitness of the eventual champion. I see no reason to change the current format so that aging stars, who would benefit most from an extra day's rest, would get an advantage.

To be a champion, one should earn it. And for the USO, that means winning on Sat. and Sun. There's no "disgrace".

You are missing a big point. One player plays early on Saturday, one plays late. A major title should not be decided by the luck of the draw in this fashion. It is not equal for the two players.

 

[Nuke]

I think the Sat/Sun grind for the men at the USO is just peachy. Super Saturday creates a bigger TV audience than if the semis were on Friday, when most folks are at work. It's good for the fans, and good for the game. Bad for the finalists, maybe, but I can't feel too sorry for them with the million dollar prize they're playing for.

 

[Blade0324]

I have to agree with Nuke, the are professionals that are in premire physical condition and have unlimited resources to get them ready to play. I have played numerous tournaments (granted best of 3 not 5) where I played every day for 6 or 7 days in a row. Was I tired yeah, but you get a massage, eat well, etc. and find a way to go when you need to. The only thing I would like to see is the USO go with no tie break in the 5th like the other slams.

 

[Japanese Maple]

I think the Sat/Sun grind for the men at the USO is just peachy. Super Saturday creates a bigger TV audience than if the semis were on Friday, when most folks are at work. It's good for the fans, and good for the game. Bad for the finalists, maybe, but I can't feel too sorry for them with the million dollar prize they're playing for.

Just peachy-are you kidding me! Why is the US Open the only Grand Slam to not give the players rest between semi's and finals-simple, they didn't sell their souls for the almighty dollar and actually have some integrity when it comes to the benefit of the players and fans. Real simple solution, mens semis on Saturday and final on Monday leading up to Monday night football. Have the women play their final on Sunday with their semis on Friday night.

 

[edmondsm]

Nah. Semis should be on Friday, women's final on Saturday, and men's final on Sunday.

However, I don't really think that Super Saturday is a problem, certainly not a "disgrace". If a player is tired then he probably should have included more cardio in his training. It rewards the player that is fit, or was able to finish his semi-final quickly.

 

[mentalcase]

Good. I guess Djokovic won't be winning it

 

[Arafel]

Could not agree more. It is a DISGRACE. That's why Pete beat Andre in '95, because Andre had to play Becker (3rd best in the world) until almost 11:00 at night on Sat.

That's why Pete got smoked by Safin in 2000--playing a late Sat. match.

It makes no sense. They do not give these guys a chance to have their bodies be rested and ready. It's all about TV revenue. Well, the answer is to play the Men's final on MONDAY night under the lights. How cool would that be! Guys would be rested, no sun to deal with, temperatures would be great, crowd would be electric.

You'd get a highter quality tennis match as well. There would be even more people watching it. It would give an older guy who made it there more time to prepare. How much better will Nadal be with two deserving days rest? They'd all be better. Let's face it, the quality of men's US Open finals has never been that great most of the time. That's why this is only the third or even fourth best major--because of this. It's such a disgrace that the USTA tennis commissioner and all of them should be lambasted by the national media. That's the only way it would change. But not enough people care.

Nadal will probably lose the final because he will be a bit tired from all the cumulative play from the past four months and the stress to his knees with all those best of 5 hardcourt matches. The tendonitus becomes an issue. Novak?? He'll probably have 100 things wrong to blame if he somehow gets to the final and loses--his pinky toe inflammation being the latest.

And yet for every example you cite, I can think of ones that prove you wrong. For instance:

1980 US Open. Borg and McEnroe both play five set semifinals, with McEnroe playing the late match AND going to a fifth set tiebreak to beat Connors. McEnroe beats Borg following day.

1984 US Open. Lendl and McEnroe both play five setters, McEnroe playing the late match against Connors. McEnroe crushes Lendl the next day.

 

[Nadal_Freak]

I agree. Nadal/Murray could be a long match as well. They played 4hours and 50 minutes in 2007 Aussie Open. Both players could be exhausted on Sunday.

 

[pennc94]

Do not fret. Forecasts indicate there should be plenty of rest due to rain!

http://wxweb.meteostar.com/search/getweather.php?locid=101777

 

[Morrissey]

It is a joke and I've never been a fan of this. But what can you do? It's obvious the USO only cares about money and their benefits as opposed to the players who make their event so fun to watch. Of all the slams I have to think the USO is the most disorganized. I've been going since 1994 and not one time have I seen a bigger bunch of clueless "tennis fans" in one place. Especially for a tennis event. Walking around the court in the middle of points and games. They think it's like a baseball game. This is mainly in Arthur Ashe where there's a higher clueless tennis fan rate than the outside courts. It continued last night when we watched Roddick vs Gonzo and these preppie kids next to me asked themselves where Gonzelez was from. I told them he was from Guatemala to mess with them. I didn't know so many people thought Tommy Robredo was Tom Roberto.

 

[JLyon]

You are missing a big point. One player plays early on Saturday, one plays late. A major title should not be decided by the luck of the draw in this fashion. It is not equal for the two players.

You do realize that the women now play their finals in primtime while the men play during the day. Especially with a Williams sister in the running as usual.

 

[edmondsm]

The Australian Open is the best hard court slam. It does everything right.

Except for being unable to settle on a playing surface.

 

[Nuke]

Real simple solution, mens semis on Saturday and final on Monday leading up to Monday night football.

You know, I was just thinking something similar a few days ago. The really best solution would be to move the whole USO up a week and then let the men play the final on Monday -- on the Labor Day holiday in the USA, so no problems with the TV audience being at work. And best of all for the TV audience, the men's final wouldn't conflict with the opening day of the NFL season, which has to be terrible for ratings.

 

[wangs78]

You are missing a big point. One player plays early on Saturday, one plays late. A major title should not be decided by the luck of the draw in this fashion. It is not equal for the two players.

That's a fair point. Again, I do see the merits of your argument, but there are pluses and minuses. To say that the format is a disgrace is too much.

One solution would be for the US or at least New York City to institute a 3-day weekend on the weekend of the USO finals so that the men's semifinals can be played on the 1st day and the finals on the 3rd day. But then, even THAT wouldn't be ideal bc a lot of New Yorkers would use that 3-day weekend to skip town and go on vacay. You see what I'm getting at? There's no ideal solution, and in the end the fans won (they get to watch 3 great matches (2 SFs on Sat. and 1 Final on Sun.) in the same weekend. One can argue that it sucks for the players, but if a player loses the finals match bc he got 2-5 hours less rest than the other finalist, I can live with that. Life ain't fair and seeing people overcome that is a more convincing spectacle than anything. Seeing Nadal make the Wimby final in '07 after several rain delays and being on and off the court a 100 times made it that much more convincing that he earned his way to that final. And yes he lost last year but his win this year was all the sweeter bc of it. I'm totally fine with that. I don't go *****ing to anyone when the train is late and I'm late to work. That's life. The current format does not need to be changed IMO. It's not perfect, I agree, but I can live with it and still be happy.

 

[wangs78]

It is a joke and I've never been a fan of this. But what can you do? It's obvious the USO only cares about money and their benefits as opposed to the players who make their event so fun to watch. Of all the slams I have to think the USO is the most disorganized. I've been going since 1994 and not one time have I seen a bigger bunch of clueless "tennis fans" in one place. Especially for a tennis event. Walking around the court in the middle of points and games. They think it's like a baseball game. This is mainly in Arthur Ashe where there's a higher clueless tennis fan rate than the outside courts. It continued last night when we watched Roddick vs Gonzo and these preppie kids next to me asked themselves where Gonzelez was from. I told them he was from Guatemala to mess with them. I didn't know so many people thought Tommy Robredo was Tom Roberto.

With all due respect, I think begrudging spectators for being "clueless" is too much. If only the "seasoned" tennis fans went to these events, the stadiums would be a lot smaller, the fanfare would be very limited and frankly the quality of the tennis would suffer because the sport would attract fewer quality athletes to devote their lives to the sport. The current format, that is revenue driven, spectacle driven is great for tennis because it leads to the creation of more tennis academies, more kids interested in tennis, and ultimately more quality players than otherwise. It's nice to have tournaments like Wimbledon, which remain more "unadulterated" and steeped in tradition (which is why it is generally considered the most prestigious tourney), but if everyone tournament was like Wimby the sport wouldn't survive. All the Masters tournaments and the ATP are driven by money. Money and wealth drive progress. It's not the end all and be all (i.e., other things are more important, such as family, friendship, etc.) but greed is why the human race is where it is today and not still in the middle ages.

Now I've gotten philosophical. How did that happen...

 

[ollinger]

Give us a break with this drivel. I frequently play four days in a row and I'm an aching old bag who doesn't have ballboys to go pick up the balls for me. The most highly conditioned players in the world can't play on consecutive days? Oh, mercy. What about all the one week events they play the rest of the year where they frequently have to play Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday if lucky enough to get to the finals? How do they manage that. Yes, those are best of 3 sets but one still plays four straight days without "recovery" days. I think it's good and quite fair that the guy who wins his US Open semi in straight sets has some advantage the next day over the guy who has to grind for five sets; it's an incentive not to slack off when you're up two sets.

 

[veroniquem]

Give us a break with this drivel. I frequently play four days in a row and I'm an aching old bag who doesn't have ballboys to go pick up the balls for me. The most highly conditioned players in the world can't play on consecutive days? Oh, mercy. What about all the one week events they play the rest of the year where they frequently have to play Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday if lucky enough to get to the finals? How do they manage that. Yes, those are best of 3 sets but one still plays four straight days without "recovery" days. I think it's good and quite fair that the guy who wins his US Open semi in straight sets has some advantage the next day over the guy who has to grind for five sets; it's an incentive not to slack off when you're up two sets.

Oh yeah it's really fair that the guy with the toughest opponent in the semis should be at a disadvantage vs the guy with the weaker opponent + in this case scenario (playing semis on the eve of the final), the player that played the second semi is clearly penalized vs the one who played the first one (less recovery time). The op is right, it is a scandal that USO who only cares about money goes 100% against the athletes' best interests and even the tournament's best interests ( a competitive final with 2 fresh opponents). The semis should be played on Friday. The reason for the USO's special schedule is purely commercial and it's disgusting.

 

[BjornBorg]

Give us a break with this drivel. I frequently play four days in a row and I'm an aching old bag who doesn't have ballboys to go pick up the balls for me. The most highly conditioned players in the world can't play on consecutive days? Oh, mercy.

Well, first of all, they are playing at such an incredibly high level for much of the points. They are playing long, grueling points that physically tax them in ways lesser players are never taxed. Secondly, they have played six best of five matches (on hard courts and in front of large crowds) , practiced as well, all leading up to the finals.

I think it's good and quite fair that the guy who wins his US Open semi in straight sets has some advantage the next day over the guy who has to grind for five sets; it's an incentive not to slack off when you're up two sets.

You're forgetting that one guy has to play the later match and for years, it used to be that the second men's semi didn't start until 7:00 or so--a huge disadvantage to get four, five, six or less hours rest.

 

[Feña14]

I'm not a big fan of the US Open, but I don't mind the semi finals being played on the Saturday.

To reach the semi finals, alot of the players are going to of gone through 5 very tough matches.. often after a tough American hard court summer so an extra days rest before going into the last 2 matches can be a good thing.

I think Murray and Nadal will be pleased with it anyway

 

[shavenyak]

Does anyone have any hard stats showing how the player who finished later lost more often?

 

[PROTENNIS63]

I agree with you. I guess the USTA just simply don't want to host a match on Monday for whatever reason. Maybe if Andy asks thems politely

 

[Safinator_1]

The USTA obviously don't care about fans or players or they ever think about is $$$. As much we all want them to change its unlikely they will sadly

 

[Nadal_Freak]

Another money night for the US Open while Nadal/Fish have to play a really late match. I didn't know sleeping schedule played part in a match until now.

 

[Deleted member 25923]

Another money night for the US Open while Nadal/Fish have to play a really late match. I didn't know sleeping schedule played part in a match until now.

Why couldn't they move a match to grandstand, like the women's match?

This is a ridiculous schedule for any players!

 

[Safinator_1]

They obviously think i enjoy watching women Tennis, LOL well news flash i rather watch football

 

[Radical Shot]

The tennis fans need to do something to send a message to the US Open.

I propose that we all boycott watching the final and don't discuss it. That'll show em.

 

[shavenyak]

I enjoy watching both mens and womens tennis.

I have absolutely no problem with them having the semis on Saturday and the Finals on Sunday.

You guys are all complaining about how they're just doing it for the money.... where do you think that prize money comes from?

 

[LanceStern]

I have no problem watching the semis on Saturday. I actually enjoy it because it's a more convenient time to watch it than a friday night, when I want to hang out or something.

So USTA is listening to the best things: money, and a good amount of the fans. And I haven't heard the tennis players voice too much of a complaint on the schedule for the past 4-5 years either.

So what's the problem?

 

[Safinator_1]

The tennis fans need to do something to send a message to the US Open.

I propose that we all boycott watching the final and don't discuss it. That'll show em.

I have no problem skipping the women's tennis but i must watch the mens final hehe