US Open you are now the worst Slam OFFICALLY!

TennisATP said:
440px-Valley_of_Fire_State_Park_%286882627246%29.jpg
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It's actually crushed red brick, not real clay. And bricks are not natural, they are man made.
 
I think the problem is that the majors are all simply adding roofs to stadiums instead of designing a stadium that was specifically meant to have a roof. There will always be some complaints whenever a roof is on about noise whether its the AO, or even at Wimbledon. Tournaments and venues should build stadiums specifically meant for a roof and tennis instead of trying to add them to their center court stadiums. Ashe was built during a really bland and terrible time for sports venues to be made in the US but it isn't that bad.
 
mavsman149 said:
Wasn't there an issue a year or two ago where a piece of metal from the stands fell and hit someone too?
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Really? Thats made in America quality right there!

All i know is, when i watched a little of Halep v Sharapova the other day, it sounded like 2 girls were getting murdered in there, not playing tennis. The roof took their grunting to a whole new level of unbearabilityness.....
 
If you put espn on now, you'll hear the din I was talking about. It sounds like AM static but it's people talking. And the roof is open.

Cocktail hour in the Embassy Suites atrium; live entertainment tonight is a tennis exhibition.
 
Shaolin said:
Roland Garros is still the official worst slam. There is no debate. At least the USO has somewhere to play when it rains and oh yeah, actual lights to play under.
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And fans in the lower deck actually show up before the final.

The fans at the AO and W ooh and aah too. The hum from roof is a non-issue. Planes went overhead every 90 seconds not that many yrs ago. Players need to stop acting like spoiled brats - hard to believe some of these babies made it to the pros.
 
TennisATP said:
Roland Garros is the best slam because it is natural...
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Have you ever stepped foot in that dump ? It's more crowded than USO. Well maybe. USO is out of control when they let the night crowd overlap with the day. It takes forever to move from the HORRIBLE TEMP STADIUM WITH ONLY TWO ENTRANCES to, say, Ct 17 as you try to make your way through the feeding trough-- I mean food court.
 
West Coast Ace said:
Planes went overhead every 90 seconds not that many yrs ago.
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FAKE NEWS. There has been a memorandum of understanding in place with the FAA for many years ( I can get the exact year if you care to know) and renewed every year in which the planes to the extent possible are not cleared over the tennis facility. And in practice they rarely are.
 
R_Federer said:
Arthur Ashe is a disgrace. I cannot even watch the matches. It sounds like I am watching the opera instead of a tennis match. The noise and echo from the roof is unbearable. Who's brilliant idea was it to put a roof over THIS stadium that already has so many issues? Why not build a brand new stadium? They just threw money down the drain.
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Yeah along with that slowing down the courts, seats so high you should rather stay at home, boring kids day (do same thing every year with stupid teen music), stupid umpire chair that could hurt someone if they ran into it, cheap lawn chairs for players to sit in, and same old ball guys year after year, a few of them have been there for over 4 seasons.
 
R_Federer said:
Arthur Ashe is a disgrace. I cannot even watch the matches. It sounds like I am watching the opera instead of a tennis match. The noise and echo from the roof is unbearable. Who's brilliant idea was it to put a roof over THIS stadium that already has so many issues? Why not build a brand new stadium? They just threw money down the drain.
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Oh come on, get over it.

Tennis should get away from this old fashioned image with absolute silence.

Get a good atmosphere out there.
We don't need soccer conditions, but a bit more open would be nice.
 
TennisaGoGo said:
Sorry, but OP is right. I was there yesterday (I love the Open). Everyone is talking during the points in the upper levels since they're so far away. Naturally, the upper levels are closest to roof which bounces back the din. The noise and the fluorescent lighting makes it seem like you're watching a tennis match in the atrium of an Embassy Suites.
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Uso is a tacky slam.

I would be so annoyed w people talking during points.
 
Tshooter said:
Have you ever stepped foot in that dump ? It's more crowded than USO. Well maybe. USO is out of control when they let the night crowd overlap with the day. It takes forever to move from the HORRIBLE TEMP STADIUM WITH ONLY TWO ENTRANCES to, say, Ct 17 as you try to make your way through the feeding trough-- I mean food court.
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Ive been RG and love the facility and seatings compared to othetr tournaments and slam ive been to. Courts more open.
 
Can someone explain to me why oh why just about every match on Arthur Ashe has empty seats? I'm not talking about the nosebleeds but the seats close to the court. There are always empty seats especially during night sessions.

Oh and another thing: the logo is so 1990s. It desperately needs a refresh.
 
R_Federer said:
Can someone explain to me why oh why just about every match on Arthur Ashe has empty seats? I'm not talking about the nosebleeds but the seats close to the court. There are always empty seats especially during night sessions.
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Comps for sponsors. Heavily policed, sneaking down is very difficult. I've been kicked out of those seats more times than Rafa has scratched his buttocks there.
 
I will agree with some poasters that the USO is a bit "tacky." Well, maybe more than a bit. But I think people from all parts of the globe expect a little tacky when they come to the States for a visit.

Give the public what they want.
 
Australian Open has far far surpassed the USO for a long time now and is looking to surpass the FO in a few years. Better matches and a much better tournament.

It's going to be the second best after Wimbledon imo. AO's atmosphere is amazing and they've built up a great history with Fedalovic matches.
 
Hey, hey, we are America, and not ashamed to be a little tacky. Tacky R us. But sometimes we feel europe and Asia are tacky. We Americans are all over the place.
skip1969 said:
I got you.

*Coyly points poaster to his avatar* :D
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Haha. Is your avatar an original? It is so 80s that it is current. Bit of a NASA look to it. And interplanet janet.

True about this us open logo looking vintage nineties. Ok, it is super trendy to denigrate any and all logos. But sometimes it is time.
wimbledon got rid of the stylized W., just going with the crossed rkts. They are so simple, and classic. They executed it perfectly. Most traditional. Most historic. The cathedral of tennis.

The old RG shield logo was awesome. The new one is slick, too. The most stylish slam.

Aus Open is ready to retire the Edberg graphic. But it looks so good. Modern and happy slam.

US Open ought to go with Skip's logo. I also liked the louvered look from 1977. The tackiest slam? Given NY's demograhics, how about a simple, clean, helvetica hipster font? Add the very trustfundy richie tenenbaum look by coloring it in cream and red and blue?
 
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slice bh compliment said:
True about the nineties looking logo.
But sometimes we feel europe and Asia are tacky. We Americans are all over the place.

Haha. Is your avatar an original? It is so 80s that it is current. Bit of a NASA look to it. And interplanet janet.

Ok, it is super trendy to denigrate any and all logos. But sometimes it is time.
wimbledon got rid of the stylized W., just going with the crossed rkts. They are so simple, and classic. They executed it perfectly. Most traditional. Most historic. The cathedral of tennis.

The old RG shield logo was awesome. The new one is slick, too. The most stylish slam.

Aus Open is ready to retire the Edberg graphic. But it looks so good. Modern and happy slam.

US Open ought to go with Skip's logo. I also liked the louvered look from 1977. The tackiest slam? Given NY's demograhics, how about a simple, clean, helvetica hipster font? Add the very trustfundy richie tenenbaum look by coloring it in cream and red and blue?
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Yeah, I've always hated the USO logo. It's so uninspired. So 'corporate' . . . which I guess is perfect for them but . . .

I drew mine up last month in prep for the tourney. Kinda retro cos of the Unisphere. But I wanted to give the logo a real Flushing Meadows/Queens flair. Five stars for the five boroughs of NYC. Yellow, red and blue rings are colors from the flag of the Borough of Queens: The yellow tulip, the red rose, and the blue stripes. ;)

That's enough self-promotion for one day. LOL
 
Corporate look, yes, yes, exactly.

Then as though it were not corporate enough, they bottom line it with....
A U S T A EVENT

How many committees did that go through?

I am fine with avoiding the Statue of Liberty. But the flaming ball is ready to burn out.
 
slice bh compliment said:
Corporate look, yes, yes, exactly.

Then as though it were not corporate enough, they bottom line it with....
A U S T A EVENT

How many committees did that go through?

I am fine with avoiding the Statue of Liberty. But the flaming ball is ready to burn out.
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us_open.jpg


One thing I never understood about the logo is that if the ball is supposed to be zooming around the words (from below the words to above the words) . . . then the flames are going in the wrong direction, no? Because a swoosh usually indicates where something is coming from, not where it's going, right?
 
Yeah Skip, it makes no sense. Backwards.

It is like the focus groups and the committee wanted something less NIKE-ish so they inverted the swoosh. Saturn's ring, really. A ton of companies do that corporate ring-swoosh/saturn thing. Capital ONE comes to mind.

Thought i would add a link. Logos to avoid. Overused, cliché logos. Second laragraph is all about the swoosh/saturnine rings.
http://www.thelogofactory.com/logos-to-avoid/

the us open font is not all bad, though. Colors are sound, too.
 
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Been thinking about this while watching some matches that i do not love.

Clichée logo notwithstanding, this us open is not officially the worst slam. All four slams are huge, profitable, awesome, and basically almost too big to truly fail.

But they can ail. They can languish.

The us open is not benefiting from its place late in the calendar year. Tons of nonstarters. Depleted draw. Pregnancy. Custody battle. Elbow, affair, knee, hip.

They had to make some tough decisions, like following the Move-a-seed protocol when muzza pulled out at an awkward time après draw but avant match play.

They made a controversial but profitable decision letting masha get a wc. And prime court assigments. Related drama, and some sour grapes with a pair of Cute and somewhat popular losers like Bouchard and wozzi....among others.

Further Decimated men's draw, rife with upsets....and there ya have it. Worst slam in the woild i tell ya!!

But in about a week and a half, there will be two very famous singles champs, and it will be triumphant!

So....imho...
There is no worst slam. No such thing.
There is a best slam. Cincinnati. Lol! Yeah....It's generally wimbledon.
And the other acceptable answer is the one that's happening or about to happen at any given moment.
 
R_Federer said:
Arthur Ashe is a disgrace. I cannot even watch the matches. It sounds like I am watching the opera instead of a tennis match. The noise and echo from the roof is unbearable. Who's brilliant idea was it to put a roof over THIS stadium that already has so many issues? Why not build a brand new stadium? They just threw money down the drain.
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And why does the biggest tennis stadium ever have the players sitting $20 folding chairs? Isner's knees are up around his shoulders.
 
skip1969 said:
us_open.jpg


One thing I never understood about the logo is that if the ball is supposed to be zooming around the words (from below the words to above the words) . . . then the flames are going in the wrong direction, no? Because a swoosh usually indicates where something is coming from, not where it's going, right?
Click to expand...
maybe that logo was the LSD edition. so its all gone a bit odd and bigly wierdy.

could be a refresh coming up.. with the flames going the right way and ball and whatnot and stuff.
 
junior74 said:
The worst thing for me, is the extreme bird's view.

It's like I have no idea where the ball is going, no concept of height, spin, trajectory... It's like the element of tactics disappear and a lot of the thrill is gone, at least for me :(
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They use a late technology and it looks cool on TV. What else do you want? Don't be ridiculous.
 
Goosehead said:
maybe that logo was the LSD edition. so its all gone a bit odd and bigly wierdy.

could be a refresh coming up.. with the flames going the right way and ball and whatnot and stuff.
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bigly weirdy, yeah, nailed it in two werds!
Ok...
Logos and branding. They. Are. Everything. To. Millennials.

So, i asked a usta executive this evening. Y'see, the focus group felt those flames are so hot, the trail is invisible. Then the part that cooled off, where the ball's orbit is headed again...well, that is only red hot. And that is the part that conforms to the swooshy saturnalian ring fascination.
Our US corporate culture loves the swoosh, and its friends, the cube, pyramid, eyeball, lightning bolt, and the star. New companies have to be so creative as they use variations on the same few themes.

This is why I don't mind the homely, old timey, simpleton wilson logo. It's so dated, it is actually hip and counterculture. Yonex's yy? Even cooler with that random green.
 
Now? Its been the worst, most commercial, crass slam for a while. If the USO organizers could get away with selling tv rights and replace all the spectators with more ad billboards, add ads on the court surface itself, make players sing and dance, they would.

They absolutely care nothing about tennis or the players or audience, only money. Terrible slam.
 
Ace@135 said:
And why does the biggest tennis stadium ever have the players sitting $20 folding chairs? Isner's knees are up around his shoulders.
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Yeah, I don't get that either. I mean, the Aussie has those cool benches with the shade on a swing arm that the ballkid just has to raise and lower during the changeover. And the US Open, the marquee American tourney, has folding chairs and kids holding umbrellas over the players' heads. Still? I mean, what is this, 1980? Has the technology for a bench with a swinging shade not exist in this country?

I understand Wimby having simple, light chairs, cos once it starts to rain they gotta jet and pull the covers on. But the US Open?

Cheap *sses.
 
Watching the US Open from the worst seat in the house

i


i


Arash Markazi ESPN Senior Writer

NEW YORK -- I can't go to the restroom.

It's not just that the US Open quarterfinal match between Sloane Stephens and Anastasija Sevastova is a back-and-forth, three-set classic I can't take my eyes off, but I'm taking it in from the top seat at Arthur Ashe Stadium, and I don't think I have it in me to make it down and back in a reasonable amount of time.

I'm sitting in Section 322, Row Z, Seat 16, which is about 100 steps of steep concrete from the upper promenade and the nearest concession stands and restrooms. By the way, there are no delusions of grandeur when you find out you're sitting in Row Z. There are literally no more letters in the alphabet or rows in the stadium when you make it to the top.

There's not supposed to be a bad seat at a tennis stadium. Even the most famous cathedrals in tennis are fairly quaint when compared to their football counterparts. For example, Wimbledon's Centre Court seats 14,916, Stade Roland Garros in Paris seats 14,911 and Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne seats 15,000. But Arthur Ashe Stadium, which opened 20 years ago, seats 23,771, a world record for a tennis stadium.

It is a massive retractable-roofed structure that is visible as you're driving to Flushing Meadows from Manhattan on Interstate 495 East. It has a seating capacity just more than the largest arenas in the NBA, but it looks and feels like an NFL stadium from the outside, and on the inside as I make my way up the farthest seat from floor, which I'm told is 105 feet from the court and 15 feet from the 62,500-square-foot roof.

The hike from my seat down to the 300-level promenade and back to my seat is about the equivalent of taking the stairs up to the first level of the Eiffel Tower, so you can understand my trepidation in making the round-trip journey during an exciting tennis match. But the height of the seat is only part of the issue. There is no section to my left. When you get to Row Z, there is only a massive video board that obstructs most of my view of the court.

Behind me the 7-train can be heard coming and going from the Mets-Willets Point Station as Citi Field sits just a short 10-minute walk across the Flushing Meadows pedestrian bridge. In front of me dozens of seats are unoccupied as a man sprawls his bare feet on two chairs in front of him, while a couple makes out two rows in front of me as if they are alone on a hilltop, which they might as well be.

There is nothing like watching a tennis match from the top seat at Arthur Ashe Stadium, and I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. All normal tennis etiquette is forgotten once the stairs and escalators hit the 300 level. It is apparently high enough from the lower bowl and two levels of 90 luxury suites to have any real impact on what's happening on the court. Fans come and go as they please during play, kids run up and down the aisles, and talking on your phone is totally fine. It's supposed to be frowned upon, but when you're that far from the court, who cares?

That is a far cry from Wimbledon, where every seat at Centre Court feels like you're on top of the action and Armed Forces personnel volunteering as stewards make sure everyone is in their seats and silent during the action on the court.

But then again, that's what makes the US Open great. You're not going to see Justin Timberlake dance to one of his songs in between sets at Wimbledon. You're not going to see a light show before the opening coin toss like a Monday Night Football game at the All England Club. And you're sure not going to hear the constant rumblings of this city's subway anywhere but here.

It's not perfect, but that's OK. It's the US Open. It's supposed to be fun. Just wish the trip to the nearest restroom wasn't so far.

http://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/page/buzz0905/us-open-watching-us-open-worst-seat-house
 
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