USO roof.

[Paul Murphy]

It can't come soon enough but I've got my doubts we'll ever see one ...

From AAP:

Someday, a roof will cover Arthur Ashe Stadium at the U.S. Open.

But it will cost a lot - at least nine figures - and it won't delay other projects that leaders of the USTA believe are mandatory at the home of the year's final Grand Slam. Currently, there are roofs on the main stadiums at Wimbledon and the Australian Open.

In a briefing with reporters Sunday, the eve of the start of the U.S. Open, USTA chief executive Gordon Smith reiterated a point he's made in the past: That the technology does not yet exist to put a roof on top of the 23,700-capacity stadium but that he's also confident that will change.

''I cannot tell you when that will be,'' Smith said. ''I can't tell you what it will cost, though it will clearly be over nine figures.''

Meantime, he outlined a series of plans - first unveiled in June - to expand the Billie Jean King Tennis Center, including a rebuild of 10,000-seat Louis Armstrong Stadium, which would be constructed to someday accommodate a roof of its own.

The topic of covering Arthur Ashe Stadium comes up almost annually, especially in the wake of four straight years when rain has delayed play and forced the tournament to finish on a Monday.

That, in turn, has forced the USTA to give back undisclosed amounts of money to CBS, which televises the final weekend and has had to show the men's final on Monday afternoons.

''But the amount of money we've lost by not having a roof and the amount of money we might make by adding a roof is negligible compared to the cost of adding a roof,'' Smith said.

Smith said the weight of the stadium and the loose soil beneath it would make it impossible, with today's technology, to put a roof on top. He said the other idea was to erect a building around the stadium that would cover it, but those plans were too unwieldy and would almost certainly not be approved by the city and state.

''Monstrosities,'' USTA chairman and president Jon Vegosen called those proposed buildings. ''But we're going to have a roof one day. I just can't tell you when.''

 

[Sentinel]

Just make it a Monday final.

 

[Raz11]

I think I read somewhere that they will be giving the players a day break between the semifinals and finals next year. They are still undecided whether to have a Sunday or Monday final. At least they plan on fixing that first.

 

[vamospunch]

Just take stands off Ashe, put them on Armstrong and put a roof on Armstrong (if the soil is steady enough below Armstrong). Or, build a new center court, made for a roof.

 

[FEDEXP]

Absolutely build a new Center Court; Ashe is a monstrosity.

 

[kaku]

Arthur Ashe is just too big. It must be impossible to watch the match at all if you're sitting at the very top.

 

[Sid_Vicious]

At least nine figures? Understandable considering the Wimbledon roof cost 130 million dollars. However, I am curious to know how much more it would cost for Ashe.

 

[joeri888]

Just make it a Monday final.

Just start play on sunday, and make it a super friday instead of super saturday, then play the final on sunday.

 

[Bartelby]

Its impossible to roof Ashe and it will never happen.

Moreover, they won't even build a roofed Armstrong.

 

[6-1 6-3 6-0]

Build a new court with a roof. Or just get rid of the US Open and merge it with the Australian Open somehow (half of the grand slams being played on hard-court is hardly fair).

 

[BHud]

Build a new court with a roof. Or just get rid of the US Open and merge it with the Australian Open somehow (half of the grand slams being played on hard-court is hardly fair).

Sorry...there's only one fair in life...and it comes with ferris wheels, cotton candy, and lots of carnival games...

 

[bluetrain4]

I personally don't care about a roof. Much prefer outdoor tennis. The weekend schedule is more of an important issue, IMO. Rain delays don't bother me.

But, obviously, the tournament itself may have a big interest in a roof, given the ongoing scheduling/delay issue, and the general public's quickly growing inability to wait for anything, and of course broadcast concerns.

 

[vamospunch]

I personally don't care about a roof. Much prefer outdoor tennis. The weekend schedule is more of an important issue, IMO. Rain delays don't bother me.

But, obviously, the tournament itself may have a big interest in a roof, given the ongoing scheduling/delay issue, and the general public's quickly growing inability to wait for anything, and of course broadcast concerns.

True, rain delays can be fun. The rain delays at 2011 Roland Garros final and 2012 Roland Garros final added more suspense, drama and overall variables to the matches. Generally a good thing.

 

[MasturB]

If it's the branding they care so much about.

Instead of Super Saturday just call it Fantastic Friday.

 

[vamospunch]

If it's the branding they care so much about.

Instead of Super Saturday just call it Fantastic Friday.

Exactly. Friday is just as big as Saturday when it comes to celebratory atmosphere.

 

[cknobman]

I have been wondering why everyone (press, players, tournament, USTA, etc...) is making such a big deal about why they cant put a roof on Ashe stadium when they could easily put a freakin roof on one of the other courts.

Seems so simple to me.

 

[bluetrain4]

I have been wondering why everyone (press, players, tournament, USTA, etc...) is making such a big deal about why they cant put a roof on Ashe stadium when they could easily put a freakin roof on one of the other courts.

Seems so simple to me.

I think the problem is that if you have the marquee matches scheduled on the enourmous Ashe Stadium, but the roof is on a different, smaller court, then people who paid a lot of money for tickets will be left out. Yes, you could have a tiered ticketing system, where all tickets showed both a primary seat for Ashe, and a secondary seat for the roofed stadium, and the lowest priced ticket-holders for Ashe would be left out and would know this before even purchasing the ticket.

But, I'm sure the big corporate sponsors with boxes in Ashe would not be happy since there's no boxes for any of the other courts, plus, it would be a huge pain to transfer all of the people, in cases where the match started on Ashe, but then it started raining.

If there's ever a roof, it will be when they build a new main stadium, which I don't think will happen that soon. As has been said ad nauseum on TW, they could at least change the scheduling to give themselves some wiggle room if rain comes on the second weekend.

 

[Devilito]

build a roof on Armstrong. When it's done, make Armstrong the temporary center court. Tear down Ashe and build a new one with a roof, then change it back to center court. Seems pretty basic. Now you have 2 solid courts with a roof.

 

[Govnor]

I'm just not seeing any possibility of Ashe being "torn down".

 

[TMF]

True, rain delays can be fun. The rain delays at 2011 Roland Garros final and 2012 Roland Garros final added more suspense, drama and overall variables to the matches. Generally a good thing.

Only people that don't mind waiting are the rafa fans who have no problem Nadal wasting too much time between points.

 

[cknobman]

I think the problem is that if you have the marquee matches scheduled on the enourmous Ashe Stadium, but the roof is on a different, smaller court, then people who paid a lot of money for tickets will be left out. Yes, you could have a tiered ticketing system, where all tickets showed both a primary seat for Ashe, and a secondary seat for the roofed stadium, and the lowest priced ticket-holders for Ashe would be left out and would know this before even purchasing the ticket.

But, I'm sure the big corporate sponsors with boxes in Ashe would not be happy since there's no boxes for any of the other courts, plus, it would be a huge pain to transfer all of the people, in cases where the match started on Ashe, but then it started raining.

If there's ever a roof, it will be when they build a new main stadium, which I don't think will happen that soon. As has been said ad nauseum on TW, they could at least change the scheduling to give themselves some wiggle room if rain comes on the second weekend.

It really pisses me off everything revolves around money, sponsors, tickets.

Sure they pay the bills but not every decision has to be made completely around those aspects.

The open is first and foremost around tennis. If Ashe is too big to build a roof over and it would benefit the schedule, the players, and the tennis to build one over Armstrong then that should be reason enough to do it.

 

[bluetrain4]

build a roof on Armstrong. When it's done, make Armstrong the temporary center court. Tear down Ashe and build a new one with a roof, then change it back to center court. Seems pretty basic. Now you have 2 solid courts with a roof.

It's a good idea. Temporary main stadium for one or two years, then a new Ashe stadium on the current site with a roof and maybe scaled down a little so there's not the ridiculous nosebleed seats (I guess the USTA rightly assumes that if people will purchase those seats, why not sell them?)

But, I just don't see the USTA doing it. I see them as thinking they must get a minimum number of years out of Ashe before moving on, and I also don't see them being willing to build a roof on a smaller court before building one on the main stadium.

McEnroe brought up a very good point that the roof would be welcome because the National Tennis Center is a year-round facility, in a place where it's not warm all year. Having an indoor stadium could be used for year-round training, exhibitions, competitions (Davis Cup, for example), and non-tennis events (as the AO stadium is used for other things).

 

[vamospunch]

Only people that don't mind waiting are the rafa fans who have no problem Nadal wasting too much time between points.

The time between points isn't long at all. Not even close to a minute. So impossible to have a problem waiting for that. Rain delay in a grand slam final is excellent because it makes the final last longer. I almost hope that each slam final lasts 2 days. The other rounds, I'd not want a rain delay.