Roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium too costly, says USTA

New York: The cost of building a roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium is too expensive and may not be practical for the US Open, the head of the US Tennis Association said Saturday.

A persistent drizzle over the last few days has created a scheduling nightmare for the Open, but USTA executive director Gordon Smith said a roof was not the answer. "Would I love to have a roof? Absolutely," he said. "But it is certainly one of those situations where you have to really look at the practical aspects.” "In `07 we didn`t have a single session rained out. In `08 we had one, and thus far, knock on wood, hopefully we`ll only have one rained out in `09."However, this is the second straight year the US Open has been forced into a Monday finish because the rain came late in the tournament and gave organizers no wiggle room. "Had they been earlier in the tournament, we wouldn`t be in the position where we have to end on Monday," he said. "So you weigh that against the potential costs of a roof on Ashe of USD 100 million or more, and it`s a tough decision, especially when we`re trying to figure out the best ways to utilize the revenues to promote our sport." The decision not to follow the leads of Wimbledon and the Australian Open and construct a roof has come under attack from the tennis community, though the non-profit USTA believes it has actually come through the rain with an unexpected bonus. Normally, the women`s final is on Saturday night and the men`s championship Sunday afternoon. But since this week`s rain caused the scheduling to be shuffled, an enticing women`s semi-final between Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters will fill the Saturday night slot. The women`s final will be on Sunday night -- the most watched evening for US TV viewership -- so the Open will have two marquee matches televised during weekend prime time. "From the standpoint of promoting our sport, this is a coup," boasted tournament director Jim Curley. Gordon said the USTA is looking into the cost of a roof but added: "You`ve got to remember that Arthur Ashe Stadium roof is essentially putting a roof over something about as big as a modern day major league baseball park. "It`s a very complex thing." Curley defended the US Open`s policy of having the men play their semi-finals on Saturday and the final on Sunday, unlike other grand slams that have a day of rest in between. "We have a particular finals scenario that we`ve had in place for several decades, and we`re comfortable ... that it is, in fact, fair.” "If you were to ask a player, would they say it`s ideal? No, they would not say it`s ideal. A player would like to get a day in between the semis and the finals. We all know that." Rafael Nadal, who has been affected by rain suspensions the last two years at the Open, said playing a five-hour marathon semi-final like he had at this year`s Australian Open would leave a player with no gas in the tank for the next day. "It`s impossible to win the final, believe me," he said. Curley said the so-called Super Saturday format, that also normally features the women`s final, is fine the way it is. "It`s important from our USTA perspective to promote and develop the growth of the game," he said. "It gets to a much larger audience, and that`s one of the reasons why we do it." Bureau Report