By Joe McDonald | Wednesday, August 31, 2016
"It almost has a feel of playing indoors because there's no wind. It's, like, perfect conditions to play really," Andy Murray says of the roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Photo credit: Jennifer Pottheiser/USTA
NEW YORK—Meet the new Ashe, but is it the same as the old Ashe?
With all due respect to The Who—which, by the way, played at the old Singer Bowl that preceded Louis Armstrong Stadium back in the day—the new roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium doesn’t just protect players and fans from rain storms.
US Open: Inside Story of the New Retractable Roof
It has also changed the way the game is played.
And in the first few days, top players observed some noticeable differences in the sights, sounds and bounces inside Ashe Stadium.
“The arena, it's quite different playing out there now,” said Andy Murray, who defeated Lukas Rosol on Ashe Stadium Tuesday night. “It's a lot louder than most places that we play, so you don't hear the ball as much. There's a slightly different sound in there. Once I got through that, I settled down and played, you know, I think a really good match.”
An amplified sound may be the biggest difference, according to the players.
With the roof covering stands, the cheers and noise are contained within the cavernous tennis stadium and reverberate around the court.
It doesn’t make it too difficult for the players, who try to detect the sound of the ball off the strings, but it is an adjustment.
“I think you get used to it as the match goes on,” Murray said. “But it is very different. You know, imagine when you go to play on one of the outside courts, it will be quite a significant change.”
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Generally, the changes around the USTA Billie Jean King National Center have received rave reviews from most of the players.
“I love the new stadium,” said Serena Williams. “It's really nice. I've practiced on it with it opened and closed, and that's been really cool.”
The six-time US Open champion has yet to hit on the new Grandstand—or even step foot on the court—but says she likes what she's seen so far.
“I haven't seen the new Grandstand yet, but it looks nice on TV," a smiling Serena said. "A lot of changes going on here, I just think it's all good changes.”
However Caroline Wozniacki, who has played on both Ashe and the new Grandstand, can give a more rounded opinion. She gave rave reviews on the Grandstand and said about Ashe, “I think the echo in there is a little louder, but it already was that last year. When I played night session on Ashe I could definitely hear it was louder. But it's part of the US Open. The crowd is loud. The crowd gets into it. I love that about this tournament.”
Another benefit of the roof is the dramatically diminished windy conditions inside of Ashe Stadium. Murray says in evening conditions, the court elicits a lower bounce than during day sessions.
“The court is obviously cooler, so it's staying a little bit lower,” Murray said. “It's not bouncing up as high. During the day that's obviously quite different. The ball's bouncing up a lot more, tends to be a little bit harder to control.
“Obviously now in there, this is because of the roof, there's literally no wind at all. It almost has a feel of playing indoors because there's no wind. It's, like, perfect conditions to play really.”
For two-time US Open champion Rafael Nadal, who has battled tempestuous wind on Ashe in the past, the calmer conditions are a major plus.
“Oh, the wind, there is no wind. It's just a little bit of wind, no?" Nadal said. "Since the first day that I practiced here I checked that was not wind at all, no? Because I remembered one of these days that I was practicing in the center court outside was very, very windy, and in the center court was not wind at all, no?”
There is one problem though. There are shadows cast from the $150 million retractable roof that players now have to deal with when playing during the day.
“The shadows are, you know, always a little bit of inconvenience during, but it's true after 2:30, 3:00 in the afternoon it's over,” Nadal said, “That's a good thing.”
Perfect conditions and a loud crowd. Heck, the Open should have gone to a roof years ago.
“In general terms, is great,” Nadal said. “(It) is beautiful court, is an amazing job that USTA did, and I think is a great improvement for everybody, for the players, for the fans who are visiting here Flushing Meadows, and for sure for the people who are following the tournament on the television.”