U.S. Open officials found that steel beams from the partially finished roof construction at Arthur Ashe Stadium "would create crisscross shadow patterns at certain times of the day, especially in the afternoon," and to solve the problem, they installed what Tournament Dir David Brewer "described as a 'temporary covering' on the western and southern portions of the superstructure," according to Andrew Beaton of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. The retractable roof "will not be operational" until '16, but ahead of this year’s tournament, the construction crews "completed the 6,500-ton steel superstructure that hangs over the stadium." USTA Dir of Communications Chris Widmaier said that the "tarp-like covering eliminates any potential shadow problems and will additionally provide more shade for fans." Other aspects of the construction may actually be "more visible to fans than the partially finished roof." There are now "two more video boards in Ashe, for a total of four." The old light towers, used during night matches, have also been "replaced with an LED lighting system that the USTA says will be sharper" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/31).
STICKING WITH TRADITION: Though the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is going through a $500M renovation, Widmaier said that there are "no plans to replace the manual draw board." Widmaier: "We do want to have a balance between the innovative and tradition. It's one of those unexpected things fans can run across" (NEWSDAY, 8/31).
