While the new $150M retractable roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium is "keeping one unwanted thing out -- rain -- it’s keeping another unwanted thing in: Noise," according to Nick McCarvel of USA TODAY. ESPN analyst John McEnroe during the event's broadcast said, "It's never been this loud." Rafael Nadal said of the heightened noise after his second-round win at the U.S. Open, "Yeah, that surprised me." But McCarvel notes whether or not the noise will "create a greater issue and become a flashpoint with players moving forward is yet to be seen" (USA TODAY, 9/2). In N.Y., Naila-Jean Meyers notes with "more than 22,000 people under a closed roof, it was expected to be much louder in Ashe Stadium than before." USTA Exec Dir & COO Gordon Smith said, "This is New York. Yes, there’s crowd noise. We want fans to be excited and cheer. We think the fans will adjust and the players will adjust" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/2). USTA Managing Dir of Communications Chris Widmaier said the situation "certainly is a topic of conversation," one that tournament officials "will be monitoring." He said that perhaps there could be "occasional appeals for quiet on Ashe’s huge video screens" (NEWSDAY, 9/2).
WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Tom Perrotta notes "even when it’s open, the roof makes Arthur Ashe Stadium louder." It "amplifies chatter among fans and passing Long Island Rail Road trains." When players give on-court interviews after matches, the echoes "make their words difficult to understand." On Thursday, Andy Murray and Marcel Granollers "played through the first patch of heavy rain," but then Granollers "stopped to talk to the chair umpire because he wasn’t sure whether the noise was from the crowd or the downpour." Granollers: "With the rain, it was so annoying and it was difficult to play because when you hit the ball, normally you feel that you are hitting. When I hit, I didn’t feel nothing. It was also difficult (to) concentrate during the game.” Murray "noted differences between the new roof in Queens and the one over Wimbledon’s Centre Court." He said that at Arthur Ashe the humidity and court conditions "don’t change very much, whereas at Wimbledon, humidity increases and players have said the ball slows down." Murray: "You can’t hear anything, really." But Perrotta notes even with the noise, reviews of the new roof "have been positive" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 9/2).
NOT A TOTAL WASHOUT: Murray said, "We use our ears when we play. If we played with our ears covered or with headphones on, it would be a big advantage if your opponent wasn’t wearing them.” In N.Y., Zach Schonburn notes on Thursday the roof "saved most of the afternoon of the tournament’s fourth day from being a total washout." Even as intermittent rain showers "halted play on the outside courts for several hours, the matches went on without interruption inside Ashe, which kept the roof closed until the last match of the night." Umpires continually "reminded fans to keep quiet between points." Murray said that the players would "eventually have to get used to the noise." Venus Williams, who played at Ashe after Murray’s match, said that the crowd noise "rarely bothered her" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/2).
AND THE PEOPLE SAY: ESPN’s Brad Gilbert, on the feel of the stadium with the roof closed, said, “First of all, sitting courtside, obviously the lights are on. It almost feels like an evening indoor match, the court maybe feels a touch slower and you can hear the sound. If people are talking ... upstairs, you can hear it so the sound definitely magnifies but it is amazing that with this structure and with the lights on, you completely lost time, day or night.” ESPN’s Chris Fowler: “I don’t know if I agree with that, I think it is a different feeling than it is at night. This is a translucent roof, it does let light through, my sense is it doesn’t quite let as much through as the roof at Wimbledon does, for example. ... but I agree about the noise" ("U.S. Open,” ESPN, 9/1). ESPN’s Hannah Storm said, "Fans that are watching on television can hear that there’s almost like a buzz. ... At one point, which is something relatively new in New York, they actually asked the fans to be quiet last night. Good luck with that.” Fowler: “These lights are about 200 feet above the court’s surface, which is about as far away from a tennis court as you can possibly have lights" (“U.S. Open,” ESPN, 9/1). ESPN’s Patrick McEnroe said, "The players who are complaining about it, get over it. You’re making a ton of money" (“GMA,” ABC, 9/2).
