The roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium was "thrust back into the forefront" of the US Open Tuesday after Rafael Nadal "complained that too much noise swirled underneath it, making it difficult for him to compete," according to David Waldstein of the N.Y. TIMES. However, were it not for that $150M structure "protecting the court from the rain, tennis fans would not have witnessed a remarkable late-night, first-round match" between Roger Federer and 19-year old American Frances Tiafoe. Those two matches were the "only ones completed out of a schedule of 32 men’s matches because rain lashed down on the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center throughout the day." Night matches at the US Open have always been "boisterous, but the roof amplified the chatter of fans as they talked through points." Nadal said, "I understand it’s a show at the end of the day, and I enjoy that. I feel part of this, of course. But under the roof, we need to be a little bit more strict about the noise, in my opinion." Federer, who did not play last year when the roof was first introduced, said that it only "enhanced his experience." Federer: "When the crowd really got into it, it was really cool" (N.Y. TIMES, 8/30).
VOICE OF REASON? In N.Y., Kevin Armstrong reported Nadal simply "echoed the sentiment that players have shared since the USTA introduced the roof a year ago." Nadal said that it is "difficult to analyze how the ball is coming when you are not hearing very well the sound of the opponent’s ball" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 8/30).
