The U.S. Open is "looking into changing its schedule as soon as next year and could become the first Grand Slam tennis tournament to switch permanently to a Monday finish," according to Howard Fendrich of the AP. After four consecutive years of playing the men's final on Monday due to rain, Tournament Dir Jim Curley yesterday said that the USTA "started discussions last month with broadcaster CBS about finding a way to heed top players' calls for a day off between the men's semifinals and final." The U.S. Open is the "only major tournament that schedules those matches on consecutive days, Saturday and Sunday." One proposal under consideration would "add a 15th day to the tournament, shifting the men's final from Sunday to Monday, and the women's final from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon." That also would "give the women a day to rest between their semifinals and final." The USTA also is "considering keeping the men's title match in its traditional Sunday afternoon spot, but moving" the semifinals to Friday. The USTA BOD has "approved exploring various scheduling options." Curley said, "We're just getting into this process and right now, everything is on the table." Changes might result in the "loss of one or two sessions during the U.S. Open -- under the present format, tickets are sold for 26 sessions, some during the day, some at night -- and a change in TV rights fees received by the USTA." Curley: "It's fair to say that this type of change would have a negative financial impact on the USTA, and that's another reason why we're being very thoughtful in this process. We're talking about millions of dollars." He acknowledged such losses "would have to have an impact" on any future plans to add a roof to the tournament facility (AP, 10/19).
SOARING NUMBERS: A report showed the '11 BNP Paribas Open "attracted 350,086 people and pumped $289.9 million into the Coachella Valley economy in March." In Palm Springs, Debra Gruszecki notes, "That's $188 million more than in 2001, when the first economic impact report for the tennis tournament at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden was compiled by George Washington University." The '11 tournament drew 113,664 unique spectators, "with 84 percent coming from out of town over a two-week period." Tournament Dir Steve Simons said that "even during one of the toughest recessions in modern history, the most attended tennis tournament outside of the four Grand Slams continues to grow" (Palm Springs DESERT SUN, 10/20).
