Put a lid on it

Written by: Staff on 14th September 2010

Put a lid on it |

And so it is over. We have survived – just – and we are free to go our separate ways. There were moments on the final Monday when it seemed that we would be stuck in Flushing Meadows forever: if it did not stop raining, this tournament would never end. But it did and Rafa won and all is well with the world again.

Whoever manages to win the US Open invariably does so despite the organisation, the conditions and the ridiculous demands of television. Nothing here is designed with the players in mind and the tennis, it seems, comes bottom of the list of priorities in Flushing Meadows.

After it rained all afternoon on Sunday, the final was delayed for 24 hours. But Monday’s weather forecast had shown that there was a huge thunderstorm headed for National Tennis Center and it was due to arrive in the late afternoon. Anyone with access to a newspaper, television, radio or computer knew that the rain was a-comin’ and yet CBS, the host broadcasters for the weekend sessions, demanded that the rearranged match be started at 4pm.

Well, they said 4pm but that start time was only the cue for on-court “entertainment”, a bit of faffing about with flags and one of the longest warm-ups in history. The match did not actually start until after 4.20pm. And with every passing, wasted minute, the storm edged closer to Queens.

When, at last, the thunder rumbled and the first spots of rain fell at 6.02pm, CBS threw in the towel. No, they would not be back to show the conclusion of the final and, yes, their normal prime time shows would be available as scheduled. Dick Enberg, the veteran sportscaster, suggested that anyone who was interested – and he sounded as if it would impossible that anyone could have any interest in anything that was not on CBS – should switch to ESPN 2. But when Rafa and Novak came back on court at 7.48pm, ESPN 2 was warbling on about Nascar. Only at the last moment did they cross to the tennis where, surprise, surprise, Dick Enberg was back behind the microphone alongside John McEnroe. Both men were obviously doing double shifts and racking up the overtime.

All of this could have been avoided (the delays, that is and not Dick Enberg. No one can dodge dear old Dick at the Open) had someone in charge had a little bit of common sense. Had the final started at lunchtime, the match could have been wrapped up by the time the rain started and everyone could have back in the city by teatime. But at the US Open, one of the biggest money-spinners for the city of New York, they could not buy commonsense if it was on sale at Walmart.

We could go into the whole roof debate but we would end up sounding smug. In my damp little country, rain is not just a weather condition, it is a way of life. Yet, for all that, Wimbledon rarely spills over into a third week. Now that Centre Court has a roof, all prime time matches can be played on schedule and no long matches have to be called off for bad light. The roof cost a mint and, as luck would have it, it has barely rained at Wimbledon since it was built, but it is the ultimate safety net for the tournament.

The Australian Open has two covered courts and a third one planned; the French Open is hoping to build a new main court – with a roof – as soon as the Paris authorities grant them planning permission. The US Open organisers, meanwhile, look at the vast Arthur Ashe stadium, once the pride and joy of the tournament, and sigh. The span is too large to cover easily and the whole building needs shoring up to support the weight of a roof that size. Oh, and it will cost around $200million dollars to build. Back it is, then, to the rain delays and the ball kids with tea towels trying to mop up the puddles.

At some point, someone has to take the TV executives to one side and explain the facts of life to them. If tennis is to grow in the United States, it needs to be on terrestrial television, it needs to be covered properly and it needs to have the top players playing at their very top level. And it needs to have room in the schedule for a few rain delays – they do happen. Even in New York. Squeezing the men’s semi finals and final into two days with no margin for error simply does not work – the last three Opens have proved that.

Or, of course, someone could stump up for a roof and so solve a multitude of problems in one fell swoop. Those nice people at the All England Club can tell the USTA how it is done.

Topics: 4pm, Anyone With Access, Bottom Of The List, Court Entertainment, Dick Emberg, Dick Enberg, Espn, Espn 2, Last Moment, Late Afternoon, Nascar, National Tennis Center, Separate Ways, Sportscaster, Surprise Surprise, Television Radio, Thunderstorm, Ups, Warm Ups, Weather Forecast, Weekend Sessions