RICKY DIMON SAYS • EARLY ROUNDS TENNIS @THE U.S. OPEN • AVOID ARTHUR ASHE STADIUM LIKE THE PLAGUE?

Written by: Staff on 28th August 2018

RICKY DIMON SAYS • EARLY ROUNDS TENNIS @THE U.S. OPEN • AVOID ARTHUR ASHE STADIUM LIKE THE PLAGUE?

epa06977144 Fans watch as Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays on the practice courts during the first day of the US Open Tennis Championships the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 27 August 2018. The US Open runs from 27 August through 09 September. EPA-EFE/PETER FOLEY |

Fans watch as Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays on the practice courts during the first day of the US Open Tennis Championships the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 27 August 2018. The US Open runs from 27 August through 09 September. EPA-EFE/PETER FOLEY

Editors Note: Ok. Ricky’s gonna need to explain this more. We really aren’t certain where his feelings are from. We’ve asked for more humor. We got that. In general we don’t care for large tennis stadiums. It doesn’t work for our sport. The nosebleed sections are a joke. You are seeing two little people running around. You don’t see the ball. So we agree about the field court (outer courts) or places where you can catch multiple courts of tennis action in front of you feet away. But not sure what else he doesn’t like about the arena. We will add more tomorrow. Please Enjoy his article. (LJ)

Nothing screams “get as far away from me as possible” as a stadium that is hosting a first-round Grand Slam match between Serena Williams and Magda Linette. It’s a high-alert situation. An all-out Code Red.

It’s not just Serena, of course. She isn’t the problem, and neither is any other GOAT. It’s just the reality of the situation. The three certainties of life are death, taxes, and first-week blowouts in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

This isn’t Wimbledon, where some random big hitter get hot and serve some favorite off a grass court. And this isn’t the French Open, where a clay-court specialist can surprise some favorite who be averse to the first.

Unless you get a fluky first-round draw like Venus Williams vs. another former U.S. Open Champion ( Venus vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova was a decent three-setter on Monday), a taxi ride in NYC traffic is better value than a ticket in the stratosphere of Ashe.

And yet people still flock to Arthur Ashe Stadium in droves, starting at 12:00 p.m. on the first Monday and just about every hour thereafter the remainder of the fortnight. That’s a really good idea on like the second Wednesday or–better still–championship Sunday. But on the first Monday? That’s just poor decision-making.

And if you’re actually going into Ashe, do yourself a favor put on an act like you’re part of the Bataan Death March and getting dragged in there against your will by some friend who’s never seen Serena, Roger Federer, or Rafael Nadal in person and simply wants to catch a glimpse–even from 5,000 miles away. Don’t admit that you’re actually excited about it when the smart folks are laughing at you while walking in the other direction to go see…I don’t know…five-setters like Kevin Anderson and Ryan Harrison on Court 17, Lorenzo Sonego vs. Gilles Muller on Court 16, or Taylor Fritz vs. Mischa Zverev on Court 10.

What makes those spots even better is that you can enjoy those smorgasbord of riches in the same place at the same time. You could watch Sonego-Muller from five feet away, turn around, and watch Nicolas Jarry vs. Peter Gojowyczk also from five feet away.

Another pro tip: you can see courts 13, 14, and 15 all very well from the same spot behind the baseline. You can do the same with 8, 9, and 10. Or walk up to the top of 12 and you can keep an eye on basically every outer court on the entire grounds of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Just do yourself a favor and don’t go into Ashe until we start getting things like Serena vs. Venus and Federer vs. Nick Kyrgios. In other words, DO NOT GO INTO ASHE on Tuesday.

What’s on Tuesday? Well, the “marquee” night-session offering includes Roger Federer vs. Yoshihito Nishioka and Madison Keys vs. Pauline Parmentier.

For that we may need a code higher than red.