Rainy day blues cannot stop Rafa

RAFAEL Nadal has conquered the French Open 10 times and battled careerthreatening knee and wrist injuries, but his greatest challenge awaits him — telling New Yorkers to be quiet.

The world No.1 and twotime US Open champion took his first-round record at the season’s final grand slam to 13-0 yesterday with a 7-6 (8-6), 6-2, 6-2 win over Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic.

But with torrential rain lashing the Flushing Meadows site, the roof on the showpiece Arthur Ashe Stadium was shut tight, creating a giant echochamber for the boisterous crowd of 24,000 beneath.

“Being honest, it [the noise] is a little bit too much,” said the 31-year-old Spaniard, whose grand slam collection of 15 titles includes the 2010 and 2013 US Open crowns.

“The energy and support of the crowd is massive. I enjoy it and I have unforgettable memories from this tournament and this court, because the energy is different from in other places. But at the same time, under the roof, it’s too much noise. I was not able to hear the ball when hitting.

“I understand it’s a show, but under the roof we need to be a little bit more strict about the noise. All the noise stays inside, and this is difficult.”

Nadal’s complaints echoed similar concerns made by Andy Murray last year when the $150 million roof over the world’s biggest tennis stadium was rolled into action for the first time. Murray claimed that when rain was bouncing off the roof, it was impossible to hear line calls.

Nadal said the noise yesterday meant he was unable to hear the ball and that his opponent could not hear him when he asked for a service game to be delayed.

Meanwhile, he said he was flummoxed by Murray’s decision to withdraw from the US Open. Murray was suffering from a hip injury and his decision to pull out of the event, where he would have been second seed, came too late to affect Nadal’s half of the draw.

“Was a little bit strange that he retired just the morning after the draw was made,” Nadal said.