Too much noise for Nadal Retractable roof wreaking havoc with Rafa’s sense of orderly court
NEW YORK — It’s too loud under the US Open roof for Rafael Nadal.
Even though the US Tennis Association tried to lessen the noise in Arthur Ashe Stadium after the retractable cover’s debut during last year’s tournament, there was still quite a bit of ambient sound when the top was shut because of rain on Tuesday.
“Too much noise, no?” the No 1-seeded Nadal said after beating Dusan Lajovic 7-6 (6), 6-2, 6-2 in the first round. “I was not able to hear the ball when I am hitting.”
Nadal, who counts two US Open championships among his 15 Grand Slam titles, missed the tournament because of an injury in 2016, when the $150 million sliding cover made its debut atop the event’s main arena.
Some players and spectators described the sounds last year as being similar to a rushing waterfall, a result of a combination of equipment in the stadium and 20,000-plus fans speaking.
The USTA pledged a year ago to try to improve the situation and spokesman Chris Widmaier said on Tuesday that steps had been taken, including the removal of a cellphone tower above the stadium’s broadcast booths.
As well, old air conditioning equipment in the same spot was replaced with modern units that are much quieter and sound-dampening material was placed above other AC units outside the stadium.
Widmaier acknowledged that last year’s “background noise level ... needed to be, at a minimum, reduced, if not eliminated.”
Told of Nadal’s complaint, Widmaier agreed “it was loud in there today, especially with the roof closed.” He said the USTA plans “to continue to work with sound experts” to see what else can be done.
Another player who spent some time under the roof on Tuesday was French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, whose first-round victory was completed after being shifted from Court 17 because of the rain.
“For me it was fine, but I was there only, like, three games,” Ostapenko said. “Probably not enough time to really hear that noise or realize something like that.”
Nadal’s complaints echoed similar concerns made by Andy Murray last year.
Murray, the 2012 champion, claimed that when the rain was bouncing off the outside of the roof, it was impossible to hear line calls inside.
Even the umpire in that match appealed to spectators to lower the volume, a desperate and often futile appeal during the tournament’s famed night sessions, when the alcohol-fueled atmosphere for the meek.
Nadal said the noise on Tuesday meant he was unable to hear the ball and that his opponent couldn’t hear him when he asked for a service game to be delayed.
Nadal said the noise under the roof at Flushing Meadows is worse than when the covers atop arenas at Wimbledon and the Australian Open are closed.
“I understand it’s a show, at the end of the day, and I enjoy that. I feel part of it, of course,” he said.
“But under the roof, we need to be a little bit more strict about the noise, in my opinion. All the noise ends up staying inside, and this is not good, no?”
Widmaier said the USTA expects things to be less problematic as the two-week tournament is not continues.
“What we noticed last year is that during the first week of the competition there was noticeable crowd noise, both with the roof open and closed,” he said.
“Of course, that’s exacerbated when the roof is closed. However, we also noticed that as the tournament progressed, and the matches became more compelling, the crowd noise reduced.
“It is early in the tournament, and we expect that as the tournament goes on, there will be more of a hush in the crowd.”
Meanwhile, Nadal said he was equally baffled by Murray’s decision to withdraw from the Open last Saturday — after the draw had been made.
Murray is coping with 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, which he shares with Roger Federer.
“It was a little bit strange that he retired just the morning after the draw was made,” said Nadal.
“I saw him when I arrived here, and I was just going over to say hi to him. But I always thought that he was going to be playing if he was here practicing.
“You don’t retire Saturday morning. You retire Monday morning or Sunday afternoon. If not, you can do it before the draw. That’s why I say it’s strange.
“It was something that is a little difficult to understand, but the worst thing is he is not healthy and I wish him a very fast recovery.”