Lack of air circulation blamed on new roof

The Arthur Ashe Stadium roof has caused a major stir at the U.S. Open, but not because of its use.

Because of a few weeks without rain, the two roofs, including the new one on the rebuilt Louis Armstrong Stadium, had yet to be closed for an entire match before Thursday night.

However, the unprecedented heat and humidity has the top players riled at the lack of circulation inside Ashe Stadium, blaming the superstructure on top of the arena that supports the roof.

Roger Federer blamed the still air at Ashe partly for his stunning loss against unseeded John Millman on Monday night, saying he could hardly breathe in the humid air. On Wednesday night, after surviving Millman, Novak Djokovic said he has never played a U.S. Open this sweaty because of the lack of circulating air courtside.

“I think that this tournament needs to address this,” Djokovic said. “Whether it’s night or day, we just don’t have air down there. It feels like sauna. Obviously the roof is fantastic. We, as players, are grateful that we have the roof, because then the rain will not interrupt the matches. But there is no circulation of the air at all, especially court level.”

The USTA is looking into the problem for next year, according to spokesman Chris Widmaier. In the first two years of the Ashe roof, the weather didn’t come close to what it has been the last two weeks in terms of temperature and humidity.

In fact, according to Widmaier, the USTA thought the superstructure on top of the stadium did well in making the court less windy.

In the Djokovic-Millman match late Wednesday, a bizarre break occurred at 2-2 when Millman begged to leave the court because his shorts were sopping wet, and he couldn’t put the tennis balls in his pocket. Players aren’t allowed to leave unless it’s a changeover, but an exception was made.

Ironically, in the first Open with two expensive roofs, the covers had sat idle heading into play Thursday night. Only on Friday did the Open see a smattering of rain.