The US Open‘s newest decision regarding the closing of the roof has sparked strong reactions from fans. The Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong stadiums are the two venues with retractable roofs at Flushing Meadows. The tournament is now allowing the Arthur Ashe roof to be closed even in favorable weather.
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Tennis broadcaster Jason Goodall explained the decision on ESPN. He pointed out that the tournament has made the move so that tracking the ball is easier on sunny days. At times, harsh sunlight can strain players’ eyes, and they may struggle to track the ball properly. The same goes for the chair umpire and the fans in attendance.
On top of this, they will also not have to face the intense heat and sunlight of New York, which could very well lead to exhaustion during matches. While this could make morning sessions much easier for players competing at the two stadiums, the others won’t be so lucky, as none of the other US Open courts have retractable roofs.
This comes after players had complained about the brutal heat in New York, though this hasn’t been cited as the reason. Most famously, Daniil Medvedev was left outraged by the hot conditions during and after his match against Andrey Rublev in the 2023 edition. Both players were seen using ice packs during the clash, and Medvedev even took two medical timeouts, during which he used an inhaler.
“Brutal conditions for both of us,” he said after defeating Rublev 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. “I mean, I don’t know if it could be seen through the camera, because we are sweating so much and use a lot of towels. I have no skin left on my nose here. And here, it’s red, but it’s not because of the sun. I just saw Andrey in the locker room, and his face is very red, and it’s also not because of the sun.”
Though the closing of the roof on sunny days can turn out to be beneficial for players, fans are not satisfied. With the US Open being classified as an outdoor event, many fans argue that the roofs should remain open whenever weather permits.
A fan described the decision as “awful” and wants the US Open to reconsider closing Arthur Ashe’s roof. “Awful decision, it’s an outside tournament, it should be played in outside conditions. Ashe is a very different feel and acoustics with roof closed,” the fan wrote on X.
Another fan expressed a very similar sentiment. “Stupid decision. USO is not an indoor tournament,” the X post read.
“Arbitrarily turning it into an indoors tournament with completely different conditions from day to day.”
Some even felt that the US Open is trying to please Aryna Sabalenka with this decision, as she is known to struggle in windy conditions. “This is absolutely ridiculous. Guess they are doing what they can to push for Saba to win.”
Finally, a fan expressed support for the decision, but claimed that this move will mostly benefit the high-seeded players.
“As a fan this is the right decision and I’m sure the players won’t miss baking in the hot sun either, but this does tend to favor higher seeded players who get to play on Ashe. As usual.”
It remains to be seen if the move will actually benefit both fans and players, or will come under criticism as the tournament progresses.