Living on the Ceiling

Rain delay, rain delay, more rain delay.

Sigh.

You know what, USTA? Get a frigging roof!

If I were Rafa Nadal or Fernando Gonzalez I would be mighty pissed off right about now. Whichever one of them manages to get through to the final - Rafa, I would be betting - will have to play three consecutive days. (If one gets through to the final, that is - JMDP might have something to say about that). To sit around waiting for this amount of time and then playing in the tiny breaks between the rain delays puts them at a mammoth disadvantage. And what if the rain continues for a couple of days? We could be here well into next week.

I feel sorry for the women too - particularly Wozniacki and Wickmayer, who would have suffered the ignominy of being moved to Grandstand if the rain had let up - but at least they're all equally disadvantaged. Federer and Djokovic will have a huge amount of rest leading into their semi, and will probably be able to carry that over to the final. JMDP will certainly be more rested than his opponent. Add to which the tournament hassle and the spectator disappointment and all the other badness that comes along with inclement weather...

...which could be saved if they'd just get themselves a frigging roof.

Sure, it's a huge investment. Sure, the US Open is an outdoor tournament - but so is the Aussie Open, and the roof is the best damn thing they ever did. And guess what, US Open: what's good enough for Wimbledon is good enough for you!