Did somebody say Conspiracy? My favourite word!!! Players need a union. 1st union rule: All advancing players will have the same days rest between rounds. So if Rafa has two days rest, Federer gets two days. (Usually happens the other way around regardless of seeding BTW).
:P

Best sentence "nothing is random at this level." Yep.

Nobody is ever going to able to prove WHY the TDs do what they do...but you can bet that at some point, they are guilty of the favoritism they are often accused of. Just sayin'.

It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't just one player who seems to have his path smoothed at every single tournament. It doesn't matter whether he is in the top or bottom half of the draw, whether he is No 1, 2, 3 or 4 he always plays first no matter what. I remember when at Wimbledon, Rafa's match had been rained off for a couple of days, Federer played his next round match before Rafa could finish his already delayed match, so Federer was 2 rounds ahead.

I'm glad that the players have made their voice heard, they don't show any interest in the players' welfare.

Coming back to the roof, why on earth did they not put a roof on the new Ashe court instead on making it so big that the spectators at the very top can hardly see the ball. Even Wimbledon was a bit short sighted when they rebuilt No 1 court without a roof, they've even just rebuilt No 2 court still without a roof had they done that they would have had 3 covered courts now.

The USTA has a million excuses about it, nadline. People have said, "put a roof on Armstrong then" but they won't do it because they charge a literal fortune for those suites at AA stadium and they can't move all of those people to Armstrong...but at some point, they have to admit that they have to keep the players best interests in mind.

As the defending champion, Rafa should have opened Ashe for the men on Monday not Federer who did not even make the final last year.

Obviously some lobbying goes on. On ESPN today, Darren Cahill said in 2005 he went to the organizers to complain that his player (35 y.o. Agassi) should play the first semi on Saturday and when he got nowhere he told Andre himself to go there and use his clout to get it changed.

Then today Isner's coach went to tournament organizers to plead his case for John to start his match at the same time as the other 3 fourth round matches to be fair. It is what it is. Roddick has usually gotten what he wants too I'd bet. Murray gets preferential treatment at Wimbledon and I'm sure the Aussies and Frenchies get it at their home slams too.

Shame for those who don't have a home slam except, of course, Federer who doesn't need to beg for his privilege.

The ITF shoud have a laied down procedure. The defending champion should kick off on Centre Court if he is not there then the top seed should, thereafter, courts should be allocated according to ranking whether you are the home boy or not shouldn't matter. It's ridiculous for such a big international sport to be run on favouritism.

Sorry, typo on 'laid'

Fact is,that the preassure will rise to built a new stadium. I can´t really imagine the US Open to be the only Slam without, espacially after 2013, whan RG realized their roof...

Great article, Cheryl, on a very important topic. Thank you!

Nadline, I totally agree with your two posts. It's obvious to any one paying attention that Federer always plays first regardless of what his ranking is. Time after time, it is Rafa who is made to play with a severe disadvantage. If the talking heads would be bold enough to declare the truth - that the results are bogus whenever the playing field is completely skewed in favor of certain players by not making allowances to compensate for weather delays. Even a Monday final would not right the favoritism that is so extreme that they wanted to allow Federer and Djokovic to get into the quarters before Rafa and the bottom half of the draw had even played their round of sixteen matches. Unfortunately the organizers at the USO seem absolutely convinced that no one will ever notice or care that, in such unfair conditions, the results are fixed. Plain and simple. It's no different than if they tied 30 lb weight to the legs of Rafa or Murray while Federer and Djokovic play unimpeded and declared it a fair contest. It's not, it's crooked, out and out crooked. And they will keep on getting away with it. It's politics and maybe payoffs, definitely not tennis competition that we see going on.

Why would the organizers cancel the men's 4th round matches and hold out hope for the women's QF being played today? Hmmm let's see. Three of the men's matches were already started so it would seem like they would want to finish them first. Women always play best of 3 sets so GS are no different. The men playing best of 5 sets four days in a row would seem unfair doesn't it?

Here's my conspiracy theory :

The USO organizers know it would take a miracle for Roddick, Isner or Young to actually win this tournament. Therefore none of them are going to have to play 4 matches in a row. In fact it's very possible that none of them will get to QF. On the other hand, Serena is the clear favorite to win and the only thing that could possibly derail that is if she is "out-fitnessed" by a Stosur, Wozniacki or possibly Zvonareva. So their priority is to give Serena a day off and ensure that one American takes a title here.

Serena is gonna win the women's anyway, unless she's assassinated by Al Qaeda or something.
They should complete all of the round 16 men's tomorrow,
And the first half men's QF Friday,
The second group can go Saturday with the final Monday,
That's reasonably fair..logical even.
But of course unless rain forces this, it's not going to happen...

I meant the semis can all go on the Sunday with the QF second half on Sat,
Still not exactly fair of course..
Forget I said it...

Well it turned out to be a moot point anyway as play for the women too was suspended.

I'm not one to cry "UNFAIR!" and "FOUL!" but the way this is panning out, it's nothing short of a cheat against the guys on the bottom half. The USTA MUST make a decision to try to equalize the playing field a bit.

I am not fond of conspiracy theories as a rule. I think this would be a particularly unfortunate time to start promoting them now. The problem is the weather. People seem to have forgotten that on the eve of the beginning of this tournament, New York was under a watch for hurricane Irene. There was doubt as to whether it would even begin and when. New York was lucky to not get hit that hard, however surrounding states like New Jersey and Pennsylavania were not as fortunate. If New York had suffered that kind of flooding, we wouldn't even be talking about the USO right now. So we dodged one bullet. However, there are now a series of rainstorms that have stalled over the city and play has virtually been suspended for two days.

Talk about a roof, what if's, should haves and could haves, is pointless now. We don't have any roof over any court. That's the reality that we are facing. Now the question is, what do we do to make the competition as fair a possible for the bottom half of the men's draw, which has yet to complete its fourth round matches? I believe that the fourth round matches must be completed before any men's quarterfinal matches are played. This year the USO will have to throw Super Saturday out the window and CBS be damned! Things are going to have to be pushed back. That's the only fair way to continue the tournament. If it ends on Tuesday or Wednesday, well that's the price to be paid. It may not even be an option if the rain continues tomorrow.

I would also like to point out that having a roof on Arthur Ashe stadium would not have necessarily solved the problem of fairness for all competitors. Rafa was scheduled to play first on Arthur Ashe today and is scheduled to do so again tomorrow. Murray and Roddick were relegated to the grandstand and Louis Armstrong with Isner and Simon on court 17. So all players not scheduled on Arthur Ashe would again have been rained out.

There is no question in my mind that the USTA has to make whatever changes necessary to level the playing field for the men's competition. Otherwise, the final will be reduced to a farce. There is too much at stake in a slam.

Nadal leads player revolt as chaos grips US Open
NEW YORK: Rafael Nadal claimed players? safety was being put at risk by cash-conscious US Open chiefs trying to rescue the rain-hit event which suffered a virtual washout for the second successive day on Wednesday.
Only 15 minutes of play was possible after all of Tuesday was lost to torrential downpours, the first such full-day wipeout since 2006.
The deluge left defending champion Nadal stuck at the fourth round stage and facing having to play four days in succession if he was to win Sunday?s final.
Nadal was furious that he was forced to start his last-16 match against Luxembourg?s Gilles Muller on a damp Arthur Ashe Stadium and, along with Andy Murray and Andy Roddick, complained to tournament referee Brian Earley.
Their fourth round matches lasted just 15 minutes in early afternoon before they were hauled off as more downpours soaked Flushing Meadows.
Five hours later, all four remaining last-16 matches and two scheduled quarter-finals were cancelled and moved to Thursday as the prospect of a Monday men?s final for a fourth successive year edged closer.
Officials then had to cancel their ambitious plans to complete the four women?s quarter-finals when more rain appeared just after three-time champion Serena Williams and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova had finished warming-up on Ashe.
?We don?t want to go on court if it is raining. I think it?s not fair,? said 10-time Grand Slam title winner Nadal, whose match had originally been slated for Tuesday.
The clearly unhappy Spaniard was 3-0 down to Muller when the pair were taken off as conditions deteriorated.
As he passed Earley on the court, he was overheard to say: ?It?s the same old story, all you ever care about is money.? Nadal added in an interview with ESPN: ?We are not protected. There is a lot of money at the Grand Slams but we are part of the show. They are just working for that and not for us.
?It was still raining when they called us on court. The rain never really stopped, the courts were not dry. I know the fans are there but the health of the players is important.?
Andy Murray, who was 2-1 behind America?s Donald Young on Grandstand, insisted it was too dangerous to play.
?Players want to play more than anyone, but not when it?s dangerous,? said the Scot.
?The back of the court was soaking and the balls were wet too. Everyone mentioned it to the officials but they said it was fine. It didn?t make sense to go out on court for seven or eight minutes and then come back inside.?
Andy Roddick, who was 3-1 up on fifth-seeded David Ferrer on Louis Armstrong Stadium, joined forces with Nadal and Murray.
Tournament director Jim Curley said it was still planned to finish the tournament on Sunday.
?It is our intention at this point to finish the tournament on time on Sunday,? Curley told ESPN.
?We feel that we?re dealing with some of the best conditioned athletes in the world.? US Open officials said that their decision to send the players out was prompted by their belief that a two-hour window was available between the showers.
?As of 12 noon today, the best information available to us indicated the chance of a two-hour window without rain,? said a US Tennis Association statement.
?Unfortunately, not all light rain and mist shows up on radar. We have experienced referees, and they decide if courts are fit for play. Conditions may be not ideal, but still can be safe.
?However, if a player or players feel that conditions are unsafe, we listen to them, as we have always done, and the referee uses that information as part of his/her assessment on whether to continue or halt play.?
Men?s world number one Novak Djokovic, whose quarter-final with fellow Serb Janko Tipsarevic was switched to Thursday, said the US Open should build a roof on its showcase court.
?This is a Grand Slam tournament event with huge revenues, so maybe they should consider a roof in future,? said Djokovic.
Five-time champion Roger Federer?s match with France?s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was also switched to Thursday.
In all 54 matches were cancelled on Tuesday while 64 had been scheduled for Wednesday.
?I?d love to have a roof, absolutely,? said Curley. ?When the decision was made to build Arthur Ashe Stadium in the mid-90s, the decision was made not to put a roof on. It was cost prohibitive.?
It has been estimated that it would cost around $200 million to build a retractable roof.

The only problem i have with the schedule is dragging men's first round action to day three. Its totally irrational. And i respect rafa for speaking the truth about the players' safety issues on such conditions. At least someone managed to confront the officials.

"We feel that we?re dealing with some of the best conditioned athletes in the world.? US Open officials said that their decision to send the players out was prompted by their belief that a two-hour window was available between the showers."

Yes, but should their conditioned form be a reason to place them in a position to hurt themselves? This is clearly a statement made by someone who hasn't an inkling of what it means to be human. These players are humans not machines/robots, which means their safety and health should not be compromised because of schedules. Should one of them be hurt, the injury could oput an end to their careers. No amount of money in this world could compensate for that and such rationalizations by the uSTA TD is tantamounto being selfish in the worst way. Why don't all of these officials pick up a racket and play on a slippery concrete court? I'd bet if it was suggested they'd protest vehemently. I suppose it's absolutely true, that money is the root of all evil.

You know, the solutions are really very simple. You schedule the tournament in such a way that by the second week, all players in both draws play on the SAME day. This happens at Wimbledon if I recall. Also, if a roof isn't affordable, then the ATP/ITF should make sure that the week following the normal schedule is some sort of "backup" week and if a scenario occurs where certain players are disadvantaged due to the weather, then they must be given sufficient rest before their next match. 7 days of backup would mean that you could spare a reasonable amount of time for the sake of players's rest without rushing through and compromising on it. And then, the USO should do away with Super Saturday. The concept is nothing short of ridiculous.

I don't think any QFs matches should be played until the R16 matches are completed, and the winners have a day off to rest. All QFs matches should be played on the same day, and the schedule should proceed with the usual day off in between. Then both SFs matches on the same day, and the finals, whenever. too bad if the schedule is blown out of whack, CBS has to disrupt it's fall schedule, and Super saturday becomes unimportant. The athletes' safety should be first.

If they really wanted to be smart about things, they could schedule the rest of the tournament in such a way that rest is guaranteed for the bottom half, without slaving to the whims of the viewing public.

Yup, agree with scoretracker on this one - it is ridiculous that they're having a QF and the fourth round on the same day. Hold the QFs off until everyone can play on the same day.

Apparently the USOpen pays its umpires a lot less than Wimbledon and RG too!
Really pleased the two Andys went to support Rafa. £ voices so much more powerful than one :)

At least the schedule for today is a bit smart - all 4th round matches are scheduled first, at the same time on different courts, so that ensures that if any tennis is possible, those matches are played.
I dont understand why 2 QFs are also scheduled though - cant they all play tomorrow?

@samprallica , 9/8/11 8:36 AM

Best suggestions I've heard so far, you should send it to the USTA.

I completely agree with scoretracker and samrallica...all you guys said about this issue is true and so relevant....I wish someone from the ATP and at least the PR person of USO would read these comments...It would help them understand the whole issue better and it would certainly assist them in finding a reasonable solution...

What I am really surprised to learn from this article is that the USO organizers are STILL considering having finals on SUNDAY!!! What are Rafa and Murray going to do? Play every day?!! Then they might as well decide to quit this tourney...It is so ridiculous and so inconsiderate of these players...such a shame...

natashao: time to put all our money on Nole..;)

nadline, 9/8/11 11:34 AM

Fat chance that they'll listen. Its good Rafa stood up to them though, maybe a little more pushing might make them start to use their brains.

deuce, yeah, you speak wisely...the way things are developing it becomes obvious that we should do it...it could make us rich :) ....but my heart tells me different...my heart is always with Rafa...that is mainly why I never ever place a bet against Rafa...:)) I would rather be poor than vote against Rafa...:) am a I a true devoted fan or not? :)

I'm not one to cry "UNFAIR!" and "FOUL!" but the way this is panning out, it's nothing short of a cheat against the guys on the bottom half. The USTA MUST make a decision to try to equalize the playing field a bit.
cherylmurray
, 9/8/11 4:37 AM




If they get a dry spell, the USTA might just as well put Federer and Djokovic into the final and get the farce over with I say.......................

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-08/men-s-tennis-tour-supports-na dal-murray-in-u-s-open-dispute-over-play.html

Sorry to rain (pun fully intended!) these links on you guys but I think they are interesting:

http://www.realclearsports.com/articles/2011/09/08/who s_in_charge_of_us_open_the_nfl_97411.html

McEnroe gives his two-penny worth:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOaEY1VxnHE

I really feel sorry for Muzza.......................although I am rooting for Rafa of course I am not convinced Rafa's game is where it needs to be win this thing and besides, he already has his 10 slams, I never held up that much hope of him winning this year. Muzza, on the other hand, this is always his best chance of grabbing his maiden slam and I gave him a better chance of giving Djoker a run for his money for the title.....................now the Gods have conspired against him!

Life ain't fair............................

rafaisthebest: I've given up all hope of Andy winning. Just hope he doesn't fall to Donald now :(

An overall victory for anyone from the bottom half of the draw should count as 2 slams now, imho!

rafaisthebest, Yay!

The sun is out!

nadline, shhhh! You're going to jinx it! ;)

Tennis Needs to unionized similar to professional team sports. The voices of support they really need are from Djokovic and Federer. Where are they in all of this? A bit too conveniently quiet. Nole's hiding in his egg (just kidding, I like Djokovic). Are they content to look out for their own self interests or are they willing to show some player solidarity against the USTA?

Djokovic I think did support Rafa..He did say he supports Rafas complaint that they should not ahve been sent to play in the rain.. I read it in a news item

Yup Fed is surprisingly quiet..Cmon Fed support your friend Rafa :-)

I too was always curiuos why does Fed open everytime first irrespective of his ranking and which part of the draw is he in - top or bottom. That too at every slam?

Cheryl, we seem to have the same weather as NY over here in England, only the Atlantic separates us because yesterday was very wet and this afternoon was dry here.

Yes, what does Federer have to say about the players complaints. Obviously, none of it affects him because he is well looked after. They should sack him as president, because he is too much part of the establishment.

nadline - president? What president position does he hold?

The President of the Player's Association, Sanju. Nadline, players vote for him to be able to sit in on their meetings and trust him to do his best. Which he apparently does, because he holds that position year in, year out. he has no control over the idiotic policies of the US Open. You strike me as someone with precious little knowledge of these matters. He's not President to ensure that nadline at TennisTalk says good things about him. He couldn't care less, and who can blame him?

The USO does not pay their umpires less than other GS. The umpires salaries are set by ITF.

Federer is the president of the player's council. It's a pity some are so ill-informed, and make such flammable statements. The hate for Federer is very thick. Novak did not support Rafa on the schedule, he only said that the USO should build a roof.

@nadline, how do you know Federer did not say anything about the players' complaints? FYI, Rafa always asks to start late, just like he always like to receive instead of serving first. Sometimes, those choices backfire and no one is to be blamed but the one making the choice.

scoretracker, apparently USOpen does pay less:
www.guardian.co.uk/sport/tennis/USOpen 2011 diary
article quotes the New York Times.

The ITF does NOT set the salaries. Firstly, it would be impossible to make them equal because of fluctuating exchange rates. Prize money isn't the same at the different slams either. Second, each individual tournament sets it's own budget.

Given the extreme cost of staying in NYC, you'd think they would pay more, not less. Sigh.

Regarding the now perennial mess that is the USOpen..............the USTA needs to understand that this tournament is now decidedly third world compared to the other slams..........................where's the pride?

scoretracker, have you got cast iron proof that Rafa ever elects to start late?

sanju, Roger Federer is the president of the ATP Players Council and Rafa is the Vice President.

US Open 2011: Federer joins Nadal?s call for change
The five-times US Open champion joins Rafael Nadal in voicing his concern over the Grand Slam's scheduling

By Marianne Bevis 2:42pm UK, Friday 9 September, 2011

Federer was not impressed at seeing the final pushed back to a Monday again.

Roger Federer, president of the ATP Players Council, has added his weighty voice to the simmering debate about how much say players should have in the Grand Slams.

Speaking after his quarter-final win over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, he joined his fellow players in expressing concerns over the organisation of the US Open, and of the Grand Slams in general: ?We just hope that [the ITF] understands the issues. I think it?s very important that we do get to a table and speak, which never actually happens.?

Federe leads the new generation on how to confront the powers that be. Unlike the dismal unbalanced interview by the new #1 Djoker. Speaking of foul play that the final is on monday! Fed acknowledged that playing on Monday was the only good thing to do in order to keep a fair slam!!! If you make a pointNadaline be sure you give the thruth and not a half truth.
Fed has said the sportsmanlike thing unlike Rafa (moaning and griping) and dJOKOVIS who clearly did not consider his fellow tennis collegues with his selfish statements.

hahaha...here we go again....
hyena... Fed will never put the finger to eyes of ppl who kept him so high last few years...
Give me ONE...JUST ONE example.... what ExFed has done for players in his divine presidentship... in last few years???