Why Are Authorities Only Partially Closing The Roofs At US Open When The Heat Is Unbearable?

Tuesday’s high heat and humidity at the US Open led to the tournament’s organizers adopting a new rule for the remainder of the competition: they will occasionally partially close the roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium to provide more shade.

Why Are Authorities Only Partially Closing The Roofs At US Open When The Heat Is Unbearable?

On Tuesday, the humidity reached 50% and the temperature rose beyond 32 degrees Celsius.

“Following the conclusion of the Jelena Ostapenko-Coco Gauff match on Tuesday, September 5, the tournament opted to partially close the roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium. Additionally, following the conclusion of the first set in the Linette/Pera-Brady/Stefani match, the roof in Louis Armstrong Stadium was partially closed,” USTA spokesman Chris Widmaier said in a statement to The Post.

“The decision in both instances was made to provide relief from the sun and heat for the fans. By partially closing the roofs, both courts became shaded which improved conditions for the players,” Widmaier continued. “This decision is made by the Tournament Referee, but he got input from tournament management and the medical team.

“At that point in the tournament all singles matches were, and would continue to be, scheduled in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Also, that point on Tuesday, marked the first time the Extreme Heat Policy went into effect.”

The decision to alter the roof policy was taken when the temperature exceeded the threshold for player protection during Coco Gauff’s 6-0, 6-2 victory over Jelena Ostapenko.

In recent decades, the average high temperatures experienced at the U.S. Open and the three other major tennis competitions have progressively increased and become more hazardous, mirroring the effects of climate change that this summer caused record heatwaves throughout the world. It can prevent athletes from performing at their peak and, worse, it raises the risk of heat-related illnesses.

“It was super hot tonight. Really muggy. Super humid,” Frances Tiafoe said after losing to fellow American Ben Shelton in the quarterfinals Tuesday night, when the humidity climbed to 70%. “Was sweating a lot.”

Before Novak Djokovic defeated Taylor Fritz 6-1, 6-4, 6-4, the Arthur Ashe Stadium roof was partially closed. Djokovic poured water over his head during one changeover, and Fritz took off his shirt and wrapped a rolled-up towel loaded with ice over his neck during another because it was still so hot in there.

“I’m drenched in sweat,” Djokovic told the crowd in an on-court interview. Fritz thought having less of an opening above the stadium increased how humid it seemed. “It was definitely hot… I’d say it’s more the humidity than anything,” the ninth-seeded American said. “I don’t feel like I’m ever bothered too much by the heat. I feel like (when) it’s just really humid … it just drains you.”

The partial roof closing would be a constant for at least the remainder of this year’s Open, according to Widmaier.

“Additionally, the Tournament Referee made the decision to keep this course of action for the remainder of the tournament. Therefore, the roofs in Ashe and Armstrong also were partially closed during Wednesday’s completion,” Widmaier wrote in the statement. “The Extreme Weather Policy was in effect from the beginning of play on Wednesday.

“The decision has nothing to do with cost. The U.S. Open is an outdoor tournament, but we did want to provide relief for fans where we could. That was the driver of the decision, but by partially closing the roofs, shade is cast on the court, and does improve playing conditions.”

 

 

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