Tweet
Here's a link to an exceptionally thorough look at the almost dysfunctional USTA's approach to installing a roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium, and how it handled the rain delays.
I went the first Thursday. The evening matches were delayed by three hours, because of poor scheduling. Every few minutes, a recorded message was broadcast across the fountain ponds -- "Thanks for your patience. (yeah, right!) The evening program will begin 45 minutes after the Blake-Rochus match has been completed." (And after a tribute to Pacho Gonzalez.)
* Around the grounds, there were no signs to inform the crowd who was playing in the small stadiums; you had to walk back to Ashe to read a sign.
* There were long, slow lines outside the small restrooms. Overselling grounds tickets made that worse than in recent years.
* It was permissible to walk from the Grandstand into Armstrong stadium, but not from Armstrong into Grandstand by the same to routes, even if there was no traffic. You were tersely ordered to go downstairs and come back up another way into Grandstand.
* On the final Friday and Saturday, the USTA said it would frequently update its website as to weather, scheduling and ticket policy. Eventually, it posted information on the latter; but statements about the weather and scheduling were unreliable, and not frequent enough.
* During the last few days, discarded food accumulated under seats and in the aisles. If there was a custodial crew, it was either nonexistent or inadequate. Thousands of fans waited through Saturday, hoping to see some action. When showers stopped for a while, many of them used wads of toilet paper to dry their seats. Aisles became dangerously slick with soggy tissue.
It used to be a memorable experience. I'll return, but will never buy a night ticket to Ashe.
Does anyone oversee operations anymore? Is a purpose of the USTA to maintain sinecures for relatives?