With a mist hanging in the sky and the back of the court still wet, Rafael Nadal thought it was dangerous to head into Arthur Ashe Stadium to start his US Open match on Wednesday. Andy Roddick and Andy Murray weren’t thrilled about starting their matches, either.
Too bad, tournament officials said. The show must go on.
It did. For about 15 minutes.
Photo: AFP
Then, the rain picked up, and as soon as Nadal, Murray and Roddick came off the court, they were in the tournament director’s office to discuss the decision to start the matches in the first place.
Nadal’s take: It’s all about the money.
“We’re part of the show,” the defending champion said in an interview on ESPN after falling behind 3-0 to his unseeded Gilles Muller.
Murray and Roddick also weighed in.
“It didn’t really make a whole lot of sense in the end to go out for nine or 10 minutes when it’s still raining,” Murray said.
Roddick said he spoke to the chair umpire before play began.
“I was just wondering if he saw the same mist in the air that I saw,” Roddick said. “The back was still a little wet. I understand everyone wants to see it on TV and certainly, at the end of the day, we’re a sport, but this whole thing is a business.”
Because of the rain, which washed out the entire day of play on Tuesday, all players in the bottom half of the draw were faced with the possibility of having to win four matches in five days to win the US Open.
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