VietNam Culture: Louis Armstrong

Monday, September 13, 2010

US Tennis defends roofless courts after Open washout

The Arthur Ashe Stadium

The US Tennis Association defended their decision to carry on staging the US Open without the benefit of a covered court even as rain on Sunday postponed the men’s final for the third year in a row.

The rain forced world number one Rafa Nadal, seeking to become the seventh man to complete a career grand slam, and Serbian third seed Novak Djokovic to wait until Monday to contest the last grand slam final of the year.

Both the Australian Open and Wimbledon championships have retractable roofs to deal with dodgy weather and French Open officials have discussed the possibility.

“It’s technically complex and financially challenging,” USTA spokesman Chris Widmaier told Reuters. “At a cost of more than US$150 million, do you spend that on a roof or continue to fund grassroots tennis programs in this country?”

Widmaier said $100 million had been spent on improvements at the Flushing Meadows complex in the last five years, with the biggest expense being a new indoor training center.

He also said money from the US Open was funneled into player development, grants and scholarships and to improving tennis facilities around the country, which included providing help to resurface 1,100 courts across the United States.

Widmaier said USTA president Lucy Garvin is heading a committee that will make recommendations to the tennis association on future improvements to the National Tennis Center complex and some options being looked at included covering smaller courts at less expense.

The tournament’s second court, Louis Armstrong Stadium, seats 10,500 compared to 23,771 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Four-time US Open winner John Mcenroe, now a TV commentator at the championships, said last year he had lobbied USTA officials from the start to put a roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium when it was built to replace Louis Armstrong Stadium in 1997 as the tournament’s main stage.

“It seemed like a no-brainer but people at the USTA decided they wanted to build the biggest (stadium),” McEnroe said about the Ashe center court. “But at the same price they could’ve had a slightly smaller stadium and had a roof.”

Monday, August 30, 2010

Federer and Clijsters to lead parade of champions

Roger Federer of Switzerland speaks during a media conference at the US Open tennis tournament August 28, 2010

Photo: Reuters

Switzerland's Roger Federer and Belgian Kim Clijsters are among five former champions in action on a busy opening day at the US Open Monday.

The pair will be joined by Americans Venus Williams and Andy Roddick in playing their opening matches on the Arthur Ashe center court while another former champion, Australian Lleyton Hewitt, begins his campaign on the Louis Armstrong stadium.

Federer won the men's championship five times on the trot from 2004 to 2008 but will not start the event as the defending champion after his loss to Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro in last year's final.

Del Potro is absent this year because of injury but another Argentine, Brian Dabul, will be in the spotlight when he faces Federer in the first round.

“Maybe there is an extra incentive for me to try to win it again after being two points away last year,” Federer told reporters. "It was a disappointing loss for me, I felt like that was one of the finals I should never have lost.”

"At the end Del Potro played great and deserved the victory, it was a tough one to swallow."

With Del Potro away, Clijsters is the lone defending champion. She plays Hungarian Greta Arn first up.

Clijsters won in 2005 but did not get the chance to defend her title in 2006 because of injury. She missed the event in 2007 and 2008 after taking time out to start a family before a fairytale return last year.

"I'm so excited to be back to defend my title,” she said. “This is a first for me."

Roddick, who won his only grand slam title at New York in 2003, has been plagued by illness in recent months but the prospect of returning to the center court has given him a boost.

He plays Frenchman Stephane Robert in his first match which coincides with his 28th birthday.

"Birthday or no birthday, you come in to try to win one," he said.

"I don't think too much about age, numbers, whatever. I'll play till I can, until I feel like I shouldn't anymore."

Williams, who will fly the family flag after her sister Serena withdrew because of a foot injury, won the US Open in 2000 and 2001 and was runner-up in 1997 and 2002, has also been troubled by injuries but said she was fit and raring to go in her first match against Italian Roberta Vinci.

"Theoretically I've had more rest than everyone, I should be fresh," Williams said.

Hewitt, who won here in 2001, is one of two Australians in action at Louis Armstrong Stadium. He plays Paul-Henri Mathieu of France after Samantha Stosur, this year's runner-up at the French Open, faces Elena Vesnina.

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