In a sharp reversal from its recent stance and on the eve of another potentially rainy U.S. Open, USTA’s high-ranking officials promised yesterday a roof will eventually cover Ashe Stadium because of newly advanced technology.
The USTA had received criticism after its June press conference announcing a $500 million plan of erecting a new Armstrong Stadium and new grandstand without any plans of a future roof.
Raindrops — as much as drop shots — have been part of the Open the past four years. The last four Opens have been marred by scheduling chaos, forcing the men’s final to Monday instead of Sunday.
“We want a roof, we’re going to have one one day,’’ USTA president Jon Vegosen said yesterday in his offices. “I can’t tell you when.’’
The USTA said it likely will cost them “nine figures’’ — at least $100 million — but would not pinpoint the year and admitted a model has not been chosen.
Meanwhile, the USTA said starting next year, a Monday final may be put in place anyway. After complaints from the ATP, the men will have a day off between the semifinals and finals. Smith said a Saturday-Monday arrangement has been discussed as well as a Friday-Sunday arrangement that would torpedo Super Saturday.
Four roof studies have been staged across the past 10 years and the proper technology hasn’t been devised to make it feasible, but progress recently was made. The Open is the only one of the four Grand Slams without a roof or definitive plans for one. The Australian Open and Wimbledon have roofs on their center courts, and the French Open will have one in 2017.
The impromptu press conference was likely called yesterday as a preemptive strike against more darts being hurled if the Open turns wet again.
According to USTA chief operating officer, Gordon Smith, because of the structural design, Ashe Stadium, built in 1997, can’t hold a roof’s weight. Prior proposals have called for a roof to be placed atop a building erected over Ashe for support. But the designs were so garish, the plans were nixed.
A breakthrough has occurred as plans center on replacing the top tier of seating at Ashe with lighter-material seats. Stadium capacity of 23,700 would be only moderately affected.
The new grandstand stadium will be built on .75 acres of land currently outside the complex that is concrete roadway and be ready in 2015. The new Armstrong would be in the same spot and completed in 2017.
* It’s been a real sweet year for Maria Sharapova, winner of the French Open and now owner of a new gummy-bear candy, named “Sugarpova’’ that retails for $5 a bag. She admitted despite her figure, she’s a candy nut.
“God knows how much candy I eat,’’ Sharapova said.
* With Kim Clijsters retiring at 29, Sharapova, who plays Melinda Czink today, was asked if she would retire so young. “Why not? I do want to be a mother someday,’’ she said.
* James Blake is still alive and ticking, getting a wild card from the USTA. The 117th-ranked Yonkers native, who became a father this year, faces Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko in the Open’s first match on Armstrong at 11 a.m.