John G. Mabanglo/European Pressphoto Agency  With no roof on any show court, the United States Open could require a Monday finish (or later) because of rain for the fourth year in a row.  If the Romans could put a roof on the ancient Colosseum, why can’t the United States Tennis Association add a roof to one of its show courts at the United States Open? The question has, well, hung over the premier domestic tennis event for 20 years, since the U.S.T.A. opted for the sensational over the sensible in constructing Arthur Ashe Stadium, the tournament’s marquee court.  The question gathers more steam with each major storm that blows through the New York area and grinds play to a halt at the final Grand Slam event on the tennis calendar. In each of the last three years, the Open has been extended a day because of weather disruptions, and this year’s tournament appears headed for a fourth straight Monday finish — if then.  “Is there an incremental expense to it? Absolutely,” Jim Curley, the tournament director, said of the possibility of a Monday finish. “It’s not ideal for the players, the tournament or television.”  In the city that never sleeps, some of the best players in the world were reduced on Wednesday to dozing on couches in the lounge as they waited a second straight day for match calls that never came because of rain that was no more than a mist. It was the first time since 1971 that the Open lost two consecutive days of tennis.  “Is it necessary? Maybe not,” Roger Federer, a five-time champion, said at the Open two years ago when asked about a roofed stadium. “But with a roof you can make it more predictable for fans, sponsors, TV, players. That’s why I’m obviously for it. In America, we have so many wonderful stadiums, you figure it’s normal they would be taking the lead with something like this.”  It is not as if a retractable roof is a pied-à-terre-in-the-sky idea. The Australian Open, which has had a roofed stadium since 1989, now has two covered courts and plans for a third. Wimbledon, considered the most staid of the majors, unveiled its high-tech roof over Centre Court in 2009. And at the French Open, where weather is seldom a factor, a retractable roof is in the works as part of the renovations planned for Philippe Chatrier Court.  “We were just saying it’s strange that there’s no roof here when all the other major venues have a roof,” said Richard Young, who had plenty of time on his hands to ponder the imponderable. He and his son Roman were waiting out the rain at Louis Armstrong Stadium.  The Youngs were in town from Utah on a tennis vacation, so the U.S.T.A.’s promise of tickets to next year’s event if the day session was canceled (as it was) provided little consolation.  “In these times of recession,” the elder Young said, “a roof is a shovel-ready project.”  The plans the U.S.T.A. made public in November include expanding the capacity of its second show court, Armstrong stadium, by more than 3,000 seats, to 14,000. The grandstand court, considered the drawing room of the National Tennis Center because of its intimacy, could grow to 7,000 seats, from 6,100.  With 23,771 seats, Ashe Stadium is the largest tennis arena in the world. Its sheer size makes covering it a conundrum for reasons having to do with structural integrity and the bottom line.  To planes on approach at nearby La Guardia, Ashe looks like a marooned U.F.O. The top of the stadium is so high and wide that it would require architectural ingenuity to cover it, and even then it would be larger and more obtrusive.  The stadium, which opened in 1997, was built for $254 million, and it has been estimated that a retractable roof would cost at least another $150 million.  When considering whether to cover Ashe, the price tag is only part of the consideration. The stadium is the only show court with suites; there are 90 that are leased for roughly $250,000 each.  If the U.S.T.A. were to include a roof as part of the Armstrong or grandstand renovations, it would have to contend with fallout from premium ticket holders and suite occupants reduced on rainy days to watching the action much like the average fans at home, on the televisions in their suites or the giant screen on the court.  “All of a sudden you’re going to tell them they can’t see live tennis,” said Andy Roddick, the 2003 men’s champion. He added, in perhaps a bit of hyperbole, “There’s a reason why the U.S. Open does more dollars in two weeks than the Yankees do in half a season of baseball.”
A roof for a show court at the U.S. Open could resolve weather problems, but the challenges in adding one are many.