Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick and Andy Murray met behind closed doors with U.S. Open referee Brian Earley on Wednesday to complain about essentially being forced to play in rainy conditions. All three of their matches were halted before they could finish, but none of them seemed to think they should have been out there in the first place.
Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick Among Players Angry About U.S. Open Court Conditions
“If it’s up for discussion whether the courts are playable, then they’re not playable,” Roddick said. “We just wanted to be sure we weren’t put in that position again and I think we’re all clear now.”
U.S. Open officials were scrambling to keep the tournament on pace for a Sunday finale after the tournament had already had a day of competition washed out. There has still not been any word on when play might resume, pushing the finale back indefinitely.
Nadal seemed particularly upset with the situation, telling ESPN’s Pam Shriver in a post-meeting interview that “All you think about is the money.” The players pointed out that it was misting when they were sent out to the court to begin play and that they felt the conditions were already too slippery to play.
“It was raining when we went on -- it’s dangerous,” Murray said. “The players want to play more than anyone, but not when it’s dangerous. Everyone’s kind of in the same boat.”
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