US Open 2012: Gone With The Wind

Yesterday was a sad day for tennis.

From Tomas Berdych's press conference:

Q. You mentioned that you don't think this
match should have been played given the conditions. Was there any
conversation with officials about perhaps not playing this match today?
TOMAS BERDYCH: No.
Q. No?
TOMAS BERDYCH: Nobody cares.
Q. The show must go on, but do you think in
this sort of condition the match should be not played, or, I mean, it's
impossible because semifinal of a slam, US Open. What do you think?
TOMAS BERDYCH:
Yeah, I think that our sport deserved to have some rule or if the
conditions are like that that, you know, you don't play because of the
rain. We play in Grand Slam in such a big tournament like this one, and
especially missing the roof, it's something which should be at least to
think about. You know, as you said, I mean, we are here in States
where they really love show. Actually, this is not about show. This is
just about somehow to try to deal with the conditions and then trying
to put ball over the net. Sometimes was even impossible, but that's how
it is.

Andy Murray:
"It was brutal, Hard to describe. You had to focus for every single point. ... Some of the hardest conditions
I've ever played in, for sure, and I come from Scotland, so that's
saying something."

Where do you draw the line with when to play and when not?
What do you think? Should ANY matches have been played at all yesterday?


We know that USO organisers think :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02tCGleIdcw

Yes, yesterday was a bit crazy and I would be inclined to put a limit on how windy it can get before the play should be interrupted. However, there is not much of a precedent for this and I have seen tennis played in comparable, and maybe even windier, conditions than this. So, while I think the rules should be made more explicit to accomodate interruptions due to wind, I think yesterday they should have played just like they did.

They could easily establish maximum playable wind speed if they really wanted to.

noleisthebest wrote:They could easily establish maximum playable wind speed if they really wanted to.

Yes, and I think they should, but not on-the-fly yesterday. They should learn from it and establish something for the future.

summerblues wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:They could easily establish maximum playable wind speed if they really wanted to.

Yes, and I think they should, but not on-the-fly yesterday. They should learn from it and establish something for the future.

The problem is : they won't.

noleisthebest wrote:The problem is : they won't.

That is a separate question though.

summerblues wrote:

noleisthebest wrote:The problem is : they won't.

That is a separate question though.

and what's your answer to it, being a local?

noleisthebest wrote:and what's your answer to it, being a local?

Whether I think they will do anything in the USO going forward? No, I do not think so. But I do not think USO is so special, I doubt any of the tournaments have similar policy for wind interruptions, and I think pretty much all of them would try to play through pretty windy conditions. I do not even think it is all that specific to tennis either. Other sports often continue through bad weather conditions even when the conditions get bad enough to materially alter the nature of the sport.