New retractable roof ready for start of U.S. Open

NEW YORK _ Mother Nature will no longer be a problem at the U.S. Open.
The U.S. Tennis Association on Tuesday unveiled the new retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows.
The roof will be ready when the U.S Open begins on Aug. 29. The men’s final was delayed a day until Monday because of rain for five straight years from 2008-12.
USTA officials had long maintained that adding a roof over Ashe wasn’t feasible. But in 2013, architectural firm Rossetti drew up a workable plan.
“Here at the Billie Jean Tennis Center, we are making the impossible happen,” USTA executive director Gordon Smith said.
The roof over the 23,771-capacity stadium is built to close or open in under seven minutes. It closed with ease during the demonstration, but it took three attempts to reopen it.
Wimbledon and the Australian Open already have retractable roofs over the main stadiums. French Open organizers also plan to add one.
The roof is expected to be used only for rain _ unlike the Australian Open, which also closes its roof in cases of extreme heat. That roof took two years to complete and cost $150 million.
Ashe’s retractable roof features two panels atop a 6,500-ton steel superstructure and is covered to provide shade for the spectators. Some 360 LED sports lights will illuminate the roof and stadium when closed.
“The complexity is mind-boggling because frankly, as you watch the roof in action, it’s what you don’t see which is fascinating,” Rossetti President Matt Rossetti said.
The U.S. Open roof is part of a $500 million-plus renovation paid for by the USTA. The renovation included adding new courts.