NOTEBOOK: Open officials stall on growing calls stadium roof

Sep 8, 2010, 16:44 GMT

New York - The US Open may join two of the other three Grand Slams in getting a stadium roof - some day that is.

That seems to be the consensus of the powers at the USTA, who don't seem to be in a hurry to pay for what is becoming a necessary part of infrastructure for today's television-driven game, where rain delays can spell ratings death.

The weather at this edition has been strangely benevolent after rainouts of the past two men's finals which forced them to be played on a Monday. But officials may well be lulled into a sense of calm with their good luck during summer 2010.

The USTA appears to be pleading 'poverty' on the hopes that a roof can somehow be mounted over the massive cereal bowl which is the 23,000-seat Arthur Ashe stadium, potentially a project costing tens of millions of dollars.

Amid growing complaints that the American federation is packing in the punters, boosting their bottom line by crowding the grounds with almost three-quarters of a million expected through the gates by the end this weekend, the roof hopes seem like just an after-thought.

The Wall Street Journal reported that officials told them in a statement that some kind of roof could someday be in place, but there were few specifics save the fact that no decision is forthcoming anytime soon.

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NOTEBOOK: Serena sounds like skipping the rest of 2010 season =

New York (dpa) - The injury absence of Serena Williams - her camps says she foot surgery for a cut, rumours suggest she may have had a recent nose job - looks likely to extend far beyond this month and possibly to the end of the season.

The world number one is missing the US Open, but has appeared on American television during matches played by her sister Venus.

But despite a statement from Tokyo tournament organisers that Williams has entered that late September event, hopes seems to be faint now.

'Hopefully sooner rather than later,' she told American television. 'I definitely want to come back this year, though, so that'd be good. I really can't wait to get back more than ever, (but) I'm just still taking it a day at a day.

'I haven't hit too many balls, I don't want to have any kind of relapses so I'm just taking it really, really slow. But when I'm ready, it takes me no time to get there, so I've just been working out and doing that aspect of it.'

Williams says she doesn't know when she'll be back after last playing at Wimbledon, only her sixth event this season.