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By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, September 1, 2016

 
Andy Murray

"I mean, you can't hear anything, really," said Andy Murray after mastering noisy conditions and Marcel Granollers to reach the third round.

Photo credit: Reuters

NEW YORK—The rain pelting off the retractable roof created a shower of noise for Andy Murray.

The second-seeded Murray managed the clatter muting Marcel Granollers, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4, to advance to the US Open third round.

US Open: Live Blog, Day 4

Afterward, Murray said rain off the roof combined with the buzz of the crowd created enough of a racket to muffle the sound of the ball off the strings.

"I mean, you can't hear anything, really," Murray said. "I mean, you could hear the line calls, but not so much when the opponents, when he was hitting the ball or even when you're hitting the ball, really, which is tough purely because we're not used to it. That's what makes it challenging."

Players rely on the sounds of the ball bouncing off the strings to gauge the pace and spin of oncoming shots.

"Because we use our ears when we play. It's not just the eyes," Murray said. "You know, it helps us pick up the speed of the ball, the spin that's on the ball, how hard someone's hitting it. If we played with our ears covered or with headphones on, it would be a big advantage if your opponent wasn't wearing them. You know, it's tricky. You know, you can still do it, but it's harder, for sure."

Venus Williams, who defeated Julia Goerges on Ashe Stadium after Murray's win, said she "enjoys the quiet" during tense moments in matches, but has become accustomed to the sounds of New York during her 18 US Open appearances.

"There was a lot of noise last year, as well, so perhaps I'm a little bit used to it," Williams said. "Over time you start to forget about the noise, after maybe like a set.  So I think as a player, the higher the stakes, the less you hear."

Last night, Rafael Nadal defeated Andreas Seppi, 6-0, 7-5, 6-1, in the first match ever staged with the $150 million retractable roof closed over Ashe Stadium.

Even without a roof, noisy New York is widely regarded as the loudest of the four Grand Slams.

Two-time US Open champion Nadal said background sounds are amplified with the lid shut.

"(It) was a little bit more noise than usual," Nadal said. "No, I didn't feel the difference when the roof was closed and when the roof was open, but is true that for the first... You get used later.

"But in the beginning, in tennis, normally you are used to play with silence. I don't know, with the new court, even if the roof is open, there is more noise out there. Normally probably is not the fault of the people, because I have been playing here for so many years and I don't remember that noise when you are playing, no?




"Was little bit strange," Nadal said. "For moments was little bit too much during the points. I always love the energy and the noise of the New York crowd. Is just fantastic. I feel very close to them because I play with a lot of passion, and they give me that electricity, that passion, no? But is true that was a little bit more noisy than usual."

Arthur Ashe Stadium seats 23,771, significantly more than Wimbledon's Centre Court capacity of 15,000 fans. That's another reason the US Open center stage plays louder than Centre Court, which Pete Sampras has called "a tennis cathedral."

"It was so loud, I've never played like that before," Murray said. "After a few games, you adjust and it was okay, but it was tricky at the beginning."

Murray says actual playing conditions vary more with the Wimbledon roof closed than they do with the dome deployed over Ashe Stadium.

"It's definitely louder. You know, I don't think it changed the conditions on the court as much as it does at Wimbledon," Murray said. "I think we are also probably more used to playing on indoor hard court than indoor grass, obviously. But, yeah, I don't know. You maybe don't notice it as much here I think as much as Wimbledon.

"When the roof is on the humidity picks up significantly; whereas here it's always humid really, you know, when the roof is open. When I played the other night I was dripping. I mean, it was so, so humid. Doesn't change too much. It's a lot cooler in there than it is during the day; whereas at Wimbledon sometimes it gets warmer when the roof goes on. Yeah it's definitely quieter at Wimbledon, though."

 

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