TENNIS.com - 2008 US Open - Zoo York: Chaotic conditions for relocated semifinal

Andy Murray
Photo by Elise Amendola/AP

NEW YORK—What happens when there's an empty stadium and a US Open semifinal breaks out?

With heavy rain firmly in the forecast and Roger Federer locked in battle with Novak Djokovic on Ashe stadium, officials were faced with an unenviable dilemma: take a chance on the weather holding up and keep the men's semis one after the other, or send Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic to the smaller Louis Armstrong stadium and try to get both matches finished on Saturday?

It had already been decided that the first semifinal would begin an hour earlier at 11:00 am, and the second semifinal would not start before 12:00 pm even if it was moved to Armstrong.

On-site meterologists estimated that play would be possible till about 5:00 pm, which -- along with pressure from CBS -- likely tempted organizers to push their luck and see if they could squeeze in the matches consecutively.

There would be many pointed questions to answer later, when the rain began falling at 2:48 pm and Murray and Nadal were left stalled at 6-2, 7-(5), 2-3.

Even by 11:30 in the morning, it was clear that the back-to-back option was out and the players were told to get ready for Armstrong in an hour's time. The stadium was quietly opened and the order of play changed on the internal monitors around the grounds and the tournament website.

In the meantime, a packed crowd of 23,000 was at Ashe stadium watching Roger Federer serve out the third set, opening the 6-5 game with a lobbed overhead winner hit off a Djokovic smash (better seen than described). Neatly, Murray and Nadal walked on Armstrong to begin their warmup just as Federer and Djokovic sat down on the changeover. Cue an announcement on Ashe telling fans the second semifinal had been moved due to "impending inclement weather," and 10,000 seats on Armstrong were available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Boos rang out. Some left right away, while others in the upper east stands began migrating to the top row to catch a view of both matches at once.

By the time the warmup was over, a previously-deserted Armstrong had sprouted into life: boisterous fans, ham-fisted ushers, rerouted planes constantly droning overhead, and a thick humidity that turned the arena into a pressure cooker. At one point the umpire asked the ushers to please be still during points.

Perhaps it was all a little too Zoo York for the routine-loving man from Mallorca. Nadal had been right here two years ago, playing a Wednesday quarterfinal against Mikhail Youzhny in front of an electric evening crowd. He lost 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-1.

On Saturday, he looked disoriented and played such. For the first time in months, the new world No. 1 appeared to have no range at all, hitting groundstrokes either suicidally short or ballooning them long. His second serves were woeful affairs, and apart from a handful of wickedly-spun deliveries, Murray gobbled up his first serves almost as easily.

Unlike Nadal, the Scot loves this event and relishes the jangling atmosphere. He was in his element, serving forcefully and finding success with every variety of winner he tried -- forehands down the line, angled backhands crosscourt, even the odd serve & volley.

The first set was over in about half an hour. The upper rows were still empty but the lower boxes were crammed with small but rabid crowd, largely pro-Nadal. Newlyweds Greg Norman and Chris Evert took in the action in section 52, sitting six rows behind the baseline.

Nadal's form improved only slightly in the second set but he gritted his way through to 6-6, saving seven break points along the way. Murray ceded the early advantage in the tiebreak with a double fault, and Nadal missed taking the initiative by the narrowest of margins at 4-5 when his return off a high kicker from Murray clipped the net and bounced into the air before dropping back on Nadal's side.

But by now Federer had wrapped up a four-set victory on Ashe and the crowds were pouring out of the stadium, looking for the misplaced semifinal. Minor mayhem was to follow.

By the middle of the second set, workers had already begun closing the night gates around Armstrong, anticipating a crush of people trying to get in. PA announcements on the grounds warned that there were no seats available and pointed specators to TV monitors around the site.

The mellower contingent of fans simply headed to the big screen on the south end of the grounds, sipping cocktails and sitting beside the fountains. But a more miltant crew marched to the stadium and gathered around one gate that seemed to be open. "Let us in, let us in," rose the chant.

"I paid for tickets," was one frequent and livid complaint. "Let me in, I'm a friend of Nadal's," tried one woman with a Spanish accent... it didn't work.

"Sir, do not shake this gate again, or you'll be locked up for starting a riot," warned one security guard.

A guest services worker wandered up with a teary child, explaining that the little boy had been separated from his family amidst the confusion in the stands.

Fans turned on each other. "Get off my back." "Why do you keep pushing?" "Don't you talk to her like that." "I swear I'm going to smack somebody."

Ironically, while all this went on, a bight blue band of seats circled the top of the stadium, unoccupied.

"We tried to manage it as well as we could," said tournament director Jim Curley, adding that a "sufficient" number of people had been let in right away and others allowed to trickle in slowly as the match went on.

Not that it went on much longer.

Earlier, Federer's win had prompted spontaneous applause in the Armstrong stands -- many were following the match remotely with radio earpieces and mini-TVs. But anxiety was also in the air. Federer's final forehand winner had been accompanied by the tiniest hint of rain, foreshadowing trouble for the match still in progress.

The frustration of losing the second-set tiebreak seemed to galvanize Nadal into action, because he began the third swinging and leaping like the Nadal of late. It paid off with a quick service break, and he was leading 3-2 when the rain hit.

Clearly, the scheduling gamble hadn't paid off and tournament organizers were now trapped the worst possible scenario -- even no matches completed would have been simpler than one match completed.

At least they reacted quickly. Within the hour, all play had been cancelled for the day. Murray was on his way back to the hotel before 4:00 pm, with Nadal following suit a little while afterwards.

Almost exactly 24 hours later, they'll be walking back on court -- in Ashe this time -- with the winner to face Federer in the 5:00 pm Monday final. All eyes will be on what change in the players' form have taken olace overnight: will Nadal resume normal sevice in the more organized settings, or will Murray be lifted by the two-set lead he holds going in?

The women's final -- given a largely academic Saturday start time of 8:00 pm -- will now take place at 9:00 pm on Sunday night.

Those prime-time and evening timings mean the rain clouds could have a silver lining, said US Open chief Arlen Kantarian. "It's a huge opportunity to showcase this sport."

For Federer, it's all positive. He gets an extra day off and plenty of time to ponder which less-rested opponent he'd prefer to face in the final. Not that he needs to think about that.

"I prefer the trophy, that's what I prefer."

Andrew Friedman contributed to this article.