NEW YORK—Roger Federer’s 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 victory over Feliciano Lopez in the third round of the US Open maintained his unbeaten record against the hard-serving Spaniard, now an astonishing 13-0. But everywhere else on this rain-soaked evening, there was significant change.
Compared to 2007, the last time Federer and Lopez squared off in Flushing Meadows (also at night), there was something very different in Arthur Ashe Stadium: a roof. Built after a string of men’s finals were postponed to Mondays due to ill-timed rain, Federer lauded the tournament’s $100 million investment.
“It’s nice they added the roof,” said Federer, who went on to describe the costly inconveniences that a roof-less tournament had upon ticket-purchasing fans and broadcast rights holders from around the world.
“For you guys its rough [when it rained], so it’s a delight for us to enjoy the roof while it’s raining.”