When Henry the Green Engine refused to come out of the tunnel for fear that the rain would spoil his paint, the Fat Controller ordered that he be bricked up in the tunnel forever. A drastic solution to a serious situation.
Yesterday, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Andy Roddick accused US Open officials of putting the safety of the players in jeopardy by ordering them out of the tunnel and onto court before the rain had fully stopped.
The players took the court around 12:30pm on Wednesday after a total washout the day before. But play was only really possible for around quarter of an hour before the heavier rain returned.
At this point, Nadal was down 3-0 to Gilles Muller, Roddick was leading David Ferrer 3-1, and Andy Murray was on serve at 2-1 against Donald Young.
When asked to comment on the situation, Rafael Nadal said,
“They called us on court to start the match and the rain hadn’t even stopped.” He continued, “I understand the fans want to see tennis but the health of the players is the most important and we do not feel protected. We want to feel good when we are playing a tournament and we cannot accept these things.”
He continued by citing what he believed was the real reason they were ordered on the court, “Grand Slams are a lot of money. We are part of the show. They are working for that, not us.”
Quite the accusation, but he was not the only one to say something. Nadal, Murray and Roddick all went to see the US Open’s Fat (albeit actually rather slender) Controller, Brian Earley, to complain about the situation.
“When we went out on court it was still wet, and the balls too. It doesn’t make sense to get out there for seven or eight minutes and I don’t think that will happen again” said Murray. “I knew that Rafa was going to see (Earley). I said I would go in and mention it as well, then Andy (Roddick) came. It wasn’t a party.”
Also commenting on the situation, Roddick added, “I think if it’s up for discussion, it’s probably not playable. We wanted to make it known we probably didn’t want to be put in that position again.”
He continued, “It probably hits home a little bit more when there’s three of us, not just one person being a little bit upset. I understand they need to put tennis on TV but first and foremost the players need to feel comfortable and safe.”
So what can the players do in such a situation?
Rafa suggested that players need to take action in such situations, “We have to fight to change things, to have enough power that we don’t have to go on court when it’s raining. If I have to go on court, I’ll go on court, but I don’t think it’s fair.”
So why not just refused to come out of the tunnel? What can Brian Earley do? Brick up the tunnel and say they can’t play anymore?
After all, these guys are protecting more than just their paint work. Their livelihood and their futures depend on their bodies, and for tennis players, their ankles and hips more so than anything. Slippery tennis courts are extremely dangerous, and one fall could spell the end of a career.
The USTA issued a statement on the incident:
“All parties, including the players and tournament, want to get the US Open back on schedule.
As of 12 noon today, the best information available to us indicated the chance of a two-hour window without rain. Unfortunately, not all light rain and mist shows up on radar.
We have experienced referees, and they decide if courts are fit for play. Conditions may be not ideal, but still can be safe.
However, if a player or players feel that conditions are unsafe, we listen to them, as we have always done, and the referee uses that information as part of his/her assessment on whether to continue or halt play.”
It seems what really needs to happen is the formation of a players union. Collective bargaining is key to several big sports, and the notion of a billion dollar industry in the hands of players who have almost no say in what goes on seems outdated and even dangerous.
“It’s not just about this tournament, it’s about all the tournaments and the players having a bit more of a say into what goes on,” Murray said. “Because there’s a lot of things that we would like changed, but it doesn’t happen because the players aren’t all together. But I think that now is probably time, maybe after the tournament, to get everyone together and sort of form some sort of union, I guess.”
And Murray’s not the only one suggesting such a thing. Back in 2006, Andy Roddick said,“It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out why people are getting hurt. Consider the Australian Open. It is fast resembling an orthopedic’s waiting room.”
Of course, Roddick conceds, forming a union among players from all over the World can be difficult, “Getting 100 players from this many countries, with language barriers and get them all on the same page at one time … it’s tough. For every person that says we’re not healthy, there’s another guy that says, ‘Hey, I need those two extra weeks for the prize money.’”
However, after a Grand Slam which has seem more withdrawals and injuries than any tournament in history, now may well be the perfect time to address this issue.
Perhaps if Henry the Green Engine was part of a union, he would never have been bricked up in the tunnel.