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The Louis Armstrong Stadium has a capacity of about 14,000 people. There were about 14 there on Monday morning. They received player introductions over the public address system, which fell, if not on deaf ears, then very few ears.
An hour later, the women’s number one seed, Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic and Anhelina Kalinina of Ukraine, went through the same exercise at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the cavernous 22,000-seat stadium that is the largest stadium. of sport. There was booming music and a few brief sounds from the crowd, an attempt to deliver some of what could have saluted the best woman playing in the first game on the featured court.
The large screens surrounding the court this year showed a grid view of fans cheering in small boxes, looking a bit like they were being held hostage and told to cheer when ordered.
The only word to describe this atmosphere on what is often one of the busiest, busiest, loudest, busiest and most chaotic days in tennis is strange. Almost everything that makes the US Open different from all other Grand Slam tournaments – the noise, the chaos, the crowds, the energy of New York – is missing. The usual silence, which is actually not that quiet compared to other tournaments, sounds very different from today’s silence.
And yet, at the end of the day, 64 matches will likely have been completed, and players will win over $ 60,000 just for attending. It’s another day at the office, and like any other office these days, it feels so different than the one that existed the last time you were here.
“In the first match I wondered if I should cheer up or be calmer,” said Pliskova after winning her match in straight sets, 6-4, 6-0. “I sure would rather have people here.”
