Rafa Nadal makes history at the US Open 2016!
- Three of the four grand slams - US Open, Wimbledon and Australian Open - now have a retractable roof over at least one stadium.
- Coincidently, Nadal was also the first player to practice under the new roof.
FollowRafael Nadal created history by becoming the first player to win a point under the expansive and newly-constructed roof closed on Arthur Ashe Stadium during his second round at the US Open 2016. Coincidentally, Nadal was also the first player to practice under it.
The time has gone when the tennis matches during the US Open were cancelled due to rain at the Arthur Ashe - the largest venue for the grand slam.
Nadal, who dominated Italian Andreas Seppi, thoroughly entertained the crowd at the stadium with a superb win in straight sets, 6-0 7-5 6-1.
"I'm going to be part of a history of this amazing event. To be the first player to play with the roof closed is amazing. I feel the conditions are pretty similar when the roof is closed or open, but the conditions are very different from the year before," said the fourth seed.
The Spaniard, who has won the US Open twice (2010, 2013), has claimed that the court at Arthur Ashe "used to be one of the hardest courts to play on.”
Three of the four grand slams - US Open, Wimbledon and Australian Open - now have a retractable roof over at least one stadium. The French Open still doesn't have one, and play was completely cancelled on May 30 of this year’s tournament because of rain.
