Kevin Anderson could hear the clang of fans thumping their sneakers into the metal bleachers during his fourth-round win over Paolo Lorenzi at the temporary Louis Armstrong Stadium during last year’s United States Open. The noise sounded like a toddler brandishing a wooden spoon against the side of an oversized pot. Anderson also was unnerved by the shadows that crept along the back of the court, the result of trees hanging a bit too close to the end of the makeshift structure. “In the end, it isn’t the court or the physical structure that matters,” said Anderson, a finalist at Wimbledon this year. When you get an intimate court, everyone feels like they’re part of the match and the energy just goes way up.”

Source: New York Times August 20, 2018 18:51 UTC