“It is with a heavy heart that I am resigning as Davis Cup captain, but it is a decision I felt was best for the team and myself right now,” McEnroe said.  “Davis Cup is a significant time commitment and this decision will allow me to focus more energy on my family and to the USTA Player Development program”

“Patrick is the one the finest and most decorated captains in U.S. Davis Cup history,“ said Lucy S. Garvin, Chairman of the Board and President, USTA.  “He leaves an indelible mark on the Davis Cup, and has always handled his captaincy with class and distinction.  Patrick is and will remain a tremendous asset to U.S. tennis as he continues to lead our player development efforts.”

The U.S. will face Colombia in the World Group Play-off next week.  It is the first time since 2005, and just the fifth time since the World Group was instituted in 1981, that the U.S. has had to compete in the play-off round.  The U.S. is 3-1 in World Group Play-offs, having defeated Belgium on red clay in its last appearance in the World Group Play-off.

“Patrick changed the culture of Davis Cup in the United States, creating a true team environment and a sense of camaraderie that the U.S. has never before seen,” said Jim Curley, Chief Professional Tournaments Officer, USTA.  “He has been a champion of the competition in every sense of the word, and elevated the stature of the event in this country.”

The World Group Play-off against Belgium in 2005 was the first of 10 consecutive U.S. Davis Cup ties that featured the lineup of Andy Roddick, James Blake and the doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan, shattering the previous U.S. record for most consecutive ties with the same lineup.  The previous record was three consecutive ties by eight different combinations.

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The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level — from local communities to the highest level of the professional game.  A not-for-profit organization with nearly 750,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, the highest attended annual sporting event in the world, and launched the Olympus US Open Series linking 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns the 90 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S., is a minority owner and promotional partner of World TeamTennis, and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA philanthropic entity, USTA Serves, provides grants and scholarships and through tennis, helps underserved youth and people with disabilities to improve academics, build character and strive for excellence. For more information on the USTA, log on to usta.com.

Yet, today the USTA addressed the situation and, of course, some reporters asked about a roof.

“Well, look, would I love to have a roof? Absolutely,” said tournament director Jim Curley. “But it is certainly one of those situations where you have to really look at the practical aspects. In ’07 we didn’t have a single session rained out. In ’08 we had one, and thus far, knock on wood, hopefully we’ll only have one rained out in ’09.

So you weigh that against the potential costs of a roof on Ashe of $100 million or more, and it’s a tough decision. We’re trying to figure out the best ways to utilize the revenues to promote our sport. That’s a tough decision for us to make that, you know, nine-figure investment in a roof.”

Of course when it rains everyone wants to have a roof and Currey and USTA Chairman Gordon Smith also said they were looking into what it would take to cover Ashe.

Yet, the same problem will remain: No matter what material you use, the ground that the Tennis Center is built upon is very soft from the original landfill.

If you read the Great Gatzby, you will know that Flushing Meadows – Corona Park was once called the Valley of the Ashes. It was a garbage dump that the city plowed over for the 1939 World’s Fair. The lands that Shea Stadium, and now Citi Field, stands on also was part of the same landfill.

Back in the 1980s, the city looked into putting a dome on Shea, which was part of the original plan. Yet the feasibility study said that the weight of the roof would collapse the stadium because of the land it stood upon.

Now they want to do it with Ashe, which may have the same problems. Of course, the Tennis Center is newer, but Ashe sits on a water pool, that’s below ground. That’s why there’s always a drainage problem there. If you look at the pictures of the United States Pavilion – which was on the Ashe footprint in 1964 – from the World’s Fair, you will see the pool under the structure.

So it’s going to be difficult and expensive. The media is all for it though. It’s not their money and by pushing the Open back a day, the out of town members are forced to push their fights back and get night in the hotel. That’s an extra expense that none of the newspapers want to endure and why this is getting so much service.

And that especially comes from the British media. Because a roof was placed on Wimbledon, they think every other venue needs one too. Five years ago if this wad mentioned by anyone, all the royal subjects of the Queen would pelt you with their strawberries and cream.

Yet, what’s good for the Brits – and the Aussies for that matter, who need their roof because of the heat – may not good for the USTA. Remember that money that they will save will go elsewhere, such as promoting the sport in this country.

“We’re nonprofit,” Smith said. “Our mission is to grow and develop the game of tennis. We spend the money we make on the Open on grassroots tennis. The money we make here goes out into grassroots all around the country, including building this tennis center, which 11 months of the year is the nicest public tennis center in New York for New York citizens to use without having spent a penny of taxpayer money. Our money goes out and does that.

“So the question is, are you going to spend $100 million or more, we don’t know exactly, on a roof that you might use once a year, which would be the average? Or is the money better spent promoting the game that we have been promoting so successfully? Because over the last five years, grassroots tennis has grown tremendously. Tennis is growing more than any of the traditional sports in our country. So it’s a very difficult balance to make.”

No it’s not. The USTA has done a very good job upgrading Flushing Meadows over the past 20 years. It’s the best tennis center in the world. But to have roof insurance for the cost of over $100 million is a just too much of a price to pay.