With the current suspension of the ATP and WTA Tours, we are opening up our US Open vault to bring you full match videos of classic encounters through the years in New York.
Join us Saturday at 4 p.m. ET for the latest #USOpenClassics on Facebook Live and Twitter. Next up in the series is a full-match live stream of the 2004 quarterfinal between Roger Federer and Andre Agassi. The full match will be posted on Sunday on the US Open YouTube Channel.
The 2004 quarterfinal between Roger Federer and Andre Agassi is a match remembered as much for the extraordinary weather conditions as the tennis itself. Played over two days due to rainstorms, the match resumed for its second day in extreme, blustery conditions that defined the iconic encounter. (For more on extreme US Open weather, read on below the video.)
The Swiss led by two sets to one when rain halted play on a Wednesday night, and Agassi initially handled the daytime wind best as he sent the match to a fifth set when play resumed on Thursday.
Federer was embarking on the first leg of his five-year run as US Open champion, while Agassi was in the twilight of his career, just two New York appearances to follow before his 2006 retirement. They would meet again in the 2005 final, with Federer winning in four sets.
The 2004 US Open was also notable for being the last US Open played on green courts, before the well-received switch to blue ahead of the 2005 event.
Watch the full #USOpenClassics match via Facebook Live and Twitter on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. For a coming attraction, view the highlights below.
Extreme Conditions at the US Open:
- In 1985, a tornado struck the USTA National Tennis Center in the late afternoon of Aug. 30, causing serious damage to the grounds, including downed power lines, major flooding and uprooted trees. Still, the tournament was able to resume in full the next day.
- In 2011, tremors from a 6.0 earthquake in Virginia were felt at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Day 1 of the Qualifying Tournament. The NTC did not sustain any damage.
- Rain delays forced the US Open men’s final to be played on Monday for seven consecutive years, from 2008-14, including Tropical Storm Hanna in 2008 and tornado warnings during the final weekend in 2012.
- A retractable roof was added to Arthur Ashe Stadium ahead of the 2016 US Open, at the cost of $150 million, providing welcome relief from rain and heavy winds inside the stadium.
- During the 2018 US Open, an Extreme Heat Policy was implemented for the first time, as on-site temperatures soared near 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
