NEW YORK -- I can't go to the restroom.
It's not just that the US Open quarterfinal match between Sloane Stephens and Anastasija Sevastova is a back-and-forth, three-set classic I can't take my eyes off, but I'm taking it in from the top seat at Arthur Ashe Stadium, and I don't think I have it in me to make it down and back in a reasonable amount of time.
I'm sitting in Section 322, Row Z, Seat 16, which is about 100 steps of steep concrete from the upper promenade and the nearest concession stands and restrooms. By the way, there are no delusions of grandeur when you find out you're sitting in Row Z. There are literally no more letters in the alphabet or rows in the stadium when you make it to the top.
There's not supposed to be a bad seat at a tennis stadium. Even the most famous cathedrals in tennis are fairly quaint when compared to their football counterparts. For example, Wimbledon's Centre Court seats 14,916, Stade Roland Garros in Paris seats 14,911 and Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne seats 15,000. But Arthur Ashe Stadium, which opened 20 years ago, seats 23,771, a world record for a tennis stadium.
It is a massive retractable-roofed structure that is visible as you're driving to Flushing Meadows from Manhattan on Interstate 495 East. It has a seating capacity just more than the largest arenas in the NBA, but it looks and feels like an NFL stadium from the outside, and on the inside as I make my way up the farthest seat from floor, which I'm told is 105 feet from the court and 15 feet from the 62,500-square-foot roof.
The hike from my seat down to the 300-level promenade and back to my seat is about the equivalent of taking the stairs up to the first level of the Eiffel Tower, so you can understand my trepidation in making the round-trip journey during an exciting tennis match. But the height of the seat is only part of the issue. There is no section to my left. When you get to Row Z, there is only a massive video board that obstructs most of my view of the court.
Behind me the 7-train can be heard coming and going from the Mets-Willets Point Station as Citi Field sits just a short 10-minute walk across the Flushing Meadows pedestrian bridge. In front of me dozens of seats are unoccupied as a man sprawls his bare feet on two chairs in front of him, while a couple makes out two rows in front of me as if they are alone on a hilltop, which they might as well be.
There is nothing like watching a tennis match from the top seat at Arthur Ashe Stadium, and I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. All normal tennis etiquette is forgotten once the stairs and escalators hit the 300 level. It is apparently high enough from the lower bowl and two levels of 90 luxury suites to have any real impact on what's happening on the court. Fans come and go as they please during play, kids run up and down the aisles, and talking on your phone is totally fine. It's supposed to be frowned upon, but when you're that far from the court, who cares?
That is a far cry from Wimbledon, where every seat at Centre Court feels like you're on top of the action and Armed Forces personnel volunteering as stewards make sure everyone is in their seats and silent during the action on the court.
But then again, that's what makes the US Open great. You're not going to see Justin Timberlake dance to one of his songs in between sets at Wimbledon. You're not going to see a light show before the opening coin toss like a Monday Night Football game at the All England Club. And you're sure not going to hear the constant rumblings of this city's subway anywhere but here.
It's not perfect, but that's OK. It's the US Open. It's supposed to be fun. Just wish the trip to the nearest restroom wasn't so far.