No love lost as Rudy boycotts Open again

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD

August 29, 2000 Web posted at: 11:24 AM EDT (1524 GMT)

NEW YORK (The New York Daily News) -- Game. Set. Grudge match.

Mayor Giuliani says he finds the U.S. Open flyover ban "offensive."

Mayor Giuliani said yesterday he will boycott another year of the U.S. Open, snubbing the nation's premier tennis tournament in his own backyard for the seventh straight season.

Since taking office in 1994, Giuliani has refused to go to the Open to protest a 99-year lease inked by former Mayor David Dinkins that could slap a fine on the city if too many flights from LaGuardia Airport stray over the National Tennis Center in Queens during the tournament.

The mayor grumbled that rerouting air traffic to accommodate tennis matches makes New York's jet-crowded skies even more congested, and potentially dangerous.

A penalty for flyovers "doesn't make any sense to me. I've always found it offensive," the mayor told reporters.

"I think the tennis association should have waived this a long time ago," Giuliani said. "You should never take away a possible air route for the convenience of tennis players."

At issue in the lease with the U.S. Tennis Association is a provision that could fine the city up to $325,000 if too many jets roar over the center during open matches, although flyovers for safety reasons are exempted. The flyover penalty has never been invoked.

Dinkins, who sat in the USTA booth on the opening day of the tournament yesterday, suggested that Giuliani's boycott has nothing to do with airplanes or safety.

"What do I think is the real objection? I think, I suppose it's because I did it," Dinkins said.

Arthur Ashe Stadium was built "during my time, my people put this together. I can't find any other reason," Dinkins added.

"We got the stadium erected when we stood to lose the U.S. Open from New York."

Giuliani spokeswoman Sunny Mindel said, "It's a shame David Dinkins remains so bitter."

The stadium is built on 21 acres owned by the city. The lease generated $1.4 million for taxpayers in the fiscal year that ended June 30.

As in past years, city officials asked the Federal Aviation Administration to reroute planes to avoid the tennis center for the duration of the Open. FAA spokesman Jim Peters said the agency tries to accommodate the request, but never puts passenger safety at risk.

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