'Spider Cam' a fixture (and an obstacle) at Open

For the first time in a Grand Slam, there is a flying camera over the championship court. The "spider cam" has been hovering over Arthur Ashe Stadium court for the 2010 Open, and promises to become a permanent fixture.

In fact, it is a permanent fixture under the rules of tennis. If a player's shot strikes it, the player will lose the point.

"It's up to me to decide what a permanent fixture is," said tournament referee Brian Earley. "A cameraman in a fixed position is a permanent fixture. An umpire in his set position is a permanent fixture. We just thought that [the camera] was a great idea for the viewing audience."

The rules of operation call for the camera to remain stationary during a point. It is also to remain 100 feet above the court during a game, but can be brought down for close-ups of the players during a changeover. Its use is exclusive to ESPN coverage of the Open. The camera was taken down Saturday during the high wind conditions.

It's a completely new view of the game, and one that seems to have been accepted by the players, even though it could be a distraction, and worse, a lost point if somehow they hit it during play.

"I was kind of like not ready for this," said Elena Dementieva after her match on Friday. Dementieva has played plenty of matches on Ashe, but her first two matches this year were on outside courts. "If you are serving, it can be a little bit distracting."

Earley said there was a time when players complained about everything as a distraction. "They complained about all the cameras, the microphones, the music, everything," he said. "Now they have totally embraced it. They have totally accepted the technology as enhancing their sport. No player has said anything about it."

"It's going to be beautiful from this camera," Dementieva said. "For sure, people will enjoy to watch it, from this point of view. Well, if it's going to be nice, then that's OK."

No doubt the other Slams, Wimbledon, French Open and Australian Open, will be looking at how this spider cam works on Ashe. It was used this year at tournaments in Madrid and Doha.

It doesn't appear that a lob shot is likely to hit the camera or the wires that support it. But there were mis-hits - shots that come off the top of the racket frame - that easily could have hit the camera or its wires and caused the player to lose a point. So the doomsday scenario is that someone hits the camera on match point, loses it, then loses the match.

"Absolutely, that could happen," said Earley, who crossed his fingers and smiled.