In fairness, it was the 2nd semi (Djokovic v. Thiem) that had even worse conditions. I know they discussed the wind in that match, but the chair and/or tournament director said it's an outdoor tournament and they don't stop play for wind. The clay adds a different element, though, as you point out, as the surface blows up. I remember even Nadal's spinning, heavy ball got blown out of bounds a time or two, also. This post is not meant to be at all partisan. We have seen some important matches played in really rough wind, and we here have had some complaints about tournament choices. I remember an IW final Nadal v. Murray that was horribly windy, and Nadal beat Andy pretty badly, IIRC. But Murray learned something about playing in wind. If you remember the USO semis in 2012, Murray beat Berdych (who has a very high ball toss, and a flat shot) in the first SF. Wind so bad the chairs blew onto the court. Andy played the wind very smartly. Then Djokovic v. Ferrer had to be stopped and finished the next day, due to lightening. (There was a hurricane coming, and they knew it. Could have played both SFs simultaneously, was an argument we had.) Then the final, Murray d. Djokovic, was also somewhat windy, but not the only reason Murray won. Anyway, outdoor tournaments do force players to deal with many natural obstacles, like moving shadows, sun in the eyes, rain delays, etc. It's part of the tools in the tool shed to be able to adapt, physically and mentally. But sometimes you're never going to get the best match when the conditions are really rough.
