The world number one did not drop a set in his first three matches but was clearly unhappy at having to play in drizzle when play finally resumed just after midday on Tuesday.
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The women’s singles final is supposed to be Saturday, with the men’s singles final on Sunday.
The top seed, chasing an elusive first title in Paris and a career Grand Slam, came onto Court Philippe Chatrier with light rain still falling. “They really don’t care what we think”. I’m just p*****. I just can not play in those conditions.
Players the next day were not so lucky.
Agnieszka Radwanska and Simona Halep, the number two and six seed respectively, were knocked out having had to play through the rain on Tuesday.
The players were pulled off court in the first set on Sunday evening because of rain and darkness and could not play Monday when the entire day was washed out for the first time in 16 years.
Since they won their third-round matches on Sunday, it has rained nearly non-stop at Roland Garros, washing out Monday and most of Tuesday.
But the covers came off, covers went on, and then came off again, while optimistic dots of figures sat beneath umbrellas to take tableau.
The top-seeded Djokovic, seeking to win a fourth consecutive major title and complete a career Grand Slam, was facing 14th-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain at a almost empty Court Philippe Chatrier, where the handful of spectators huddled under umbrellas.
The men play best-of-three-set matches on the regular ATP Tour but best-of-five in the Grand Slams and on clay, where the rallies are that much more gruelling, that is an enormous task. “It’s a grand slam”, said Radwanska, the highest seed to exit the tournament. They, too, got back on court in the afternoon after waiting out the lengthy delay.
He had even broken serve in the first game Tuesday after an opening point played out over 30 strokes.
Radwanska vs. Pironkova originally began Sunday, and Radwanska was three games from victory at 3-0 in the second set when play was suspended. But it appeared to be ground on which he felt comfortable. “How can you allow players to play in the rain?” said Radwanska, the 2012 Wimbledon runner-up. Pironkova took the second set 6-3 before play was halted 10 minutes before action on Chatrier was stopped.
In fairness, it had been an uninspiring affair thus far. He’s never lost to Bautista Agut.
“I don’t know who allows us to play in that kind of conditions”, Radwanska added, saying her racket-wielding right hand gave her problems because she had surgery on it years ago. First, it would be in an hour. Tournament director Guy Forget said that Monday’s washout would lead to a loss of around two million euros.
Such was the havoc caused by the rain, only two matches were completed on the women’s side of the draw before the rain struck. No court here has a roof-nor will have before 2020 at the earliest-and none has lighting.
If Djokovic and Bautista Agut were able to complete their match, it was scheduled to be followed in the main stadium by defending champion Serena Williams against 18th-seeded Elina Svitolina in their delayed fourth-round match.
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So return they did…
