Novak Djokovic, David Ferrer and the Williams sisters were all due to play their fourth round matches while there were also two matches that were not completed on Sunday scheduled to play to a finish but rain set in early in the French capital and at 1.40pm local time. the Roland Garros Twitter feed confirmed that no play would be possible.
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That changed on Monday as rain delayed the start of play and, with the forecast poor for the rest of the day, organisers chose to cancel all play at 1.40pm local time. The French tennis federation is planning to have one over center court by 2020 as part of extension works that are now put on hold by legal action from local residents and environmental activists. France’s council of state – the country’s highest administrative authority – is expected to issue a ruling in September.
“I’m really hoping we can have that very soon for these particular situations, especially considering the fact that the forecast for weather is not that great in the following days”.
“So the time has come, I think, to say, No, we want the project to hatch”, Forget summarized “This is our objective”.
Djokovic split the first two sets with Bautista Agut as they went on and off court, able to get a total of only 2 hours of playing time.
The forecast calls for a chance of rain on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, while Friday through Sunday is cloudy.
The fourth seed had won his first and second round matches – against Australia’s Sam Groth and Argentine Facundo Bagnis in straight sets, leading many to believe he was well on his way to another title, or building up the momentum to do so.
Organisers of the clay-court Grand Slam tournament said the matches would be rescheduled for Tuesday, and Monday’s ticket holders can apply for refunds but will not be permitted Tuesday entry with tickets dated May 30.
While the grumbling was audible on Monday, those safely into the quarterfinals get a further upper hand: No. 2 seed Andy Murray, defending champion Stan Wawrinka, American Shelby Rogers and Wimbledon finalist Garbiñe Muguruza. The American dropped only two points and broke three times in the decisive 6-0 set after nearly two hours of play. That would be particularly challenging for the men, who play best-of-five sets. Forget didn’t rule out that the finals could also be postponed. “So I try to use it as a motivation to inspire myself, to play well, to stay calm and focus only on the present moment”.
But with one American in the bottom half’s quarters already in the women’s draw and three others still alive in the top half, the prospects for an American in next weekend’s women’s singles final from Roland Garros is real. Murray vs. Wawrinka may wind up being the best pre-finals match of the entire tournament, and the men’s defending champion is the likeliest usurper of an all-chalk weekend.
Also cancelled were more than 50 matches in the doubles and junior tournaments. No other French Open men’s singles victor has ever had to wait more than 11 years to win his first title at Roland Garros.
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“It’s a nightmare today, but for many, many years, we have always managed to overcome these uncertainties connected to the weather conditions”, Forget said.
