Game, set amp; match, Mr Rain

WIMBLEDON, JUNE 29: There was no doubt who the winner was today. After six days of glorious sunshine and good tennis which promised to ge...

WIMBLEDON, JUNE 29: There was no doubt who the winner was today. After six days of glorious sunshine and good tennis which promised to get better, rain finally threw a wet blanket over the proceedings. Just seven matches, including two doubles matches, were completed in the first two days of the all-important second week as no play was possible today. There will be enormous pressure on the players to play matches without a break in the run-up to the final.

The 8-1 odds on rain not disrupting the schedule finally went kaput as the ever-patient Centre Court crowd waited for the downpour to stop, to see the covers being deflated. It seemed they would finally get some action when the covers went off and the players walked in around 1430 local time.

Tim Henman and Jim Courier just about managed to get their racquets out before the drizzle began all over again. Referee Alan Mills signalled the players to come off.

The same act was repeated on Court Number One when Steffi Graf and Kim Clijsters had to returnfaster than they walked in. The last time play was abandoned without a single point being played was in 1997, on the first Friday.

Unsettling weather has been predicted for one more day. Players like Pete Sampras will have to play every day in the event of him getting as far as the final. Possibility of play spilling over to the third Monday is rather remote at the moment but if the organisers fail to push through the backlog of matches, a Monday final can be a realistic possibility.

The last time the men8217;s singles final was extended to Monday was in 1988 when Stefan Edberg defeat Boris Becker in four sets. In 1996, mixed weather during the first week was followed by rain on most days causing the programme to be extended to the third Monday.

However, there are positive sides to the disruption. Boris Becker can delay his inevitable farewell by a couple of days; Mahesh Bhupathi can rest his hamstring for a day or so, or Courier can think of a way to mow down the great British hope on Centre Court.