Djokovic on center court at French Open after washout

The French Open has suffered its first rain washout in 16 years, leaving tournament chiefs to vent their frustration at Roland Garros’ isolation as the only grand slam without a covered stadium.

It has been 16 years since a whole day of play washed out at Roland Garros, where the last total washout was May 30, 2000.

Top seeds Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams had been due to play their fourth-round matches but will now have to try again on Tuesday.

Forget said he was optimistic that the matches would be played Tuesday and that with two days of matches on secondary courts, the tournament would get back on track. “But that’s getting a little bit harder to do as the rounds get farther”. I need to play very offensive, because if not, it will be hard for me to win. The 2013 Roland Garros finalist Ferrer defeated fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 7-6(6), 6-1 in his last match, with Berdych taking longer in his 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 defeat of Pablo Cuevas.

“I’m sure she’s a better player now than then”, said Venus Williams, who is seeded No. 9. “It was a very hard match”, Muguruza said. “It was obviously not meant to be”, she said. Thus run has really come out of nowhere for Gasquet, whose clay-court preparation was derailed by none other than Nishikori (the Japanese coasted in third-round contests in Madrid and Rome).

Calling play off shortly before 2pm local time, organisers told soggy and disappointed fans to apply for a refund from the tournament’s website as 10 fourth round singles matches, including those featuring world number ones Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams, were pushed back to Tuesday.

Contenders such as Simone Halep, Samantha Stosur, Agnieszka Radawanska and Tsvetana Pironkova are now stuck still trying to finish the third-round matches they started Sunday.

This is not the first time that the rain caused inconvenience at the season’s second major, with showers delaying and postponing quite a few matches in the tournament’s first week as well. He’s made it to the final three times in the past four years but lost each time. But the 6-foot-10 Isner failed to convert any of them. These wins were clear indication that Murray established his rhythm well in time. You never get a free point.

The first men’s quarterfinals are also scheduled: Second-seeded Andy Murray against Richard Gasquet, and defending champion Stan Wawrinka against Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

“It’s a great victory for me”, Wawrinka said. “That’s the same if I want to play table tennis, l’d go to China”. “But the decisions were not, I think, the best”. Serena will take on 18th-seeded Elina Svitolina before facing the victor of No. 12 Carla Suarez Navarro and Yulia Putintseva. If at least one of them wins, she would join 108th-ranked Shelby Rogers to give the country multiple French Open quarterfinalists for the first time since 2004. Murray struggled though another five-setter in round two-against wild card Mathias Bourgue, whom the favorite survived 6-2, 2-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.