Player safety key, organisers say, after Centre Court roof delay

Wimbledon organisers defended their Centre Court roof coverage on Tuesday after Novak Djokovic’s opening match suffered an 80-minute delay after a rain bathe made the grass too slippery.

Djokovic was main by a set with mild rain falling on Monday earlier than the retractable roof, put in at a value of a reported 80 million kilos ($102 million) in 2009, was closed.

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Play didn’t resume, nonetheless, because the grass had turn out to be damp and regardless of the efforts of a jovial Djokovic, with a towel, and floor employees with leaf-blowers, a irritating delay occurred.

With a state-of-the-art air-con system, play is meant to renew not more than half-hour after the swap is pressed to shut the roof.

So, the longer delay left defending champion Djokovic and his Argentine opponent Pedro Cachin mystified, as have been the gang, particularly as play resumed rapidly on Court One.

“It was very strange that for more than an hour the situation was not changing at all for the better,” second seed Djokovic, who gained 6-3, 6-3, 7-6(4) with the roof re-opened, mentioned.

Wimbledon makes use of leaf blowers to dry grass on Centre Court after rain delay

Tournament organisers mentioned participant security was at all times the precedence in such circumstances.

“Every care is taken by the Championships Referee when checking the courts are fit for play following a rain delay, as player safety is our top priority,” a press release mentioned.

“In this instance, Centre Court took longer to dry than anticipated. Furthermore, given indications that the rain was due to stop imminently, the decision was taken to resume play with the roof open. The players were regularly updated during this time.”

The roof shall be examined once more on Tuesday with rain anticipated all through the day.

Defending girls’s champion Elena Rybakina was scheduled first on Centre Court and the match is more likely to be performed with the roof closed all through.