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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Daniel Harris

French Open 2016: Novak Djokovic recovers against Roberto Bautista Agut before rain stops play

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic in action against Roberto Bautista Agut. Photograph: Yoan Valat/EPA

So, there we have it. Another miserable day, but not as miserable as yesterday. After a muddled start, Novak Djokovic is in a strong position; Samantha Stosur beat Simone Halep to reach the quarter-finals where she’ll meet Tsvetana Pironkova, who produced a ridiculous comeback to eject Agnieszka Radwanska; Dominic Thiem and Marcel Granollers are level at one set all; and that’s about it.

Thanks all for your comments and company - we’ll be back tomorrow. Bye.

Updated

End; the bitter

Anyone know any Garroses?

At this point, I’m looking for anything.

You’ve got to admire the hope - still no later for the day.

“Well you say it wouldn’t be the ‘French Open’ if it was indoors,” emails Paul Stephens, merrily, “but if they can end up calling Division 2 the ‘Championship’ then literally ANYTHING is possible.”

They should have called it A Championship.

Drip, drip, drip, drip, drip.

Venus-Bacsinszky, Suarez Navarro-Putintseva and Bertens-Keys have also been deferred. I hope you’re all proud of yourselves.

More bazzing news: Serena-Svitolina has been postponed until tomorrow. I hope the crowd sing this for Elina.

I’m starting to think we might not get any more tennis today. Lucky it’s set fair for the rest of the week, eh.

Accu

Updated

It might stop raining in an hour, reckons yer Accuweather. Fight me.

And there we are - or aren’t. Nowt for another 40 minutes at least.

Covers are still on all over - it’s looking ominous, I must say.

“Maybe they should simply switch the tournament to Bercy and finish it indoors…” emails Amar Breckenridge.

I see what you’re saying, but not sure I see the point of that. It’s not the French Open then, and we’re here for the French Open, not a tennis tournament in the Paris area. Personally, I’ve no problem with things spilling into next week.

Ramos-Vinolas v Wawrinka has also been deferred until tomorrow.

That’s 5pm BST, time fiends.

Covers are now being dragged across Chatrier, as we learn that Murray-Gasquet has been postponed until tomorrow - in theory.

Let’s have another Roland: none other than your old mate, Barthes

Weirdly, they aren’t covering Chatrier; that is hard to fathom.

Indeed.

Basically, when the courts reach a certain level of wetness, the only way they can be dried is via covering or sun. And seeing there’s not much of the latter around, they’ve no choice - especially with more and heavier rain due.

And off they go. Play is suspended, yet again.

Rain.
Rain. Photograph: Thomas Samson/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

Another break point for Bautista Agut, and he runs everything down, before, eventually, Djokovic is too much for him; he salutes the crowd saluting him and promptly wins two more points to hold for 4-1. That might just be it, I’m afraid.

Bautista Agut arranges two break points, Bautista Agut ruins two break points. Play is suspended on Lenglen, where Ferrer leads Berdych 2-1 on serve, and on Court 1 where Gulbis leads Goffin 3-0.

Updated

“Remember this quote from Wimbledon a few years ago?” asks Dan McNeill.
“The problem I have with tennis courts is that they’re dry. That’s why I like Wimbledon; there’s usually a lot of rain, and I can splash around like I do at home.”
Dry humor, perhaps. But from what we’ve seen in this tournament I think she meant it, too.

She was superb today, though Radwanska will not be overly enamoured of her efforts.

But Bautista Agut wins the first two points of Djokovic’s service game....

Another pair of break points to Djokovic, now 2-1 up in the third set, and he snaffles the second. Not much more mileage in this game, I shouldn’t wonder.

“The rain is getting heavier.” So hard it makes your head bleed?

On Lenglen, David Ferrer has come from 0-40-down to hold his serve in the first game of his match against Tomas Berdych.

Djokovic, by the way, is unhappy with his neck. Don’t be unkind; it’s knack of some description.

It’s raining more heavily now; of course it is.

Bautista Agut has the trainer out to look at a blister on his big toe. Luckily, he’s playing a kindly, gentle soul who won’t make him do any running whatsoever.

Granollers wins the second set against Thiem

The match is level at 1-1.

Granollers returns.
Granollers returns. Photograph: Christophe Ena/AP

Updated

Djokovic is holding with ease now - ominously, given his status as the best returner in the game (apologies, Andrew). Meanwhile it’s now 6-2 Granollers...

Granollers and Thiem are playing a second set tiebreaker - it’s currently 3-1 to the former.

Djokovic has a point to break for the fourth game in a row, but Bautista Agut saves it and reaches game point when Djokovic chucks in an unnecessary lob. A decent first serve does the rest, and it’s 1-1 and 1-1.

It’s still raining, and the balls are in a right two-and.

Updated

Djokovic wins the first game of the third set, and it’s hard to see where Bautista Agut is going from here. He’s not a Rosol or Brown kind of character, who can go for and hit everything - or at least, he isn’t doing that. And you don’t beat Djokovic by playing percentages.

Thiem and Granollers are 5-5 in the second set (Thiem won the first, 6-2)

Djokovic wins the second set 6-4 to level the match

He made hard work of that, but played much better. Bautista Agut needs to serve far, far better.

Djokovic takes the second set.
Djokovic takes the second set. Photograph: Eric Feferberg/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

Back on Chatrier, Djokovic has blown another break point - but just racked up another, and it’s set point too.

Game, set and match Pironkova, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3

She’ll play Stosur in the quarter-finals.

Pironkova goes through.
Pironkova goes through. Photograph: Robert Ghement/EPA

Updated

She goes long with a forehand, and that’s one saved...

Radwanska nets a forehand return, and Pironkova has two match points...

Pironkova is serving for the match at 5-3 in the deciding set.

Bautista Agut breaks back! This is some remarkabizzle shizzle-dizzle-izzle.

Djokovic finds an ace, out wide to the backhand, then breaks another string to give away another break point. Meanwhile, Pironkova is now 5-2-up in the final set - Radwanska is serving.

Double-fault from Djokovic! Break-back point Bautista Agut!

Bautista Agut takes the first point of the game, but then Djokovic forces him wide and lays a drop-shot which sets up a winner. It’s raining again, but a netted return takes us closer to the end of the set. Djokovic then breaks a string, and it’s 30-all...

At last! Finally, Djokovic breaks, and he’ll serve for the second set at 5-3. The grunting is back.

Radwanska wins another game, consolidating her first break-back; she now trails 2-4 in the decider. Amazing what a hand massage can do.

Brilliant, commanding play from Djokovic, who’s stopped grunting; very strange. But he directs Bautista Agut around the court before punishing a forehand that gets him another break point; he wastes it by way of forehand return, a shot that’s been bothering him throughout.

Radwanska wins a game! Seriously! She’s just 1-4 down in the decider now.

Radwanska serves.
Radwanska serves. Photograph: Pascal Rossignol/Reuters

Updated

Another long rally, but this time Djokovic opens his shoulders, falls over the forehand, and goes long. He’s wasted six or seven break points this set; doesn’t he know who he is?

Bautista Agut just can’t get comfy on his serve, and Djokovic leads 15-30 before missing a return. A long rally doth therefore ensue, and eventually Djokovic gets the mistake for which he’s been waiting. He has a point for 5-3.

Raining again, and it’s beginning to look like they’re going in. But they’re not! Meanwhile, on Lenglen they have a similar conversation, and Radwanska doesn’t look at all happy to still be out there. Still, she probably won’t be in about ten minutes.

Bautista Agut goes for it from the baseline, really stepping into a forehand. Djokovic gets it back, though, and he tries a horrible drop-shot. But all Djokovic does is bunt it back, giving yerman the opportunity to pass him cross-court, which he takes. And he wins the next point too, so breaks back! 4-3 Djokovic, back on serve - Bautista Agut by one set to love.

Stosur beats Halep 7-6, 6-3.

She’ll play the winner of Pironkova-Radwanska - the former now leads 4-0 in the decider, which makes it ten games in a row, row, row.

Stosur, goes through.
Stosur, goes through. Photograph: Alastair Grant/AP

Updated

Nine games in a row for Pironkova, while on Chatrier, Bautista Agut misses the chance to pass after a long rally, and that gives Djokovic another break point - and what a return that is! He absolutely pounds a forehand cross-court to lead 4-2.

Out on Court 1, Samantha Stosur is a break up in the final set - Halep is serving to stay in the match at 3-5 down.

Djokovic has raced through another service game to lead 3-2 in the second set.

Djokovic serves.
Djokovic serves. Photograph: Jacky Naegelen/Reuters

Updated

Radwanska, 3-0 down in the final set, is receiving a hand massage. If one were feeling unkind, one might posit that a heart massage would help too.

Thiem has taken the first set 6-2 in his game with Granollers.

Bautista Agut saves two more break points - if he can frustrate Djokovic again, that’ll be frustrating (for Djokovic). He follows up with an ace, then another good serve, out wide to the backhand allows him to clean up. 2-2, second set.

Updated

Dearie me. Pironkova has just won her eighth game in a row and leads 2-0 in the decider; Radwanska is basically the Wicked Witch of the West.

Updated

“Roland Gift,” tweets Stewart Todd. The 80s kids are all over this.

Djokovic rinses Bautista Agut with a drop-shot-lob combo - he tries a tweener and completely misses the ball. There is mirth.

Djokovic races through another service game, while, on Lenglen, Radwanska is trying to win her first game of the day - she’s lost seven in a row so far, going from a set and break up to serving second in a decider.

Back to the old skool first set: Bautista Agut is seeing it now, taking the advantage before dominating a rally; Djokovic tries to alter the flow, but is long with his forehand, and that’s a crucial hold.

Updated

Djokovic goes long with a backhand return, and then a forehand winner saves a further break point. Djokovic then nets a forehand, and Bautista Agut has deuce.

Djokovic is back to his usual self, flexing and snapping ever sinew into his forehand. He’s quickly up 0-30 and then Bautista Agut is wide with a backhand; break point.

It’s even stopped raining, and Djokovic is hitting his backhand flatter and harder, but not really looking for the lines. He races through a service game to establish himself in the second set; what does Bautista Agut have?

AND PLAY! Reminder: Bautista Agut is one set up.

Updated

“Roland Orzabal,” tweets Sharon Malley - and this is probably my quintessential 80s tune.

Knocking up is happening and it almost looks as though Djokovic is doing everything possible to appear and to convince himself that he’s relaxed and this is just a laugh of another game. We’ll see!

Djokovic wants to come out, apparently, and the rain has lightened. They’re coming out! They’re coming out!

Nor does she think conditions are playable anyhow, but Novak Djokovic emerges to sign autographs - it’s raining more heavily than before. He takes an umbrella and skips, Singing in the Rain - gagsta that he is.

Updated

She also suggests that organisers are keen to reach the 59 minutes-played mark, as at that point they only need to refund half the ticket price

The players have disappeared; no chance they’re coming out, reckons Annabel.

Ya kna tha koo. It’s raining.

Updated

Bozzer Becker has a blood red baseball hat on. It’s sub-optimal - but in which sense?

“I began using ‘sub-optimal’ as a description of everything that is less than optimal because people find it so annoying, emails John Mee. “Unfortunately, I now use it automatically and the joke is on me. Sub-optimal.”

Interesting - I thought it was generally used as understatement, almost ironically. As in, “My dog ran me over and my car ate my homework - it was a sub-optimal morning.”

Djokovic is warming up and waiting to come out. Andy Murray is also knocking about, wearing a rather fetching teal hoody.

“Roland Keyboard” tweets Sharon Malley.

We’re not far away now...

GOOD NEWS! They’re sweeping the covers! It’s spitting still, but provided it doesn’t do any more than that, we’re not far away!

Updated

Rat.

A new game: favourite Rolands. I’ll start.

Here’s Ro-land Browning

We’re minutes away from the most recent “no play before...” time, and no word. This is a sub-optimal state of affairs.

Kristján Orri Helgason - krisorri

“Burritos are a perfectly engineered meal,” reckons Dan Servon, but I’m afraid I don’t get it. Shoving things you might find in a meal and shoving them into a wrap, that I get very well; it’s nice. However, the thing that might make it a meal, the rice, simply takes up space that could otherwise be frequented by meat - basically, it’s a hustle.

And given that is all really a thinly-veiled excuse for some mid-90s nostalgia, this:

No progress. Still, at least it’s better than yesterday.

Eff eff ess and then some...

That’s 2pm BST.

Ain’t no mountain high enough!

No news is good news, except when it’s thrashing down with rain and there’s rain forecast for later and you want it not to rain so you can enjoy some tennis.

“Play – on grass- at Manchester Challenger,” emails Vivien Roeder, “with Evans, Ward, Broady, Brown, Zverev and Groth in action on Centre court today. ATP has a live stream on their website, for those who would like to see some live tennis in the rain delays.”

To be clear, to be clear, all times tweeted by your Roland Garros are BST+1.

“Totally disagree with Croft and Greg,” emails Olga Grkavac. “Djokovic was scheduled first after missing his Monday court date. I find Greg’s comment a bit obnoxious. No one deserves to win a slam; you have to earn it. I still expect Novak to win, but he will have to work harder. His camp was hoping for a quick, easy win today.”

I agree. If conditions don’t suit you, hard lines. Find a way.

Agreed. Now, if only one knew where to come by such goodies...

Updated

No news, I’m afraid.

“Burritos are a different meal,” reckons Calvin Betton. “Have rice in them. Wouldn’t put rice in a sandwich. Shwarmas are a posh sandwich.”

If someone put a hosepipe between two slices of bread and ate it, would they be eating a sandwich? Next!

We appear to have an hour-long window, beginning at 1pm BST, to get some more tennis today. though that might just be because that’s how we, and therefore Accuweather, divide time. I think that’s what they call metaphysics.

Updated

Annabel Croft doesn’t think that Djokovic and Bautista Agut should’ve played that set, and neither does Greg Rusedski. I see that, but his reasoning - that it might affect Djokovic’s bid to win a grand slam - makes no sense to me. It’s either playable or it isn’t.

Given that it’s nearly lunchtime, a point for debate: are shwarmas and burritos just high-level sandwiches, or a meal in and of themselves?

Updated

This is how it looks.

On Court 2, Thiem - who, I’m told, is a good outside bet - is 5-2 up on Granollers.

It’s not actually raining much, but the surface is too heavy for them to continue. Presumably they’ll sort it and then another shower will arrive.

Play is suspended (again)

Oh, lovely.

Stosur is now 3-1-up against Halep in the second set, after taking the first 7-6.

Samantha Stosur
Australia’s Sam Stosur serves the ball to Simona Halep. Photograph: Alastair Grant/AP

Updated

Bautista Agut takes the first set against Djokovic, 6-4

This is a real chance for Bautista Agut - Djokovic is playing absolutely nonsense. He nashes in to the net and somehow ushers it wide with the whole court to aim at. Then, next point, a forehand winner then clinches the set.

Bautista Agut’s first serve is out, and Djokovic is right onto his second attempt. He then goes for a winner on his forehand, looking to hit the line on the deuce side, but it’s just wide. Deuce.

But he quickly levels the game, and then Djokovic is long with a routine return! Set point!

Meantime, Bautista Agut is doing an excellent job of understanding Djokovic’s angles - but now trails 15-30.

Play is suspended on Lenglen; sake. Don’t imagine there’ll be too much more on Chatrier neither.

Bautista Agut breaks Djokovic again! It’s 5-3, and he’s serving for the set!

Incidentally, Stosur walloped Halep 7-0 in that breaker.

Pironkova breaks for the third time today - that’s six games in a row, every one they’ve played so far. She takes the second set 6-3, and they’re into a decider.

Tsvetana Pironkova
Tsvetana Pironkova in action against Agnieszka Radwanska during their fourth round match. Photograph: Christophe Ena/AP

Updated

It looked like they were going in at change of ends - but then they didn’t!

Djokovic breaks back, obviously - Bautista Agut was perhaps a little too eager, snatching at his groundstrokes, and anything below his best and he’s struggling.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic returns the ball against Roberto Bautista Agut. Photograph: Michel Euler/AP

Updated

Over on Lenglen, Pironkova is now a break up. And it’s raining pretty hard.

The commentators reckon no way would this game start if conditions were as they are, but Bautista Agut will be wanting to eke - or eek for any American readers - out as many games as possible. But he’s then short with a volley and Djokovic races into a brilliant passing shot down the line on the forehand side.

Bautista Agut gets to 40-15 on the Djokovic serve - the relative slowness of the court is helping him more than the zippier chap opposite. And Bautista Agut leaps to slam, and that’s the break!

Out on Court 1, Stosur has taken the first set against Halep.

Lovely point here from Bautista Agut, who’s playing well.

He now leads 3-2, and old Nole is not enjoying himself at all, doing a lot of looking at Boris. Don’t these elements know who he is?

“On the subject of awful big sports grounds, let me pitch Berlin’s Olympiastadion” emails Mike Wood. It’s miles away in the west (where nobody but rich people live) and it’s permanently - permanently - freezing. The Marathon Gate at one end of the stadium ensures the wind flies in off the Nazi parading ground out the back, and then swirls around the bowl of the stadium in a way almost designed to freeze your ears. There’s no cover as well, and no concourse, so you’re stuck with the cold until the game ends and you get dumped out onto a moonscape with no amenities/pubs/anything.”

Amenities/pubs/anything sounds like tautology to me. And this whole description sounds not unlike the Riverside in Middlesbrough. Ah, some wasteland! Let’s build a football ground!

Pironkova breaks Radwanska! She’s now serving at 2-3.

This is all very odd. First Djokovic was outlasted in a long rally - that triggered the break-back - then he missed a routine volley to go down 1-2. Useless, him.

And Bautista Agut - who, like Djokovic, is yet to lose a set in this competition - breaks back!

On Lenglen, Pironkova has won her first game of the second set - she not trails Radwanska 2-6, 1-3.

Meanwhile, Theo Biddulph emails in: “The thing to know about writing French when you don’t know what you’re doing is to use as many accents as possible. With this in mind, your choice of ‘spéléologie’ is a good one. Difficult to find anything better than ‘Hétérogénéité’. Second, get some classic French onomatopoeias in, I would recommend ‘Bah’.

Here in Saint-Denis, last preparations for the Euros are underway : they’re removing the huge Coca Cola ad on the Stade de France that’s been destroying my eyesight each time I go for a ciggy at work. Good news!”

Saint-Denis, perhaps the worst big football ground in the world, worse than Wembley, down there with Rome’s Olympic.

My favourite accent combo is Stéphane Sessègnon, or Kadma Ve’Azla as I call him. Huge virtual pat on the back for anyone who can explain why.

g

Djokovic and Bautista Agut open up with a 30-shot rally, the longest of the competition so far. Djokovic wins it - no, seriously, he does - and after a double-fault gives him break point, he outhits his man from the back and eventually the error arrives. He’s really suffered from all the hanging about.

A mid-90s classic to get us underway. No, you shut-up. Aaaand play!

Apparently it’s impossible to predict the weather at Roland Garros ecause it’s so localised. Apparently the weather at Roland Garros is part of the same weather we’ve got in London.

RIDDLE ME THAT.

It’s raining again, but not heavily. Long as that continues, we good - but if it gets heavier, as it will later this afternoon, but maybe now too, we’re off again.

So, it actually looks likes it’s happening. Djokovic and Bautista Agut are out.

The players are knocking about and ready to come out! Really! Seriously!

Meanwhile, my editor Gregg Bakowski emails in with this pearler.

Chauette! Je voudrais aller à la gare et je fais la speleologie!

And there’s more!

Good news! (Perhaps!) The official Roland Garros blog says: “Signs of life! With that sudden heavy downpour quickly relenting, the court teams have been out quickly sweeping away the excess water and - wait for it - pulling back the covers!

Tennis. Actual tennis. It’s coming. BELIEVE.”

“It certainly sounds like there’s Buckets of Rain around in Paris,” emails David Hopkins, “but I’m sure the organisers don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows. They could probably do with a roof though. Oh, and Dylan the greatest artist of our time? Yes.”

And certainly the greatest combination of artistry and work ethic.

This could go on a long time. It’s absolutely caning down at Roland Garros now.

Bob Dylan is the greatest artist of our time: discuss.

Sake. Suppose we’re minimum an hour away.

And another from the aforementioned pair.

Here’s @MancInSofia - I believe this song is comprised of opening lines to songs his Bobness thought he’d never have time right. The idle blighter.

Zane.

And an anecdote: in the summer of 1995, I was on holiday in Israel. I decided that in homage to his majesty Eric Cantona, I would go on the beach with no suncream, but with plasters on my chest forming the number 7. It really, really hurt.

Right, let’s have your songs and stories about weather. And whether, if you fancy. I’ll start:

Updated

Oh dear. Eurosport are showing Djokovic’s game from the last round, and they’ve started from the start.

Still, at least it’s unlikely to snerr.

Accuweather

Yesterday, the tournament director Guy Forget remembered that Roland Garros needs a roof. He is not at all happy about the lack of one - but, of course, there are local concerns.

It’s raining, raining in my heart, more heavily than a few minutes ago. Oh, misery, misery...

Preamble

The water cycle is a beautiful thing, environment, life and all that jazz. But if it wouldn’t mind piping down for the next few days, that’d be great thankyouplease.

Because what a few days await us; what a day awaits us today. We’ve only got Novak Djokovic, Murray and Gasquet, Ramos-Vinolas and Wawrinka, Berdych and Ferrer, the Sisters Williams, Halep and Stosur, Radwanska and Pironkova - and more, more, more. How do you like it?

Paradoxically, this is thanks in significant part to the aforementioned water cycle, which is a beautiful thing....

Updated

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