Monday at the Fever-Tree Championships went unscathed by weather, as there were no rain delays of which to speak despite some cloudy skies and considerable winds.
That allowed for a full schedule of play, including the finale on Centre Court between Gilles Simon and James Ward. It proved to be an entertaining conclusion to opening day, right from the start….
…In fact, from even before the start.
During the pre-match meeting at the net between Simon, Ward, and chair umpire Fergus Murphy, a funny exchange took place after Murphy asked the French veteran and the British qualifier if they had any questions. Players almost never do, of course. Well, they never have serious questions.
Murphy: “The last thing, to remind you, we’re on grass. Please don’t damage the surface. Don’t throw your racket. Any questions?”
Simon: “Can I break it?”
Fergus Murphy: “Yes…. But over there somewhere.”
All joking aside, Simon vs. Ward turned into a entertaining battle that lasted two hours and 29 minutes. The 34-year-old obviously ran into plenty of trouble along the way, but he damaged no grass, broke no rackets, and stayed mentally tough to prevail 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(2).
None of the Queen’s Club grass was damaged on Tuesday, either. In fact, the grass is probably thriving. Not only did it go untouched, but it also received a proper watering. It rained all day in London and washed out an entire day of tennis.
It was the third complete washout in tournament history. Previously entire days of play were erased in 2011 (a Murray vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga final was played on Monday instead of Sunday) and 2012 (opening day).
The first round is scheduled to conclude on Wednesday, with the entire second round to be played on Thursday.
Weds and Thurs OOPs will be hot