Rain Subsides Briefly, Long Enough For Del Potro To Win… And Then Withdraw From Queen’s Club Tennis

Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro serves to Canada’s Denis Shapovalov during their round 32 match at the Fever Tree Championship at Queen’s Club in London, Britain, 19 June 2019. The tournament runs from 17th June till 23 June 2019. EPA-EFE/WILL OLIVER

 

 

By Ricky Dimon

 

Just some rotten luck is plaguing the Fever-Tree Championships at the moment.

 

Tuesday marked just the third complete washout in tournament history, and more rain came on Wednesday. Some actual tennis was played, but two first-round matches have not even started yet when half of the second round should already be completed.

 

Unlike at Roland Garros, however, tournament organizers are not making a circus out of the rain dilemma. They have been transparent with the players, quick to make calls about what is going to happen and when it’s going to happen.

 

Stan Wawrinka, for one, was quick to point that out after his opening match against Dan Evans was pushed back from Tuesday to Wednesday.

 

Wawrinka posted the following on Twitter, referencing tournament director Stephen Farrow: “So sad I can’t play my first match today on grass … I was looking forward ! Thanks @StephenJFarrow for understanding the players!”

 

The Swiss’ sadness turned to happiness when he and Evans were scheduled second on Centre Court for Wednesday, and thus were able to get it in well before the skies opened again. Wawrinka got his grass-court campaign off to a fine start, beating Evans 6-3, 6-4.

 

But the news wasn’t good for everyone. Bad news for the tournament, the fans, and Juan Martin Del Potro was soon on the way. Following his 7-5, 6-4 victory over Denis Shapovalov, Del Potro withdrew from both singles and doubles due to a right-knee injury. The Argentine slipped on the grass late in his opening match and limped the rest of the way, but only had to get through one more service game to cross the finish line.

 

On the bright side, literally, weather is expected to be favorable for the remainder of the week.

 

The sun combined with the previous delays should be the perfect recipe for a ridiculous day of tennis on Thursday. The winner of Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. Grigor Dimitrov will play twice, and Nick Kyrgios also hasn’t played his first-round match so he could do the same. Auger-Aliassime could actually play three matches in a day, as he is also scheduled for doubles. There’s also the continuation of Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Kyle Edmund, so whoever wins that one will take the court again later in the day for second-round action.

 

We’re due for some good news, and Thursday will likely deliver. Get your popcorn ready!

 

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on twitter at @Dimonator.