WIMBLEDON, England – It happened again on Friday: As rain fell outside here at the All England Club, play continued on inside Centre Court, the lone protected playing surface at Wimbledon.
And while the grudge at the French Open a few weeks ago was that persistent rain meant no tennis (and a backlogged schedule), the murmur this week around SW19 has been of a roof offering an unfair advantage to those who are christened to play underneath it: You’re ahead in the game. Way ahead.
“It’s tough, you can’t help but be a little jealous,” John Isner, the No. 1 American, told USA TODAY Sports. “I’m in the locker room yesterday waiting out this rain and I see Novak (Djokovic) and Roger (Federer) get off the court and already into the third round. But they deserve to play on Centre Court; they’re the biggest names in our sport.”
Isner finished his first-round match on Thursday afternoon, and Friday his second-round clash against Australia’s Matthew Barton was pushed back again and again. He eventually finished, though one men’s match and three women’s matches remain stuck in the second round at the completion of play Friday.
“Finishing your first round on Thursday, you feel light you’re a little bit behind the eight ball,” Isner said. “There’s just nothing you can do. You just have to go out and finish your individual match.”
On Wednesday evening, when Federer and Djokovic were safely into the third round, some 28 players had not completed their first-round matches, including Isner.
"I'm the only guy in the fourth round, which is maybe a little bit of an advantage," Federer told reporters. "But then again... the better player usually wins down the stretch. It is what it is."
Only Federer, Venus Williams and Carla Suarez Navarro are into the fourth round after five days of play compared to the 16 players scheduled to.
“It’s an advantage to have a roof for the fans and for TV, but yes, it’s an advantage for the ones that get put in there,” said Mary Joe Fernandez, the ESPN analyst. “Sometimes it does seem unfair. Isner might have to play four days in a row, perhaps. But that is what it takes to win a major ... Health and a little bit of luck. You have to overcome those challenges.”
“It doesn’t rain in their world,” Chris McKendry, Fernandez’s colleague, joked of Federer and Djokovic. “At some point in their lives, those top players weren’t under the roof, so you work yourself up. The best players played on the worst courts at some point.”
Wimbledon officials confirmed Friday that Middle Sunday – usually a day of rest for players and courts – will be used for play. Only three times have officials been forced to use Middle Sunday: In 1991, 1997 and 2004.
But is it always advantageous for the player that is “ahead” in the schedule? Not according to Richard Krajicek, the 1996 Wimbledon champion who is working as a coaching consultant for Wawrinka here.
“Think of it this way: If Federer wins under the roof, he has to wait for his next opponent in the next round,” Krajicek told USA TODAY Sports. “That means he could be waiting three or four days to play against a guy who finishes his match the day before. Maybe it’s an advantage to that guy?”
Plans are for a second roof at Wimbledon on the No. 1 Court – where Venus Williams and Djokovic were scheduled on Friday – to be constructed by 2019. The Australian Open has three roofed courts, the U.S. Open debuts its roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium this year and the French Open – as tennis fans just witnessed – is still without one, planned for 2020.
It’s hard to grumble when there is live tennis being played, however. Friday as rain fell outside, ESPN aired the live match between Wawrinka and del Potro, keeping advertisers and at-home viewers happy.
And then there was Isner, sent out to Court 18 a second and third time to play his second-round match. Only Federer, scheduled last on Centre for Friday, would be guaranteed a fourth-round slot to stay on schedule. Isner could end the day still stuck in round two, almost two matches behind.
“The top guys and girls that get to play on Centre Court in rainy conditions like this, it’s absolutely deserved on their part,” Isner told USA TODAY Sports. “They’re the biggest draws in our game. If I want to get time on Centre Court here when it’s raining, maybe I should get to the top four in the world, right? I have no room to complain.”
PHOTOS: BEST OF EARLY ROUNDS
