French Open 2024: Rain Threatens Play as Paula Badosa, Holger Rune, and Others Turn Victims to Weather God’s Mischief

Weather conditions play a crucial role at any tennis tournament, and Roland Garros is no exception to that. But sadly, as the clay court matches continue in Paris, the effect of bad weather is keenly felt in the event, halting the event for hours. And after consecutive delays in matches last day, today a similar situation has arisen. This time, it is going to affect another set of top players, Paola Badosa, Holger Rune, and Tommy Paul.

The weather in Paris has hardly been in favor of players this season. The wet and cold weather, mixed with occasional rain, has dampened not only the grounds but also the spirits of various players. Today is no such exception. And the weather report further intensifies the condition. Why? Because according to it, there is a 100% cloud cover today in the Roland Garros. 

Not only that, there is a yellow warning for thunderstorms starting from Thursday (10.30 a.m.) until Friday (12 am). Naturally, the rain is still ongoing and has previously halted Paola Badosa’s second-round match against Yulia Putintseva in the first set itself (4-4). However, right now the match has started again. 

But that’s not it. The upcoming second-round match of Holger Rune against Flavio Cobolli, which is going to start soon in Court 14, is also at stake. Similarly, in court 8, where Tommy Paul will hit his racquets while playing against Fabio Fognini, is also going to be impacted by the ongoing rain. The rain gods are not working in favor of the players, as a similar situation arose yesterday as well. 

As the downpour began at Roland Garros, back-to-back matches got postponed. And this has put a lot of pressure on the players, as they now have to play consecutive matches on a single day. Unfortunately, these unlucky players include Danielle Collins, Frances Tiafoe, and even Ben Shelton. However, the rains did not spare one of the historic draw matches of the French Open, either.

Rafael Nadal’s match also faced suspension because of rain in the Roland Garros!

While Rafael Nadal was playing against World No. 4, Alexander Zverev, a mid-match storm, decided to intervene. Not only that, but it started raining cats and dogs soon. As a result, the entire stadium had to be covered to protect it from the rain. Although, after a few minutes, the match resumed, the short interval filled the fans’ hearts with fear.

However, on Monday, the same day that Nadal played his possible last match in Roland Garros, the rain had already halted a total of 9 men’s singles matches. But amid the difficulties, players continued their matches under a retractable roof later on. And players like Stefanos Tsitsipas (against Marton Fucsovics), and Jannik Sinner (against Christopher Eubanks) continued their matches under the roof. 

Nonetheless, as the tournament progresses, hopefully, the rain stops so that the tennis world witnesses epic battles with the utmost enthusiasm.