French Open under siege by rain, players

French Open organisers were under siege on Thursday after allowing a match to be played in darkness, while also confronting a second day of rain interruptions.

Over two hours of play were lost on Wednesday, meaning seven scheduled second-round singles matches had to be carried over.

One of those was the titanic clash between French 13^th seed Gael Monfils and Italy’s Fabio Fognini, who were locked in a bad-tempered tie that was called off in complete darkness just before 2200 (1900GMT) on Wednesday.

Monfils had led by two sets before Fognini battled back and the pair were 5-5 in the final set, with the Italian having wasted three match points, when play was halted on Court Philippe Chatrier.

The combustible Italian was docked a point for protesting at length that the match should have been suspended at 4-4 in the final set while Monfils, despite suffering from cramp, had wanted to play on.

Tournament referee Stefan Fransson had even been summoned onto the court, consulting with players as well as chair umpire Carlos Bernandes.

Curiously, Andy Murray’s second-round match against Argentina’s Juan Ignacio Chela on the adjacent Court One had been suspended half an hour earlier.

‘At the end, the fans blinded Fabio with a laser pen,’ Fognini’s father, Fulvio, told sports daily L’Equipe.

‘I have never seen a crowd that was so unsporting. It’s a disgrace. We were three against 10,000. It was home refereeing.’

The match, weather permitting, was due to resume later on Thursday, but heavy rain had already prevented action getting underway at the scheduled start time of 1100 (0900GMT).

This year’s controveries over weather delays come at a time when plans are being discussed to move the tournament away from its historic home at Roland Garros.

Paris city council has unveiled an extension project for the current site that would involve installing a retractable roof on the main court.

If an extension plan at the current site is not backed, then there are three alternative areas being examined — Marne-la-Vallee, which is near Euro Disney, Versailles and Gonesse.

World number one Roger Federer, who has seen Wimbledon’s infamous weather-enforced interruptions partially alleviated by the installation of a retractable roof over Centre Court, would prefer to see the French Open stay put.

‘I hope it stays here. I’d love to come back in 20 years’, 40 years’ time,’ said Federer, who added he’d be happy to see a roof built on the main stadium.

‘It would be great to have a roof. But this is how this game has been played for decades. We’re used to walking on and off the court and being flexible about these kind of things.

‘It looks a bit like Paris and the French Open are a bit under pressure because Wimbledon and the Australian Open both have roofs.

‘I think everybody would love to see matches going on the whole time. But for me, it’s totally acceptable to walk on and off the court a few times during a match.’

If the weather wasn’t bad enough, organisers have also come under fire from French number one Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who believes his position should command respect when it comes to scheduling matches.

Tsonga is aggrieved that his opener was staged on Sunday.

‘I had asked not to play on a Sunday,’ said the eighth seeded Tsonga. ‘But they imposed it on me. If you look at Andy Murray, if he decides on a day or hour at Wimbledon, nobody’s going to impose anything on him. For Federer in his country it’s the same.

‘Today we’re in France. I’m French number one. They should listen to me when I want to play or start.’