Schedule in tatters as rain stops play

The former England football manager, Glen Hoddle, was lodged in the crowd yesterday looking like he'd been taking the stuff that kept Mary Pierce's face in that sorrowful rictus.

Wimbledon was paying for the sins of others committed in a previous Centre Court life.

The ill-tempered tantrums from John McEnroe. The foul language of Jimmy Connors. The clowning around by Ile Nastase and all those sinning teenagers thinking they could play the junior competition in a Manchester United shirt with Giggs on the back.

Wimbledon paid as the rain fell and stopped and fell and stopped and . . . By the end of it all, the ground staff were the one's needing treatment, such were their frantic activities under the Wagnerian skies of day 10.

As a result the entire competition has become a scheduling nightmare. Britain's Tim Henman played only one game against Cedric Pioline from France while American Todd Martin and Australian Pat Rafter were at 3-3 in the first set before rain stopped play. A number of remaining players are still involved in two and sometimes three competitions.

The only women's semi-finalist, Lindsay Davenport, could be facing as many as nine matches as she is also entered in the doubles and mixed doubles events.

With Australian partner Todd Woodbridge, Davenport faces Steffi Graf, also still in the women's singles, and John McEnroe in the third round of the mixed doubles. The American has also teamed up with compatriot Corina Morariu in the women's doubles, where they have reached the quarter-finals.

Second seed Rafter is also involved in the men's doubles quarter-finals with Jonas Bjorkman.

Competition referee Alan Mills said yesterday that committee might be forced to change the timetable. Given that the women's final is scheduled for tomorrow and that the quarter-final round has not yet been completed, that now seems probable.

"We have to be seen to be even handed with all of the players and we will have a discussion with the players to reach the best solution," said Mills.

"The men still have a day left for a round of matches but maybe we are looking at Friday, Saturday and Sunday sessions for the women.

The weather has made things very difficult. But I don't think it is fair at this stage of a Grand Slam tournament to ask players to play two singles matches in one day."

It was Boris Becker, who first pointed out the injudicious decision taken by Rafter to play in the doubles at Wimbledon. When Rafter knocked out the former winner in the fourth round, Becker commented that if Rafter was serious about the singles event, he should be conserving energy, particularly as the men's matches can go to five sets. Two of their three matches so far have gone that distance.

Rafter agreed with Becker but pointed out that he was committed to his friend and partner Bjorkman, but would not in the future enter both competitions in the Grand Slams.

Ireland's only entrant in the junior competition, Stephen Nugent, was forced to wait for his next opponent to advance through the tournament. The Dubliner, who is now in the third round, will face the winner of the match between Romanian Catalin Gard and fifth seed Venezuelan Jose De Armas.

Nugent expects De Armas to come through and said: "I feel confident now. I think I can take Jose even though he is ranked fifth in the singles and one in the doubles."

The confident Nugent will now probably face a player who has two junior French Open doubles titles to his name and has reached the last 16 and the quarter-finals of the French Open singles event.

De Armas won the first set against Gard 6-2 with the second level at 2-2. The winner of the match, which was scheduled to start at noon, was to have faced Nugent later yesterday afternoon.