French Open diary: Bahrami delights fan with selfie before rain sets in
Play at the French Open was cancelled due to bad weather on Wednesday, but Omnisport's reporter was still hard at work during the disappointing delays.
There was no Novak Djokovic or Simona Halep in sight, but Tom Webber still managed to provide an update from his daily diary in Paris.
SINGING IN THE RAIN
It rained for a second straight day in Paris, and it was a bit worse than the sudden downpour that forced Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal off court for an hour on Tuesday.
There was only one kind of soaking for the masses that arrived at Roland Garros, and it didn't involve taking in the atmosphere.
Hordes of drenched ticket-holders crowded under any shelter possible as they waited for the torrents to abate.
At least they had some form of entertainment provided by groups of musicians dotted around the grounds.
At least you can listen to a nice three-piece while it continues to rain.
— Tom Webber (@thwebber) June 5, 2019
With no matches starting before 14:00 now, it’s very likely we will have delays. #RG19 pic.twitter.com/qXr3jSWHi5
The rain can’t dampen our spirits #RG19 pic.twitter.com/aeCQzGRQfu
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 5, 2019
CLIMATE CONCERNS
Wednesday was Sustainable Development Day at Roland Garros, and a video including messages from Djokovic, Dominic Thiem and Kristina Mladenovic urged watchers to help "win the race against climate change".
Of course, it's a salient topic, but the tournament organisers may well have been wishing for a change in the climate to avoid cancelling all the matches!
We only have one . Let's take care of it together.
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 5, 2019
On #WorldEnvironmentDay, and as a founding member of Sports for Climate Action, Roland-Garros is proud to host the Climate Conference tonight with @UNFCCC#RG19 pic.twitter.com/uanRefJlWx
BARMY BAHRAMI
There was at least some tennis for those who arrived early enough, and Mansour Bahrami delighted one fan in particular during his over-45 legends match on the beautiful Court Simonne-Mathieu.
He and partner Fabrice Santoro took the first set against Sergi Bruguera and Goran Ivanisevic and Bahrami - who spent a lot of time running around with five tennis balls in his left hand - celebrated getting off the mark in the second by posing for a selfie for a spectator in the front row.
Unsurprisingly the match wasn't being taken too seriously, with Bruguera using his foot and Ivanisevic adding a header to a rally at the net!