What does 'suspended' mean in tennis? Know what happens to a match delayed by rain

Whenever a tennis match has to be stopped or paused, it is as frustrating for the players as it is for the fans. While fans get anxious and impatient, players tend to lose their rhythm and momentum, which can often shift when the game resumes.

In the 2001 Wimbledon semifinals, for example, Tim Henman was in the lead 5-7, 7-6, 6-0 over Goran Ivanisevic (Novak Djokovic's current coach) before rain played spoilsport. The match was eventually played over three days, with Ivanisevic emerging victorious. Ironically, Ivanisevic helped unveil the roof that was installed on Court 1 in 2019.

The 2022 Wimbledon Championships already saw play getting suspended on the first day on the outside courts. Fortunately, the Centre Court and Court 1 at SW19 are equipped with retractable roofs which allow the matches to continue after a short delay.

So what exactly happens when a match is affected by rain?

As soon as it starts pouring, the ground staff rushes to pull down the net and cover the entire playing area so that the surface doesn't deteriorate. If the rain stops while there is still plenty of natural light, the match will be allowed to resume. Otherwise, the schedule can be modified and postponed to accommodate the already delayed matches.

What else could suspend a tennis match?

Another factor that could force an umpire to suspend a tennis match is badlight or lack of enough natural light for the players to continue the match. Similar to the rules of rain, if a match is stopped because of badlight, it is scheduled for the next day, no matter how many days it takes.

There is no better case study for this particular factor than the longest match in tennis history played at the 2010 Wimbledon. In the first round that year, America's John Isner and Frenchman Nicolas Mahut played a match that went on for three days. Both the delays were a result of a lack of natural light. After a total of 11 hours and five minutes, the scarcely believable score read 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 70-68 in favor of the American.

Thanks to a change in tennis rules and all four Grand Slam tournaments agreeing jointly earlier this year, the fifth set will not go on forever anymore. The Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open have come together to accept a ten-point tie-break in the fifth set.

If two players win six games each in the fifth set, they will play a 10-point tie break, and the first player to reach a minimum of 10 points with a difference of two will be the winner. This rule came into effect at the recently concluded French Open.