French Open: 'Water is dripping!' - Roof leak halts match as Alexander Zverev calls over umpire to help
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Published 30/05/2024 at 14:23 GMT
Yes, there is a new roof on Court Suzanne-Lenglen for this edition of the French Open - and then later this summer the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. But also yes, there was a leak from the roof during Alexander Zverev's second-round encounter with David Goffin at Roland-Garros. The realisation of water coming through the roof caused a delay in the match as the umpire came down to look up with Zverev.
'Water is dripping!' - Roof leak causes delay in Zverev and Goffin's match
A sudden leak from the brand-new roof of Court Suzanne-Lenglen caused a delay during Alexander Zverev's match against David Goffin at the French Open on Thursday.
The fourth seed, who defeated Rafael Nadal in the opening round at Roland-Garros, had to call over the umpire for some assistance and to point out the issue between games with him holding a 5-4 lead in the first set.
Zverev was clearly perturbed by the water coming down from the roof as he gesticulated upwards, with the official taking a good look too before getting on his radio to communicate about the issue.
As Eurosport commentators Matt Chiltern and Pippa Horn mused, however, the chances of someone being able to go up and sort it mid-match were incredibly slim.
"There is a leak!" exclaimed Chiltern. "Water is dripping! I'm not sure what they can do about it.
"He [the umpire] is going to make a phone call, but I'm not sure who he is going to call. They can't exactly go up there now and fix it!"
Horn added: "It is like the bee situation at Indian Wells. They had bees coming onto their main court at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden and they had to call the beekeeper - it was quite an ordeal."
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Zverev opens up with two big serves against Goffin in clash
The match was able to continue regardless with Zverev taking the opening set after a tense tie-break, 7-4 to establish the early command in the match.
Court Suzanne-Lenglen joined the larger Court Philippe-Chatrier at Roland-Garros in having a retractable roof just in time for the French Open and then the tennis event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The new roof, which was designed by architect Dominique Perrault, is able to close in just 15 minutes with wings 328 feet long and 65 feet wide.
Having a second roof has come in particularly handy at this year's event given the torrential rain that has blighted Paris so far in the tournament with matches on the outside courts having to be cancelled.
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