Roof closes for Djokovic as drizzle arrives at Wimbledon

[July 11, 2017]  By Simon Evans

LONDON (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic's delayed fourth round match against France's Adrian Mannarino will be played under the retractable roof on Wimbledon's Centre Court, officials said on Tuesday.

Light rain at the All England Club caused a delay to the start of matches on outside courts but the Serb's contest was expected to start on time at noon (1100 GMT) thanks to the roof.

Second seed Djokovic's test against Mannarino was postponed until Tuesday after the marathon battle between Rafa Nadal and Gilles Muller concluded late on Monday.

Djokovic was due to follow Nadal on court one but the Spaniard's defeat to Muller lasted 4 hours 48 minutes and made it impossible for the Serb's match to be completed before dark.

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in action during his first round match against Slovakia’s Martin Klizan. REUTERS/Matthew Childs

Organizers said safety concerns meant they could not move the match to Centre Court, where play can continue until 11 p.m. under floodlights with the retractable roof closed.

(Reporting by Simon Evans; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

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