Italian Open 2023: Blockbuster schedule featuring Daniil Medvedev in Rome disrupted by rain on chaotic day

‘Il cielo è sereno,’ is not a phrase you will have heard frequently in Rome over the past fortnight. The sky has certainly not been clear, and the daily assault of grey cloud and sporadic onslaught of rain has caused many a stop-start match to hamper the schedule for players and spectators alike.

Ad Earlier in the tournament, Frances Tiafoe was one of the more outspoken players to complain about the dangers of playing in heavy rain and he made headlines for his outbursts during his third-round loss to Italian Lorenzo Musetti on Grandstand. ATP Rome'It's crazy!" — Rune on beating Djokovic and Ruud on run to final in Rome4 HOURS AGO The American was not alone in conveying his concerns that the poor weather was not conducive to safe tennis and the inevitable rain delays have caused mayhem, with the penultimate day of the tournament no exception.

First up on the Foro Italico centre stage, the all-Scandinavian semi-final showdown between Holger Rune and Casper Ruud managed to dodge the raindrops, but that wasn’t the case with the second last-four clash. Straight away, drizzle meant there was a later start for Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev, and an even longer delay when a downpour caused the players to leave Campo Centrale with the first set locked at 4-4.

There were a couple of false alarms with announcements for a restart, and this led to whistles from those braving the stands with umbrellas and macs as the resumption was continually put back. At 19:36 local time, cheers erupted as the players returned to court, but they had barely got up and running again when more rain forced them off just 15 minutes later.