The opening day of the Olympic tennis has turned into a nightmare for the organisers with rain washing out most of the schedule and women's top seed Ana Ivanovic pulling out with a swollen thumb.
Just nine of yesterday's slated 45 matches survived the torrential downpours and thunderclaps that left fans frustrated and volunteers mopping the courts with towels.
Men's top seed Roger Federer and a host of other big names did not even make it on to court.
American James Blake was one of the few to work up a sweat, beating Australian left-hander Chris Guccione 6-3 7-6 on Centre Court while compatriot Serena Williams wasn't as lucky.
The fourth seed Williams, making her debut in the Olympic singles having won the doubles with sister Venus in 2000, was leading 6-3 2-1 against Olga Govortsova of Belarus when it rained.
