French Open

Only a cynic would suggest that the French Open organisers - having paid out about two million euros for ticket refunds yesterday and with a bill to pay on a new roof in 2020 - would have been keeping half an eye on the clock as well as the clouds.

The Parisian crowd give a collective Gallic grumble.

But there is no denying that it has got very soggy out there.

The balls have turned from yellow to a dirty brown and the effort that Novak Djokovic is exerting to hit a winner shows that it is affecting the play quite significantly.

Off they troop.

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Holding his serve after a break has been like gripping a greased salmon for Novak Djokovic, but he has finally reeled in that game.

Is the world number one slowly, but surely, snuffing out Bautista Agut's hopes of an upset?

Roberto Bautista Agut is relishing the rallies as the old balls get clogged with clay and give him an extra fraction of a second to get to Novak Djokovic's angles.

The Spaniard wins a mammoth 33-stroke rally and then pats away a reflex backhand volley to set up two points for an immediate break back.

Novak Djokovic claws though back with some mundane percentage tennis rather than his usual pyrotechnic displays.

A forehand wide via a net cord though gives Bautista Agut another break point.

Djokovic finally pummels his man into submission to save that one. It is so much harder to hit a clean winner in these heavy, cold and damp conditions.

"They've played 101 points and Djokovic has won 51 compared to Bautista Agut's 50.

"You can see how close it is."

Novak Djokovic shows no mercy to poor Roberto Bautista Agut's hooves.

The Serb runs his opponent all around the court to set up two break points at 15-40.

One saved by Bautista Agut, but Djokovic trains fire on the Spaniard's backhand on the next and milks it for the error he needs.

Now, can he hang onto it?

After that bit of chiropody, we are ready for the tennis.

Novak Djokovic was up and waiting, swishing practice strokes on the baseline while Bautista Agut was treated.

The Spaniard to serve.

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"All Djokovic's body language is now saying 'get on with it' and 'I can feel myself pulling that back into it'.

"There's no stalling tactics that we saw from him before the rain break."

Roberto Bautista Agut is getting some treatment on a blister on his toe.

This looks a little medieval. The physio pulls out a syringe to suck out the venom. What a job.

Meanwhile the rain is getting heavier and the brolllies are blossoming in the stands.

Novak Djokovic holds serve with plenty to spare. 

All eyes at the changeover though are on the tournament officials who are muttering darkly into walkie-talkies and looking skywards.

"We talk a lot about the obsession with Djokovic winning this competition. 

"It probably gives him strength for 11 months of the year but now it's a weakness. 

"There's a sense he wants it too much and he's unloaded too much energy early in the tournament."

Novak Djokovic is circling the Roberto Bautista Agut serve again at 0-30.

The Serb scampers in to run down a drop-shot, clips a cute reply across court and...just wide.

Djokovic is continuing his one-man game of charades - acting out a bad shoulder - for the whole of Philippe Chatrier. I'm sure it hurts, it is just he is making sure everyone is aware of it as well.

But here comes a break point. Roberto Bautista Agut saves it as he slaps a drive volley down the line.

And the Spaniard completes his usual escape with a perfectly calibrated slice drop-shot.  

A backhand error from Djokovic sees him fall behind in his opening service game of the third set. That's 15 unforced errors now for the world number one.

The Serb's body language is still very negative and he looks in real discomfort around his shoulders. 

Djokovic eventually holds, after going to deuce, but he doesn't look too happy.  

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"That just shows you how hard it is to win a rally. Djokovic landed the ball flush on the baseline twice and then he still had to put away the backhand.

"He is the master of keeping the ball alive."

Nathanael Murdoch: Rain delays will work in Murray's favour. One less day of rest for Djokovic (assuming they both make it to the final).

Roberto Bautista Agut is racking up some serious mileage on the baseline, skidding out to the fringes to keep rallies going that in dryer, faster conditions might be out of his reach.

He does well to keep in the game to deuce, but Novak Djokovic is dictating terms.

Djokovic tightens up again on break and set point, mis-cueing into the net.

Bautista Agut slaps into the tape to offer up a second set point though.

And this time Novak Djokovic makes it stick, crunching away a double-handed backhand punch to finally find a way through.

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"Bautista Agut is living by the break but could also die by the break.

"In these conditions, the serve isn't the weapon it usually would be."

Just when you think that Novak Djokovic has got his game back on the rails...

A murmur of intrigue and concern from the Paris crowd as the world number one pings in a double fault to hand Bautista Agut 30-40 and break point.

Saved with an ace.

But here comes another as Djokovic breaks a string and has to get a fresh bat out of his bag.

The Serb is sporting a rueful grin as if Lady Luck is wading in on his opponent's side.

And his mood is not going to be improved by that. A wafty forehand wide with acres of court to aim at the set is back on serve. 

A little chinwag between the umpire and a tournament official at the start of the game. It is drizzling, but they can play through that.

Back down on court, Novak Djokovic is still suffering from a bit of white-line fever, failing to get the job done on break point once again.

He over-cooks a routine groundstroke and swats the ball into the stands in frustration as it comes back. The Serb has converted just one out of seven so far in this set.

Roberto Bautista Agut is chasing hard to frustrate his man and deny him a winner. And there is a big serve to save another break point.

But Novak Djokovic presses the net to ask the question of Bautista Agut's forehand and finally wrestles the game into submission as the Spaniard strays wide.

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