Wimbledon: Martina Hingis played at Wimbledon for the first time since 2001, and it was as though she never left. Those crafty strokes. Well-timed net rushes. And rain.
Ah, yes, rain.
Day 1 at the All England Club began with sprinkles that delayed the start of the tournament for an hour.
After about 30 minutes of action on Monday, time enough for Hingis to win the first set against Olga Savchuk of Ukraine 6-2, rain returned and halted play for good.
"I don't like Wimbledon," said Hingis' mother and coach, Melanie Molitor. Then she sighed, motioned toward the sky and added, "The weather."
A drizzle grew to a downpour by mid-afternoon, when organisers began postponing matches.
Only 17 of 64 scheduled matches got underway, with none completed.
Because of the backlog, some players originally slated to debut on Tuesday - including defending champion Venus Williams and No 1-seeded Amelie Mauresmo - won't get on court until Wednesday, at the earliest.
Tuesday's forecast calls for afternoon showers.
Rain at Wimbledon hardly is surprising, of course, but southern England has been dealing with a drought that prompted authorities to tell people not to water their gardens.
With thick cloud cover, defending champion Roger Federer was the first player on Centre Court, and what an entrance he made.
He strode out wearing a cream-colored blazer, with a crest and his name stitched on the chest.
Something with a hood would have been more appropriate.
Bidding for what would be a record 42nd consecutive victory on grass, Federer draped his jacket on the back of his chair, then started against Richard Gasquet of France with an ace, followed by a double-fault.
Federer held serve, then broke Gasquet, who appeared tentative on the slippery grass.
Federer won the set 6-3, closing with an ace, and was about to serve trailing 2-1 in the second when the rain returned.
He wasn't the only one with new threads. On-court officials and ball kids wore blue outfits under a new $10 million deal with Polo Ralph Lauren Corp, the first outside company in the tournament's 129-year history to design the uniforms.
Another innovation coming to the sport's most tradition-devoted event: a retractable roof on Centre Court.
Alas, that's not projected to be in place until 2009; signs detailing the construction timeline dot the grounds. It'll help at a tournament that last went without rain in 1995.
For Hingis, everything old feels new again as she continues her comeback after three years off the tour because of a series of foot and ankle injuries and operations.
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She won Wimbledon in 1997 at age 16, the youngest champion since 1887, and sure looked like a 25-year-old contender on Monday.
Playing on Court 2, the "Graveyard of Champions," Hingis had little trouble taking control, even though her 145 kph (90 mph) first serves seemed like lobs compared to Savchuck's offerings that consistently approached 195 kph (120 mph).
"I look at it like this is the second time around, you know, second career," the five-time Grand Slam champion said during the weekend.
"In some ways, I feel like a rookie again because it has been so long since I have played here."
Her footwork was fine, as was her sleight of hand.
When Hingis broke serve to end the first set - a game that included nine deuces and five set points - she hit a well-disguised, half-volley drop shot.
The set ended when she tracked down a drop shot, and Savchuk botched a backhand.
That was it for the day, though organisers repeatedly made announcements on the public-address system indicating they hoped to resume play; less than an hour of action calls for full refunds on tickets.
"Thank you for your patience during this frustrating day," the voice intoned.
Four-time semi-finalist Tim Henman went across the street to indoor practice courts.
The Englishman's match was among those postponed; he could face Federer in the second round.
"I've had my share of rain delays over the years," said Henman, at his 13th Wimbledon.
"It's just a question of being patient and making sure you're ready to go."
Some sought refuge in the players' lounge or restaurant, the latter so crowded that French Open champion Rafael Nadal wandered around with a plate of pasta, unable to find a seat.
No 8-seeded James Blake sat with his mother while his brother played cards nearby.
"We'll all be used to this by the end of the fortnight, I'm sure," Blake said.
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