The first day of play at the Rome Masters will most likely be remembered in the annals of tennis history not for the play on the court, but for the repeated interruptions that came to define the day.

For fans, the extended rain showers prevented some matches being played, while keeping others in a state of flux throughout the day. This was unfortunate to those in attendance, but for those who had to work (speaking of a rude interruption) during the telecast, which includes this author, the weather actually provided a silver lining. When I returned home from the office-cave at about 5pm (translating to midnight over in Italy), the Robby Ginepri/Danielle Bracciali match was still being shown live.

The Italian wild card (Bracciali) had won the first set 7-5, but was down 2-4 when I finally tuned in. I can’t say for sure if rain got in the way of this particular match, or just the preceding ones – but in any case, the players must have been tired even after one set of play. These two surely couldn’t have anticipated waiting until early Tuesday morning to finish their match; they expected to be in bed by midnight – not trading ground strokes.

The fatigue might have reared itself in some of Ginepri’s service games in the second set. Serving at 4-3, the American quickly surrendered three points to Bracciali, and was on the verge of being broken. But he managed to stave off three break points, and after a few deuces, Ginepri held serve and took a 5-3 lead. Things were looking up for Robby, with a third set only one service game away.

Then the lights went out.

I don’t mean in Ginepri’s head. They literally went out in the arena.

In a day filled with distractions, this gaffe at the Foro Italico capped off a forgettable day in the eyes of the tournament officials. I wasn’t quite sure if my television had simply lost the feed, but within minutes, I was informed that there would indeed be another delay in play due to this rather odd circumstance.

It was a pretty interesting scene to behold – the Foro Italico appears, to me at least, as a ruin on which tennis is the gladiatorial arena. The brown-red clay was battered and well-worn after a full day of exposure to sliding feet and nature’s elements. It’s a sharp contrast to the marble-like white seating that surrounds the court.

But in a sharper contrast, the jet black sky swallowed up all the light that was once illuminating the court, as well as the off-white seating architecture. After about 30 minutes, the black hole was no more, but in Ginepri’s eyes, the lights were still out. Serving for the set at 5-4, Robby again got down 0-40 in short order. This time, however, there were no deuces – his Italian opponent made it four straight points on his serve, and the set was level at 5-5.

Frustration clouded Ginepri’s play, as his body language rivaled Bracciali’s self-deprecating attitude, often muttering to himself in his native tongue. Not surprisingly, the momentum carried into the tiebreaker for Bracciali, who easily deported the American from the tournament by a 7-5, 7-6 score.

From what other action there was today, two upsets were the most noteworthy scores that popped out at me. It’s still a shock to see Lleyton Hewitt bounced early in tournaments, but in the first round, at the hands of a qualifier (Oscar Hernandez)? It’s even more perplexing. But Hewitt’s decline has been apparent for some time now. That made Andy Murray’s first-round exit at the hands of Gilles Simon even more of a puzzling result. However, lack of recent match experience could be the culprit, as the Scot hasn’t played since he reached the semi-finals of Miami.


So is Hewitt past it? Does Murray need more match seasoning? Add your comment below or write an article explaining your opinion.

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