Who the rain is hurting, helping at the French Open

1:38 PM ET

PARIS — Twenty-five years after the fact, it is clear Guy Forget has become the modern-day Aaron Krickstein, The Human Rain Delay.

With rain inundating this French Open, Forget, the tournament director and national tennis icon, has become a familiar figure in the press center. Monday — during only the second complete washout in the tournament’s 115 years — he was rolled out for another interview by the French Tennis Federation. He again lobbied vigorously for a roof to be built over Court Philippe Chatrier sooner than the projected 2020.

For more than two decades, the CBS staple of rain delays at the US Open was the 1991 fourth-round match between Krickstein and 39-year-old Jimmy Connors. Every time it ran, incredibly, the result was the same: Connors prevailed in a rousing fifth-set tiebreaker.

Tuesday, when only two singles matches were completed (both started on Sunday), was more of the same. Play began around noon, but after a set or so of tennis, it was suspended. The players came back more than two hours later, but were chased to the locker room after about another hour of play. Despite a consistent drizzle, tournament organizers didn’t officially suspend play until just before 7 p.m. local time.

This prompted us to wonder: Who is benefiting — and suffering — the most from all of this unprecedented rainfall?

Hurting, for certainBecause of the persistent rain, Novak Djokovic is still competing for a spot in the French Open quarterfinals. Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images

No. 1 Novak Djokovic: Throughout the first 37 minutes he played on Court Philippe Chatrier, Djokovic seemed understandably surly and sullen. His serve was broken three times by Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut, and the Serb lost the first set 6-3. Even though Djokovic came back to take the second set and finds himself up a break in the second heading into Wednesday, it’s been grim going.

Under even slightly more friendly conditions Wednesday, few would doubt that Djokovic will prevail as he seeks his first title here at Roland Garros. But at what cost? His path is far from ideal.

Djokovic ominously massaged his neck at one point in the third set, and the sloppy track — and oh-so-heavy ball — required a maximum effort.

Even if Djokovic completes his fourth-round match (and, presumably, wins it), he’s looking at a Thursday quarterfinal — against the winner of the David Ferrer-Tomas Berdych …

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