New Delhi: Not a drop of rain fell since dawn, the threatening dark clouds had disappeared just afternoon and the sun was shining bright a little later. Yet, play in the Davis Cup World Group play-off tie between India and Sweden could resume, after a day’s break, at 3.20 pm only.

Referee Wayne McKewen had a tough day in office. The court proper was quite okay, the problem area was a narrow strip of grass about eight feet beside the doubles alley. Mats Wilander & his team’s logic was that if the momentum of a player took him to that slippery part, he could sustain a serious injury.

The referee went by that logic, players’ safety being his primary concern.

“This is a very, very poor court, it played worse today (Sunday),” Thomas Johansson said.