If the inhabitants of this delightful, rainy town can stand one Sunday of silliness, a second one won’t upset. Think people would go up against if the tournament made the first Sunday “Village Sunday” and gave people first dibs on tickets depending on the situation, it might even get worse. Further important, the increased volume of matches would destroy the court. If the weather is adequately cheerless, one roof won’t be enough.

The four-time defending champion, Roger Federer has lost five sets at this tournament since 2003, and has never had himself anything more than a mildly aggressive match. He needs no favors at Wimbledon. Wimbledon has called matches on the middle Sunday of the tournament on three occasions. It had fallen behind owing to rain in the first week. As doubtfully as it was for Nadal or anyone in his half to upset Federer before this tournament started, it might now take a sensation. The tournament remained on schedule; both the men and the women would have completed the fourth round. The women would have played their quarterfinal matches on Tuesday and the men on Wednesday, followed by the women’s semifinals on Thursday and the men’s semifinals on Friday. Because of Saturday’s rain, players in the bottom half of the men’s draw must play on Sunday, Monday in third round, and then Tuesday in fourth round, and Wednesday in quarterfinals. Why, though, can the Wimbledon tournament adjust to falling behind, yet not pay compensation in progress for almost definite chaos? The women’s draw would undergo, too, and it’s possible, though still mind-boggling at this point, that the women’s final won’t occur on Saturday. If no one plays on Sunday, the finalist from the bottom half might have to compete from Tuesday through Saturday. If rain washes out Tuesday, the tournament might have to move the final to give the bottom half enough time to work itself out, or require two matches in a day. A rainout on Monday and Tuesday, which is a distinct possibility according to the forecast, might ruin any chance of a champion up-and-coming from the bottom half if the tournament isn’t extended into a third week: The winner would have to notch five victories in five days, Wednesday through Sunday. Heck, veterans Wayne Arthurs, 36, and Jonas Bjorkman, 35, might need two sunny days to finish their third-round match, which promises long stretches without breaks of serve. Unless the weather improves radically, they’re both done for. Yet somehow the grim forecast couldn’t encourage tournament officials that it might be a good idea to play yesterday. The reasoning was simple: the tournament was “sufficiently on schedule” and in no need of a special session that would upset the inhabitants of Wimbledon, which is mobbed by visitors each year.