French Open: Play abandoned on Monday at Roland Garros due to rain

Rain and a Parisian flood warning on Monday ensured an entire day's play was lost for the first time in 16 years at the French Open.

Novak Djokovic, David Ferrer and the Williams sisters were all due to play their fourth round matches while two matches that were not completed on Sunday were also scheduled to play to a finish, but rain set in early in the French capital and at 1.40pm local time the Roland Garros Twitter feed confirmed that no play would be possible.

It is the first time since May 30, 2000 that an entire day has been lost to the weather and with conditions still expected to be a problem, the prospect of a Monday finish could well begin to loom large.

This year's tournament has been beset by adverse weather and, following Monday afternoon's announcement, Tuesday is now likely to be a busier than expected day with fourth round matches in the top half of the men's and women's events still to be completed.

However, with the forecast not getting any better, back-to-back days for the likes of Djokovic and Williams will hand a glimmer of hope to those already into the quarter-finals, such as defending champion Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray.

The French national weather centre issued an orange warning - the second highest alert level - for parts of northern France including Paris and surrounding areas, with the indication that the heavy rain could continue until Tuesday afternoon.

The washout also prompted tournament director Guy Forget to vent his frustration at the lack of a roof at Roland Garros.

The Paris venue will not see a roof built over its showpiece Philippe Chatrier Court until 2020 at the earliest.

"It is very frustrating but it is proof that the roof is a necessity and that we have to do it," said Forget.

"We cannot be like this for many more years. We hope to have the roof by 2020. People have to realise that nobody can stop the process.

"The world is moving fast - we were talking about the roof 15 years ago."