DAY THREE of Wimbledon has already been delayed after an apocalyptic downpour soaked SW19.
Tennis fans were left darting for cover as the heavens opened and flooded South-West London.
Wimbledon was struck by an apocalyptic downpour shortly before the start of play
The covers stayed on as the rain fell on SW19 with play delayed by 90 minutes
With play set to start at 11am, thousands of fans descended on the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club long before the gates opened at 10am.
Supporters queued patiently in their best summer wear – but were left wishing they’d packed for a trip to Niagara Falls.
Around 9am, Wimbledon was covered by an ominous black cloud.
Moments later, rain was battering the ground with punters scrambling to find their umbrellas.
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But brollies alone were not enough with swarms of fans left sodden to the bone as the outrageous, freak storm caught everyone off guard.
After around an hour the heavy rain finally relented, replaced by a light drizzle.
But unfortunately, the grounds were far too wet for play to get underway as planned at 11am.
The tournament referee originally pushed play back to 11.30am, then 11.45am, then midday, then 12.15pm… and now 12.30pm at the earliest.
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The typical summer weather held up what should be an exciting day of tennis – with plenty of home heroes in action.
After the first two days of play, there are NINE Brits through to the second round of Wimbledon – the highest tally since 1997.
Harriet Dart can make that ten with her delayed match to come on Wednesday.
There’s a feeling of deja vu on Centre Court on day three too.
Monday saw Novak Djokovic kick things off, with Emma Raducanu on second and Andy Murray third.
And all three are back on the showcourt on Wednesday.
Djok – gunning for his 21st Grand Slam crown – faces Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis, Raducanu takes on Caroline Garcia after she scraped past Brit ace Yuriko Miyazaki and Murray faces big-serving No20 seed John Isner.
Djokovic starts at 1.30pm, with Raducanu roughly 4pm and Murray closer to 6pm.
There’s more Brits in action on day three, too – Cameron Norrie faces his second Spaniard of the tournament as he takes on Jaume Munar second on Court No1 at around 3pm.
Ryan Peniston takes on American Steve Johnson first on Court No3 – so, weather-dependant, we’re looking at an 11am start.
Heather Watson is FIFTH on Court No2 – so expect a late start, there – as she faces China’s Qiang Wang.
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Elsewhere, the “Special Ks” are back as Nick Kyrgios and fellow Aussie Kokkinakis will play Wimbledon together for the first time since they won the Boys’ Doubles in 2013.
They won the Australian Open title this year with their thrilling style of play – and they’re on fifth on Court 17.
