Wimbledon 2023: Even if the rain goes away, there will be backlog of matches to complete

WATCH: Looking ahead to a packed Day 3 of play at Wimbledon

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Thanks to rain, there are still plenty of first-round matches to complete—and some that even have yet to begin—as Wimbledon heads to Day 3.

Sloane Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion, is among 10 players who originally were on Monday's schedule but have not played a point so far at the year's third Grand Slam tournament and now are scheduled to get started on Wednesday.

More bad news for them and tournament organizers dealing with the backlog of matches: There is a chance of more showers.

Only eight of 77 scheduled matches were completed on Tuesday, when the rain arrived early in the day and never left, while 15 others were halted in progress.

The All England Club has two courts that have retractable roofs that allow for competition during wet weather. Andy Murray, Carlos Alcaraz and Elena Rybakina were some of the lucky few who were able to finish contests Tuesday.

Play begins on most courts at 11 a.m. local time, which is 6 a.m. EDT. That's when Stephens is supposed to start against Rebecca Peterson at Court 14, and No. 10 seed Frances Tiafoe takes on Wu Yibing at No. 3 Court. Action at No. 1 Court begins at 1 p.m. local time, which is 8 a.m. EDT, and the first match there is No. 3 Daniil Medvedev vs. British wild-card entry Arthur Fery. Centre Court is the last arena to get going, at 1:30 p.m. local time, 8:30 a.m. EDT. That is when No. 11 Daria Kasatkina plays British wild-card entry Jodie Burrage in the second round, followed by No. 1 Iga Swiatek against Sara Sorribes Tormo, which could begin around 3:30 p.m. local time, 10:30 a.m. EDT. The third match in the main stadium is 23-time major champion Novak Djokovic vs. Jordan Thompson; that might begin around 5:30 p.m. local time, 12:30 p.m. EDT.

Two-time Wimbledon champion Murray and No. 1 Alcaraz both won in straight sets in about two hours. No. 12 Cam Norrie needed needed four sets for his victory, while another British man who was seeded, No. 27 Dan Evans, lost. Three of the leading women in the field all won — defending champion Elena Rybakina, 2022 runner-up Ons Jabeur and No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka — as did the No. 29 men's seed, Tomás Martin Etcheverry, who finished off a comeback from a two-set deficit in a match that opened at Court 11 on Monday and closed at No. 1 Court on Tuesday.

Roger Federer and Kate, Princess of Wales, were in the Royal Box. Federer, who announced his retirement last year, was honored for his eight Wimbledon singles championships, a record for men.

Where to watch:

— In the U.S.: ESPN, Tennis Channel

— Other countries listed here.

Medvedev is listed as a minus-10,000 money-line pick to beat the 391st-ranked Fery, who is at plus-2,400, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Think Fery could win the first set and lose the match? That is listed at plus-3,200.

What you need to know about Wimbledon, the year's third Grand Slam tennis tournament:

Novak Djokovic is pursuing more history, and his self-belief is a big part of his success

Iga Swiatek succeeds everywhere else. Can she win Wimbledon?

Players from Russia and Belarus are back at the All England Club after a one-year ban

Aryna Sabalenka no longer wants to talk about the war in Ukraine

Women's tennis is working toward equal pay at more tournaments

Frances Tiafoe is the first African-American man in the Top 10 in nearly 15 years

Facts and figures about Wimbledon, including a look back at 2022

Try your hand at the AP’s Wimbledon quiz.

1994 — The only time in the Open era that the defending women's champion at Wimbledon lost in the first round. Lori McNeil beat Steffi Graf that year.

"I was super happy that (I was) playing on one of the covered courts. It's a great feeling knowing that you are going to finish your day today. But I felt really sorry for the rest of the players." — Aryna Sabalenka, who won her match under the closed roof at Centre Court.

Tournament Schedule:

— Wednesday: First and Second Round (Women and Men)

— Thursday: Second Round (Women and Men)

— Friday-Saturday: Third Round (Women and Men)

— July 9-10: Fourth Round (Women and Men)

— July 11-12: Quarterfinals (Women and Men)

— July 13: Women's Semifinals

— July 14: Men's Semifinals

— July 15: Women's Final

— July 16: Men's Final