After completely washing out Day 9, on and off rain delayed play at the U.S. Open on Wednesday. (John G. Mabanglo/EPA)

Not long after starting play on an already rain-delayed Day 10, officials were forced to stop the action as rain has resumed in Flushing, N.Y.

Today’s schedule is jam-packed with great matchups that spilled over from Tuesday’s washed out day and night sessions, but the early matches didn’t get far before the players packed their bags up and headed back to the locker room to wait out the rain.

On Ashe, Gilles Muller stole an early break from Rafael Nadal to lead 3-0 in the first set before the rain kicked in. On Armstrong, Andy Roddick led a distracted David Ferrer 3-1, and Donald Young and Andy Murray were on serve in the first set, with Young up 2-1.

John Isner and Gilles Simon were originally scheduled as the second match on the Grandstand, but were moved to Court 17 in an unsuccessful attempt to start the match before the rain kicked in.

What started as just a light drizzle has turned into pretty heavy downpour, but we’re monitoring the weather and will keep you informed on the latest updates.

Shortly after Belgian newspaper De Standaard reported Kim Clijsters’ withdrawal from the U.S. Open on Friday, the USTA confirmed the news and released a statement.

“Unfortunately, I will not be able to defend my U.S. Open title this year because of a stomach muscle injury (left rectus abdominus strain),” Clijsters said in a statement. ” Two weeks of rehab was not enough to heal this injury.  Obviously I’m very disappointed.  I trained very hard this summer and felt in a good shape to play the U.S. Open.

“Now there is nothing else I can do than to rest and have treatment every day.  If a gradual approach is not taken, I will relapse in the same injury, and therefore I have also no other possibility than to withdrawal from the tournaments in Tokyo and Beijing.”

The withdrawal of the three-time U.S. Open champion is a blow to a women’s draw already wanting for star wattage.

Clijsters won the Australian Open in January, but lost in the second round at the French Open before withdrawing from Wimbledon with a foot injury.

“It is unfortunate that Kim has not recovered from her injury in time to defend her U.S. Open title,” tournament director Jim Curley said. “We wish her a full and speedy recovery and look forward to her return to New York next year.”

Here’s a shot you don’t see every day. In Cincinnati on Wednesday, David Ferrer was leading Grigor Dimitrov 30-15 and appeared to have the next point won when a deep body serve caught Dimitrov off guard. But after shanking his return wide toward the alley, an unfortunately placed singles net post provided Dimitrov with some unlikely help for a clean, yet bizarre, net-cord winner.

That is one magic tennis ball.

Venus (left) and Serena Williams are America's favorite athletes for the third straight year. (US Presswire)

America has spoken. The Williams sisters are still the nation’s favorite female sports stars, according to a recent poll from Harris Interactive.

For the third straight year, Serena tops the list of America’s Favorite Female Sports Stars, a poll of 2,163 adults aged 18 and over conducted in late June, while older sister Venus maintains her spot at No. 2.

Serena and Venus have both battled injuries that have kept them on the sideline for much of the past year, causing them to plummet in the rankings to 172 and 35, respectively. Serena has not relinquished the top spot since 2009, despite an ugly incident at the U.S. Open that year that saw her yell at and threaten a line judge for a costly foot-fault call.

Race car driver Danica Patrick is still the third favorite, while Maria Sharapova jumps up a place to No. 4. Other tennis players to crack the list’s top 10 are former player Anna Kournikova at No. 6, and Martina Navratilova at No. 7.

Who’s your favorite female athlete? Sound off in the comments and let us know.

photo via Alla Kudryavtseva Twitter

Elena Dementieva married hockey player Maxim Afinogenov on Saturday at a lovely hotel in Moscow.

Luckily for us, Russian tennis player Alla Kudryavtseva was covering the event from her Twitter account, and it seems the reception was quite the spectacle.

A handful of other Russian tennis players were in attendance, including Svetlana Kuznetsova and former No. 1 Dinara Safina among others. Caroline Wozniacki and Roger Federer were there via video, and even NHL superstar Alex Ovechkin had a few words for the happy couple.

Afinogenov, 31, has enjoyed a long hockey career, playing nine seasons with the Sabres and a one-year stint with the Thrashers.

We wish all the best to the newlyweds, and if you’re looking for more photos, Women’s Tennis Blog has 30 for your viewing pleasure.

Everyone can appreciate the beauty of Roger Federer’s groundstrokes, but how about artist Jean-Pierre Blanchard’s brushstrokes?

In a charity auction at the presentation of the SVC Entrepreneur Award in Zurich, Blanchard needed just four minutes to create this speedy masterpiece, which sold for 16,100 Swiss francs — about $20,000 USD.

Hat tip: Greg Couch Tennis

Novak Djokovic returned to Belgrade on Monday to a hero’s welcome, feted on the steps of the House of the National Assembly in the Serbian captial. The turnout, the hysteria and the pyrotechnics give you some sense of what Djokovic’s first Wimbledon means to this country of 7.3 million people.

Novak Djokovic’s victory over Rafael Nadal for the Wimbledon title was front-page news back in Serbia, where tennis’ newest No. 1-ranked player is a national hero.

Petra Kvitova only hit one ace in Saturday’s 6-3, 6-4 victory over Maria Sharapova for the Wimbledon women’s title. What better time for it than match point? Here’s video of the entire last game, including Kvitova’s 106-m.p.h. first-serve title-clincher.

In his first match since guaranteeing himself the No. 1 ranking, Novak Djokovic (above) will try for his first career Wimbledon title against Rafael Nadal. (AP)

We asked SI.com’s experts to predict Sunday’s Wimbledon men’s final between No. 1 Rafael Nadal and No. 2 Novak Djokovic (9 a.m. ET, NBC). Here’s what they said:

Jon Wertheim

We get No. 1 versus No. 2 — and the guy ranked No. 2 is the defending champ, and winner of four of the last five majors, and 20 straight matches at the All England Club. I think the key is Nadal’s mastery of grass, which was in full effect Friday against Andy Murray. He knows the surface better than Djokovic does, he volleys better, and defends comparably. Thinking Nadal in a classic. Nadal in five.

S.L. Price

Oddly, Djokovic drops into this Wimbledon final — the moment he dreamed of as a kid, the place where he first saw his idol Pete Sampras win — with the pressure eased just a bit. Becoming No. 1 had been the consuming dream of his life, and now that Djokovic is guaranteed that that will indeed happen this Monday, I suspect he’ll find himself able to play without the weight — the big winning streak, all those names and numbers he passed — created by his incredible play over the last six months. Nadal, of course, remains a force of nature, and if Roger Federer can beat Djokovic in Paris, surely Rafa can do the same in London. But the few infinitesimal signs of slippage that we’ve seen over the last few months — including Nadal’s four losses to Novak — leave just enough room for doubt. Djokovic in five. 

Chris Hunt

Djokovic was my pre-tournament pick, and I’ll stand by my man. He’s beaten Nadal four times this year and seems to be in the Spaniard’s head a bit. However, this is grass, it’s Wimbledon, and as he often does, Nadal is peaking just in time for the final. His level of play in the last three sets against Murray was ridiculous. It will take all of Nole’s stamina and self-belief to beat back Nadal’s inevitable surges in the final, he’ll have to keep his composure if Nadal resorts to his patented gamesmanship, milking the clock and the injury time-outs. Nole finally achieved his lifelong ambition of becoming No. 1. On Sunday he can remove all doubt. Djokovic in five.

Bruce Jenkins

As Novak Djokovic laid waste to the tennis countryside through the first few months of the year, it reached the point where he dominated the great Rafael Nadal. Inconceivable, isn’t it? That anyone could beat Nadal four times in a row, even on a clay-court surface? I think Nadal has heard just about enough of Djokovic’s winning streak, and how “everything has changed,” as some claim, in their rivalry. Nadal positively owns Wimbledon, even as he gets pain-killing injections in his left foot before each match. He owns it like Bjorn Borg and Roger Federer once did. One hates to see the spoiling of Djokovic’s lifetime dream, but I’ll take Nadal here. Nadal in four.

Richard Deitsch

I picked Nadal at the start of the tournament and he hasn’t done anything to change my faith. As Jon Wertheim wrote, Nadal issued a “clinic in the art of competition” against Murray in the semis. He broke his opponent’s spirit and neutralized the pro-Murray crowd. So why I am picking Djokovic? I think this Wimbledon is his time, and my instincts tell me I’d be a fool for picking against someone who has lost just once since November. He’s also won five of his last seven matches against Nadal, including the last four meetings. Nadal and Djokovic have met twice on grass (both won by Nadal) but Djokovic was competitive at Queens in 2008 before losing, 7-6, 7-5. I bring that match up, a lifetime ago, because it tells me The Djoker was not intimidated by Nadal even then. And we all know what Nole is now. Here’s hoping for the match of the year. Djokovic in five.

Bryan Armen Graham

Unstoppable force vs. immovable object is one of humanity’s oldest philosophical pick ‘ems. Nadal enters Sunday’s final with 20 straight wins at Wimbledon, having not lost here since Obama was a junior senator. Djokovic is 49-1 overall since Thanksgiving, with no less than four wins over Rafa during that span. But something’s got to give and my gut says it’s Nole, whose first Wimbledon final will be Nadal’s fifth. That experience, plus Nadal’s edge in grass-court aptitude, will be the difference in a knock-down, drag-out epic. Nadal in five.

Andrew Lawrence

This was the Australian Open final that should have been, could have been had Nadal not come up lame against countryman David Ferrer two rounds earlier. And then just as now, I don’t see how he stops Djokovic. He was dominating Nadal during a 43-match unbeaten streak beforehand, and now Djokovic has the No. 1 ranking to further stoke him. Don’t get me wrong: this will be a tussle, but I think when the dust (such is the state of the well-worn turf at this stage of the fortnight) settles, the guard in men’s tennis will have formally changed. Djokovic in five.

Elizabeth Newman

It pains me to go against Rafa. Feels like the ultimate betrayal. But the Djoker has been in Nadal’s head all year, even annihilating him on the Spaniard’s precious clay this season. That and the fact that Djokovic is riding high off of his forthcoming No. 1 ranking and you have to give the edge to Nole grind this one out. However, because Nadal will be playing with somewhat of a bruised ego, expect the Spaniard to bring the pain and make Nole grunt and skin his knees a few times. They’ll be very few smiles for the Djoker in this death match but his knowledge of Nadal’s game should prove victorious in the end. Djokovic in five.

How do you see Sunday’s final? Share your prediction in the comments below.