The rain in Paris has come at the end of the tournament and that means we are into a rare situation where the men's and women's Semi Final matches have to be played on the same day.
With the conditions expected to be wet and windy on Friday, the decision has been made to begin the two women's Semi Finals at the same time very early in the day. There should be a window in which to get those matches through barring them going deep into a third set and that should then allow the men to get onto court and ensure the tournament is on track.
The players drawing the short straw look to be Dominic Thiem and Novak Djokovic who are being asked to play after Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal conclude their Semi Final. With the rain delays expected it could be a long wait, but the organisers may feel they owe the Philippe-Chatrier spectators the chance to see both men's Semi Finals and so will be looking to give as much time as possible to get both played on the centre court.
They will be hoping the rain stays away for long enough to do that, but at some point a decision may be made to move the Djokovic-Thiem match to another court and ensure all of the Finalists have been given the same chance to prepare for the Finals that are due to be played this weekend.
The women's event looked wide open before the tournament began and I would suggest someone owns the Sports Almanac from Back to the Future if they had picked the four Semi Finalists. All four players involved are playing for a maiden Grand Slam title and we have two youngsters with a bright future and two players who will perhaps feel this tournament could spark their careers and potentially lead to more Slams.
I could honestly make a case for Amanda Anisimova, Johanna Konta, Ashleigh Barty and Marketa Vondrousova right now and I would sound pretty convincing, and I think we are going to see three intriguing matches to decide the French Open title.
Picking the final four in the men's tournament might have been somewhat easier with the top four Seeds all making it through to the Semi Final. Rafael Nadal remains the clear favourite, but the conditions in Paris this weekend might not be ideal and the other three players in the draw will feel they have a real chance.
The biggest story would be if Novak Djokovic can win the French Open and hold all for Majors at the same time which would be a remarkable achievement considering where he was mentally twelve months ago. First he has to deal with a tough looking Semi Final against an improving Dominic Thiem, while Roger Federer could hold multiple titles at all four Grand Slams if he was the won taking the title home on Sunday.
Day 12 was not as strong as I would have liked with the Anisimova upset of Simona Halep and Madison Keys' inability to really threaten Ashleigh Barty going against me.
At least Novak Djokovic was able to secure as easy a win as I imagined he would, but Dominic Thiem continued to impress and dominated Karen Khachanov for the loss of just eight games.
I am still up for the tournament which is the only ambition when these Grand Slams begin, but I would love a strong end to the French Open over the last three days to secure a strong return for the event ahead of the move onto the grass courts.
Watch out for what look like unbelievably tough conditions for the players tomorrow with a damp day coupled with huge gusts that could make it a tougher day for everyone involved than the usual nerves that come with a Grand Slam Semi Final.
Below you can read a few of my thoughts for the Semi Final matches and the Picks for the day.
Johanna Konta - 1.5 games v Marketa Vondrousova: I love the way Marketa Vondrousova has played in the French Open and the youngster has a big future in the game.
She might have been pretty happy to have a surprising extra day off from the courts having looked emotionally spent in her win over Petra Martic in the Quarter Final. Now Vondrousova has to take on Johanna Konta playing arguably her best tennis of her career and someone who has a serve that can prove to be the difference maker between these players as it was when they played in Rome last month.
I do worry about the conditions affecting the way Konta can perform, but I do think the gusts are more likely to bother the Vondrousova just as much. You can't always tell how a player is going to respond to the heavy winds that are expected in Paris, but I do think the numbers are pointing to Vondrousova's serve being a little more vulnerable and a strong returning day from Konta should give her every chance to reach her maiden Grand Slam Final.
Nerves could be a factor with a big opportunity in front of whoever makes it through this match, but I think the Brit deserves the edge. Marketa Vondrousova does have a couple of big time top 50 wins in the tournament, but two of those three wins could have easily gone the other way and I like Johanna Konta to win and cover this number.
Ashleigh Barty - 2.5 games v Amanda Anisimova: This is a really interesting Semi Final as youngster Amanda Anisimova has surprisingly come through the draw for a spot in the final four. The 17 year old American has not really had a really convincing clay court season, but she is a former Junior Runner Up at the French Open so the whole experience here should be something very familiar to Anisimova.
Of course it is a different kind of mental pressure playing in a Grand Slam Semi Final compared to the Juniors, but Anisimova held herself together so well to beat Simona Halep in the Quarter Final.
The performances have been strong throughout the tournament, but Ashleigh Barty has been playing fantastic tennis too. In general Barty has been at a slightly higher level than Anisimova and her play on the clay courts ahead of the French Open was also superior to her younger opponent.
At this stage you can't factor in the nerves and neither having made a Grand Slam Final at this level is going to play a part. The Barty serve has perhaps been the more consistent shot of the two players, but Anisimova is a very strong returner and I do think the windy conditions could be difficult for the Australian to deal with.
However off the ground the Barty slice might really catch in the wind and cause problems for the Anisimova timing and I do think the older of the two players is going to have enough to edge past Anisimova. I don't think it will be easy, but Barty should be able to put enough pressure with her serve where Halep couldn't and that can make the difference for her on the day.
Rafael Nadal win 3-1 v Roger Federer: It is strange to see Roger Federer as such a big underdog in any match he plays, but the long time dominance Rafael Nadal has had over him on the clay courts can't be ignored.
The Spaniard has won all five matches against Federer at Roland Garros and has put him under constant pressure on the serve during that time.
In reality it is very difficult to see an upset, but Federer has got his wish in the damp day that is expected in Paris which could see a number of rain delays. Add in the heavy winds expected and Federer might be able to see the match 'dirty' up enough to give him a chance.
This would be a huge upset if Federer is able to beat Nadal though and the latter has been producing the stronger tennis in Paris even if he has not been at his dominating best. I expect the Nadal serve to have an edge over Federer who will have to play some very aggressive tennis to have a chance and that means taking more risks than he would perhaps like.
It might be good enough for Federer to take a set as he has in four of the five previous meetings between these players at the French Open. A small interest in that being the final set score is the selection here.
Novak Djokovic - 1.5 sets v Dominic Thiem: Both of these players won their Quarter Final matches with the minimum of fuss on Thursday and that should mean both are very much ready to go when they take to the court for the Semi Final.
Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem are both very comfortable on the clay courts and hold one win apiece against the other at the French Open. The performances this season have been very similar, but Djokovic has been maintaining a higher level through this tournament which may give him a slight edge in the match.
I have to respect the Austrian because he has improved in each passing Round and may be peaking in time for the French Open Final on Sunday. He is going to have to take another step up from where he has been in the tournament so far to beat Djokovic, but Dominic Thiem has a very strong serve and can put the World Number 1 under pressure.
I do think the wind could be a negative against Thiem if the conditions are tougher than they were on Thursday. His big swings means his timing could be affected if the gusts of wind shift the ball while he is lining up his shot, but Novak Djokovic has always had a tough time in the wind too.
Playing with contact lens on the red dirt in windy conditions is 'challenging' as Novak Djokovic has mentioned before. That is something of a concern for me if I am being honest, but I do think Djokovic has been performing at a high standard throughout the French Open and he might be able to come through this one in four tight, competitive sets.
Both their previous matches have ended in straight sets at Roland Garros which is why I am backing Novak Djokovic to cover the set handicap in this one as he has shown to have the slightly better serving and returning numbers against Thiem on this surface. With both playing at such a level with little between them, this should be a great match for the fans to enjoy and I will look for the World Number 1 to move one win away from holding all four Slams at the same time.
MY PICKS: Johanna Konta - 1.5 Games @ 1.85 William Hill (2 Units)
Ashleigh Barty - 2.5 Games @ 1.72 Ladbrokes (2 Units)
Rafael Nadal Win 3-1 @ 3.75 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Novak Djokovic - 1.5 Sets @ 2.00 Paddy Power (2 Units)
French Open Update: 57-47, + 10.05 Units (208 Units Staked, + 4.83% Yield)
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