Welcome back to the Monday Tennis Briefing, where The Athletic will explain the stories behind the stories from the past week on court.This week, the start and end of tournaments fell victim to rain, a cult figure stuck to his lore and a calendar quirk could have an effect on a big comeback.If you’d like to follow our fantastic tennis coverage, click here.How did rain wreak havoc across the tennis world?As the D.C. Open in Washington saw its finals postponed due to rain, the Canadian Open’s two-city setup couldn’t stop more delays. The ATP and WTA 1000 event rotates its men’s and women’s draws between Toronto and Montreal, and both venues saw cancellations Sunday. The men’s event in Montreal saw just two completed matches, and the women’s event in Toronto had little luck of its own.At 2:27 p.m. local, Venus Williams played the first point of the women’s event against Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova in Toronto, kicking off Day 1 of the tournament. But just seven matches were completed in the day session, including Williams losing 6-4, 6-1.Before the night session, the opening ceremony took place at 7 p.m., with an appearance from 2025 champion Victoria Mboko, who is unable to compete due to a left-knee injury. Hometown favorite Bianca Andreescu and Nikola Bartůňková of the Czech Republic walked on to the main court at Sobeys Stadium, only for raindrops to return. After sitting in their chairs, the players exited the court.What's the most unpredictable sport?Tifo SportsThe spitting rain turned to a light drizzle before intensifying, forcing fans to huddle inside the concourse. At 7:55 p.m., tournament organizers canceled the night session, postponing the matches to Monday. A few stragglers snapped photos inside the stadium before exiting.For night-session ticket holders, the cancellation meant they never got to see any tennis. For the tournament, it meant refunding a whole lot of tickets.Ilia, from Ukraine, and Lindo, from Portugal, who spoke on condition that their last names not be used, traveled from Barrie, Ontario, a city one hour north of Toronto, to be at the Canadian Open. For Ilia, it was his first time attending this tournament while it was Lindo’s second appearance.As they watched the rain continue to fall from the concourse, the inevitable reality was starting to creep in.“It’s disappointing,” Lindo said.Although night-session ticket holders will receive a full refund because no matches were completed, many still missed the opportunity to experience professional tennis in person — an outing they had planned months in advance.