London, Jun 13: Andy Murray and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will return to Queen's Club on Monday after the final was washed out for only the third time in the tournament's history on Sunday.
The Aegon Championships final will now take place on Monday, with tickets available for £10 on the gate or via the tournament's website.
There was no play whatsoever on Sunday, despite the scheduled start time being brought forward to 5.30 pm Indian Standard Time, as persistent rain prevented a ball being struck.
The rain abated in the Baron's Court area at 9 pm IST, prompting the removal of the covers and renewed hope that the match might take place Sunday afternoon.
However, when another band of rain returned after 11.30 pm IST the covers were rolled back on to court and the chance of the match taking place on Sunday reduced even further.
The pre-Wimbledon event will now carry over into a second Monday for the first time since Boris Becker beat Jimmy Connors in 1987.
Tournament director Chris Kermode said: "It has been a very frustrating day for everyone, particularly our ticket-holders, but we will give everyone with a ticket today a full refund and an opportunity to buy tickets for the final weekend next year.
"We still have a fantastic final day to look forward to on Monday, and the weather forecast looks promising."Murray is looking to regain the title he won two years ago and complete the perfect Wimbledon preparation when the final does get under way.
Tsonga, ranked 19th in the world, ended hopes of an unexpected all-British final with victory over James Ward on Saturday - but is likely to find Murray a far stiffer test.
The world number four was in scintillating form as he destroyed four-time champion Andy Roddick in the first of the semi-finals, and the Scot has won four of his five matches against Tsonga, among them a quarter-final victory at Wimbledon last year.
"I enjoy playing against him," said Murray. "He's a great athlete. He's similar in a few ways to Andy [Roddick]."He's very flashy, a great shot-maker, can be a little bit erratic at times, but he's one of the best grass-court players in the world, for sure."For his part, Tsonga is not worried about facing a Briton - and the home crowd - for the second day running.
