Roof rolled out at Centre Court

Report - Centre Court's new roof

Wimbledon's new Centre Court roof has been brought into action for the first time at the Grand Slam tournament.

Reported to have cost £80m, the roof was not used during the first week of Wimbledon due to the good weather.

But rain interrupted the second set of the women's fourth-round match between top seed Dinara Safina and former champion Amelie Mauresmo on Monday.

Play was suspended and covers brought on at 1635 BST and the roof was activated at 1641 BST.

Safina won the first point and also became the first winner under the roof as she completed a 4-6 6-3 6-4 victory.

Highlights - roof closes as Safina wins

"We've been waiting for it for so long - it's the first time ever at Wimbledon somebody's waiting for rain - but we'd still prefer the sunshine," the club's chief executive, Ian Ritchie, said while the roof was being closed.

"It's a historic moment in many ways, and I'm sure they all feel delighted to be here. We'll be grateful if the sun comes back."

Despite the drizzle having stopped, but with later showers forecast, the roof remained closed for British number one Andy Murray's fourth-round tie against Stanislas Wawrinka, which finished under lights at 2238 BST after a five-set thriller.

"It was great, always when you play indoors the atmosphere is great but when you have 15,000 supporting you it makes it extra special, so thanks a lot," said Murray.

Organisers did partially close the roof by six feet last week to provide shade from the sun for those sitting in the Royal Box.

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Give your view on Wimbledon's roof

It takes about eight minutes to close the roof while another 20 to 30 minutes are needed for the air management system to regulate humidity before play can resume.