Wimbeldon, England ? Now Roger Federer has a taste of what Rafael Nadal and plenty of others have been going through at this wettest of Wimbledons.

Off for nearly a week, four-time reigning champion Federer finally returned to the court Thursday for his quarterfinal against 2003 French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero. After 37 minutes and less than a set, drizzles forced them to stop – and more than three hours later, everyone was sent home for the day.

“Unfortunately,” came the evening announcement over loudspeakers around the All England Club, “the rain in the air and the fading light mean that it’s now unrealistic for us to resume.”

What’s still not entirely clear is how realistic it is that Wimbledon will finish by Sunday, although organizers are optimistic about the singles tournaments. That’s because all remaining men’s fourth-round matches were completed Thursday – with No. 2 Nadal, No. 4 Novak Djokovic, No. 7 Tomas Berdych and No. 10 Marcos Baghdatis winning – as were the two remaining women’s quarterfinals – with three-time champion Venus Williams and No. 6 Ana Ivanovic advancing.

Three-time French Open champion Nadal dug himself a two-set deficit against No. 14 Mikhail Youzhny before coming all the way back for a 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 victory.

The women’s semifinals – Williams vs. Ivanovic, and No. 1 Justine Henin vs. No. 18 Marion Bartoli – are slated for today. The men’s quarterfinals also are on today’s program.