Lawrence Barretto
BBC Sport at Wimbledon

Image source, Getty Images

"The rain has slowed to a spit, offering respite to those camped out on the hill watching the big screen. As you can see from the picture, most have gone for the bin bag in white, in line with Wimbledon's player dress code, to keep them dry."

Meanwhile, Wimbledon have started cancelling some doubles and junior matches on outside courts as the rain continues to fall. Doubles and junior matches have fallen victim so far...

Mikhail Kukushkin brings up 15-30 with a swatted backhand across court. He has Rafa on the run in the next, but his set-up shot lacks depth and direction and Nadal whips down the line to level.

Kukushkin back on the front foot in the next rally, but cuffs long. There is no deterring this man though. Another sledgehammer groundstroke takes the game to deuce.

Nadal makes his escape with a big serve securing the final point, but the match is ebbing and flowing on Kukushkin's mix of winners and errors. Nadal is just trying to soak it all up.

Peter Fleming
Seven-time Grand Slam doubles champion on BBC TV

Image source, Getty Images

"Nadal has such an unquenchable thirst for competition. Every match he plays in he brings it. That very possible could be the turning point in this match."

Marion Bartoli
2013 Wimbledon champion on BBC Radio 5 live

"Nadal was really pushing there and trying to take control. You could see from the reaction there how much Nadal wants to win this match."

Prior to this tournament, Mikhail Kukushkin had only recorded one grass-court match in ten Tour-level events - losing in the first round at Queen's and Eastbourne again this year.

As form goes it doesn't get much more wretched. And maybe those chickens are coming home to roost.

The Kazakh saves a first break point from deuce with a serve slugged out wide, but Rafael Nadal is starting to get a read on his tee-off.

The world number one climbs into a backhand winner and then gobbles up a gimme of a second serve to covert his second.

Shohidur Rahman:, external Another player producing inspired tennis against Nadal. Not sure if he can keep it up but brilliant from Kukushkin.

Bekkah Holder:, external I'm starting to think that Nadal likes to be 1 set down at this year's @wimbledon

Ian Rhodes:, external Here we go again. I wonder if Kukushkin can carry on throwing the kitchen sink at Nadal for another two sets.

Image source, Reuters

Enjoy that hair while its there Rafa. It looks like the start of the end of a beautiful thing up there.

The Spaniard holds serve to love. That was more like it.

Ellie in London: Nadal is not moving that well. It's the rain, the change in atmospheric pressure affecting his damaged joints. I have similar issues and I feel today like my joints are full of sludge.

Saira: The umpires should really do something about Nadal's time wasting. He does it every single point even when only one shot has been played! He's a fantastic player but I really don't understand how he gets away with this each time. He needs to be penalized. What is the point in having the rule if nobody calls him on it? Nadal shouldn't get special treatment because he is a top player. The rules are there to make it fair for everyone.

Mikhail Kukushkin pulls Rafa hither and thither like a master puppeteer. He has his man just where he wants him at 30-15 up, loads up on the forehand, but pumps long down the line.

Deuce. But Kukushkin is still the class bully from the baseline, giving Nadal a taste of the medicine he has dished out so often. He takes the game as Nadal is stretched beyond his elastic limits out on the forehand.

Kukushkin is playing brilliantly, but Nadal at his best wouldn't have given him the chance to get set behind the ball.

Shrewd from Rafael Nadal. 15-30 down at the start of the second set he shoulders arms to Mikhail Kukushkin's return. The ball plops just a few millimetres long as he lets it fly by.

Kukushkin gives the umpire a quizzical look. But it isn't worth a Hawk-Eye review so early in the set.

The Kazakh keeps his powder dry and Nadal is on the board.

Image source, AFP

Still raining and then some outside the cosy confines of Centre Court by the way.

Peter Fleming
Seven-time Grand Slam doubles champion on BBC TV

"Kukushkin is playing lights out tennis. This will have been the best set he has played this year. I'm not sure everyone here is totally thrilled with the outcome of that first set but the Kukushkin box is and it makes for more of a thrilling match than some of us were expecting.

"Nadal was dominant on serve. Kukushkin didn't get a look until the tie-break and then he lit it up. I guarantee one thing: Rafa has not gone into panic mood. He has come up against plenty of guys before that have come all guns blazing, but he has just waited them out and that's exactly what he will do. Mentally he is tough as nails."

"To lose one first set Mr Nadal may be regarded as a misfortune, to lose three in a row looks like carelessness."

Has Rafael Nadal been unlucky to run into purple patches from Martin Klizan, Lukas Rosol and now Mikhail Kukushkin, or is he not exerting the pressure of old?

He beat both Klizan and Rosol in four after shipping the opener. Same again this time around?

The dreaded rainy weather vox-pop has been raised as a possible way for Lawrence to spend the next bit of his working day. No way to treat an opening textsman. Mike Henson here now, keeping his head down and covering the rest of Rafa's travails.

John McEnerney:, external Love to see Rafa taken to four or five sets just to see his overall grass-court game. He looked sharp though in round two, but needs a test.

Pat Cash
1987 Wimbledon champion on BBC Radio 5 live

"Nadal looks like he is going to go off and change but he doesn't look happy right now. His shots have typically been short in the opening rounds and it has got him into trouble in the past and it has done so far today. Kukushkin has been the better player so far and he deserves to be in the lead."

Image source, PA

Well, well, well. Kukushkin rustles up three set points as just reward for some fabulous tennis in this breaker. Nadal saves the first as it's a swing and a miss but he then hits long with only his fifth unforced error of the match to gift Kukushkin the set.

Nadal will have to come back from a set down for the third successive match if he is to win. The Spaniard leaves the court for a comfort break while Kukushkin sits in his chair looking pretty chilled.

Meanwhile, organisers say there will be no play before 15:00 BST on the outside courts.

The first three points in the tie-break all go against the serve, to leave Kukushkin with a 2-1 lead. The 28-year-old Kazakh then wraps his racquet around a forehand on the run for a clean winner to move two points clear. Another stunning forehand follows and Kukushkin leads 4-2 at the changeover.

Stewart Mills:, external Watching Nadal with his time wasting/gamesmanship is one of the most boring sights in sport

Brandon Lee:, external Kukushkin, where did he appear from? I think Rafa is sweating #Wimbledon

Travis:, external Nadal's backhand slice needs to have more depth and be lower over the net. He gets it back but Andy and Roger have better.