(CNN) — Novak Djokovic had a brief stint as a winger during his first-round match at Wimbledon on Monday, using his towel to dry the center court grass.
Djokovic, who is trying to win a record 24 men’s Grand Slam tournaments, and his opponent, Pedro Cachín, were delayed for almost an hour and a half after the first set because the playing surface was wet and greasy.
Novak Djokovic touches the grass on center court during his first round win against Pedro Cachín at Wimbledon. (Neil Hall/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
When play resumed, Djokovic triumphed 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) against the Argentine to begin his quest for a fifth consecutive Wimbledon title.
“I usually go out on the court with rackets, not towels,” the world No. 2 joked during his on-court interview.
“It was fun to do something different, a little weird feeling, but I hope you enjoyed it,” she added.
The center court roof was closed at the end of the first set, but the playing surface remained slippery, prompting Djokovic to clean and wave the grass with a towel as staff used blowers to try and dry it.
When the rain stopped, the roof was opened once more and play could resume.
“It was very frustrating, obviously, for the crowd that was waiting for us to take the field,” Djokovic said.
Djokovic tried to help a quick resumption of the match. (Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters)
“We players wanted to play but the conditions weren’t the best. Obviously it was still slippery inside. Once the roof was opened it was a whole different story. After 5-10 minutes we were out playing.”
Unperturbed by the delay, Djokovic got through his first round tie against Cachín in a playing time of two hours and 12 minutes.
It means the Serbian star has already won 29 matches in a row at Wimbledon, an incredible streak dating back to when he retired in the quarterfinals six years ago.
His run for a third Grand Slam title this year will continue this Wednesday against Australian Jordan Thompson, who comes from straight sets to defeat American Brandon Nakashima 2-6 2-6 6-4 7-6 (7 -4) 6-3.
