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Reem’s French Open diary: Novak Djokovic keeps cool as mayhem rains around him

Reem Abulleil

10:05 01/06/2016

It was a case of will they or won’t they Tuesday as Novak Djokovic and Roberto Bautista Agut stood in the tunnel getting ready to walk on Court Philippe Chatrier before getting held back by officials who were unsure if the rain would stop.

Both Djokovic and Bautista tried to stay calm, stretching and warming up, while outside, the umpire and supervisor were inspecting the court and discussing whether play should resume following a lengthy rain delay.

Andy Murray was seen in the stands, checking the weather himself to see if there was any chance he would be playing his match later in the day.

Djokovic looked stressed at one point but then walked on court to check out how heavy the rain actually was.

He decided to take an umbrella from one of the spectators and started goofing around on the court – doing a funny little skip – probably to lighten his own mood before officials eventually decided play should resume.

That break in tension worked for him as he levelled his match with Bautista and walked off court leading the Spaniard before play was stopped once again.

During the second rain delay, Djokovic looked relaxed in the players’ restaurant, walking around with his arm around his wife Jelena and greeting people left and right.

It is the Serb’s ability to handle such stressful situations that could end up winning him the French Open.

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