Novak Djokovic Takes Off His Shirt & Celebrates During Bizarre US Open Timeout

Millman leaves court for a too sweaty break

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Novak Djokovic was at his flamboyant best during Wednesday night’s US Open quarterfinal match, taking his shirt off and parading around during a bizarre timeout in the second set.

Djokovic, bidding to win his first Open title since 2015, took a minute to cool off shirtless during the timeout, which took place because his opponent, Australian John Millman, needed to change his clothes after they’d become soaked in sweat. He said that he “couldn’t serve”.

The odd timeout took place on a steaming, ultra-humid night in New York, where Millman is trying to take down an all-time great for the second time in three days. The Aussie, unseeded in the tournament and ranked 55th in the world, took down second-seeded Roger Federer in four sets on Monday.

Twitter immediately went into a frenzy during the timeout, with some people writing, “The weirdest #USOpen yet?”

Others questioned if Millman’s sweat-soaked departure was a violation of the rules. “So what are the rules? Is Millman being watched?”

As the commentators noted, this was an unusual break– one that they’d never witnessed before. They even called the match a “sweat-a-thon”. Typically, players are only allowed to leave between sets to change what they’re wearing.

At the end of the second set, Millman took another leave from the court to change his attire once again. The commentators mused, “Maybe he thought he was so wet he was going to twist an ankle?”

Millman was the underdog heading into his match with Roger Federer on Tuesday. Even his family admitted they didn’t quite expect a win. Shona, Millman’s mother, said her son’s head was “a bit of a cabbage” in the days leading up to the US open.

His father, Ron, told Express, “I don’t know if you can get two miracles. But he will do us proud, I can tell you that. He is just a good human being.”

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