WATCH: Novak Djokovic leaves court for quick bathroom break shortly after the start of his match
Novak Djokovic left the court for a bathroom break after just five games in the opening set of his Australian Open first-round match against Roberto Carballes Baena.
After holding serve for a 3-2 lead at the end of a tough game in which he saved break points, Djokovic informed chair umpire Aurelie Tourte that he wished to go for a bathroom break. Tourte seemed to point out that a bathroom break was not within the rules but a regular break was possible within the changeover time, so the Serb rushed towards the restroom.
The chair umpire then conveyed a message to the nine-time champion that she would not wait for him before calling 'time', signaling the start of play.
"I will call time in 15 seconds," Tourte conveyed through her walkie-talkie.
As a few more seconds passed by, Tourte sent across another message.
"I am calling time now. You have 30 seconds to be back in play," the umpire declared.
Novak Djokovic asks to the leave the court, the umpire says, Novak leaves anyway! 🤨
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Tourte was then heard calling out to someone that she would not hesitate in penalizing the Serbian star if he did not return within the allotted time. Djokovic eventually came back onto the court just in the nick of time, and avoided a penalty.
Novak Djokovic begins Australian Open 2023 campaign with dominant win over Roberto Carballes Baena
Soon after the bathroom break, Novak Djokovic broke opponent Roberto Carballes Baena's serve right away, before easily closing out the set 6-3. The Spaniard put up a brave fight in the second set and went neck-to-neck with the nine-time Australian Open champion for the first six games before the Serb got another break at 4-3, then going on to take a 6-3, 6-4 lead.
He then 'bageled' Carballes Baena in the third set, winning 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 in just 2 hours and 2 minutes.
Earlier, the 35-year-old received a rousing reception when he entered the famous Rod Laver Arena for his first competitive match at the Australian Open since winning the 2021 final. He will face the winner of the match between Hugo Dellien and Enzo Couacaud in the second round on Thursday.
Edit: This article stated earlier, based on a report by Eurosport, that Djokovic had left the court without the umpire's permission. However, the Serb later clarified that that was not the case, and we have updated the content of this article accordingly.