Then the birds came in.
Djokovic smiled at the unusual holdup but he lost six of the next seven games in dropping his first set of the tournament, before winning through in four sets.
The birds swooped again a day later. Second-ranked Rafael Nadal was leading 5-4 in the first-set tiebreak Tuesday against Tomas Berdych when the birds appeared. Nadal paused briefly and looked up at them—and didn’t win another point in the set.
Wimbledon’s pigeon problem became so serious that the tournament employed a hawk to scare off the pests. Named Rufus, the bird of prey even has its own accreditation pass.
Handlers are often seen walking the grounds of Melbourne Park with birds of prey on their arms—but they are only really for show and don’t seem to be acting as much of a deterrent.
Australian Open organizers say the swarms of seagulls are a “highly unusual occurrence and we are looking at ways of preventing it in the future.”
The birds are taking a risk by flying by a tennis court. Ten years ago, a small bird chased a moth across Rod Laver Arena and was struck down and killed by a forehand hit by French player Michael Llodra during a men’s doubles semifinal.
Last year, Andy Murray’s doubles-playing brother Jamie confessed on Twitter that he had accidentally killed a bird with his serve during practice in Melbourne.
“yes I was shocked … yes I hope it never happens again … but I hope my serve keeps being so accurate,” he tweeted.