Leaf blowers used to dry Centre Court surface during Novak Djokovic match

Rain forced the Centre Court roof to be closed but play did not resume before the weather improved.

Ground staff use leaf blowers to attempt to dry the grass on Centre Court (Zac Goodwin/PA) (PA Wire)

Wimbledon fans witnessed farcical scenes on Centre Court as Novak Djokovic and opponent Pedro Cachin waited for the grass to dry in order to resume their match.

Light drizzle saw the court covered and then the roof deployed after Djokovic wrapped up the opening set 6-3 but, unlike on Court One, play did not then resume as scheduled.

Djokovic and Cachin came out to inspect the grass but the defending champion was clearly unhappy with the slipperiness of the surface and they headed back to the locker room.

Djokovic then re-emerged with a towel, which he proceeded to rub on the court to laughter from the crowd, before members of the ground staff used leaf blowers to try to dry the surface.

Play had not resumed by the time the rain stopped and the decision was taken to reopen the Centre Court roof before playing the second set.

The match eventually resumed after a delay of almost 90 minutes.