I was at Australian Open when all matches were halted – it was chaos | Tennis | Sport

Court 7 was absolutely rocking. The majority of fans inside the small, outdoor court were in Cameron Norrie’s corner. They were living and dying by every point with him, spurring him on, banging against the bannisters and willing him on to victory. And then the rain came.

The British No. 2 has been embroiled in a dogfight with American ace Emilio Nava and is just a few points away from victory. Norrie led by two sets to one and was 4-3 up with a minibreak in the fourth set tiebreak when the heavens opened over Melbourne Park.

Initially, fans hung around to see whether play would continue, but the rain very quickly picked up, and the spectators who had been standing at the corners of the court made a mad dash for any available shelter. Some headed to other outdoor courts, which had no play on them, and some found umbrellas – usually used to shade yourself from the sun – stuck in the floor and opened them up to use as cover.

All matches on outside courts were suspended. The three main showcourts have roofs, but play was also halted while the roofs closed and the surface was dried. The Aussie Open grounds are huge, with endless places to sit, enjoy a drink, and watch the action on the big screen if you don’t have a ticket to one of the three main showcourts.

But it was after 9pm local time, and grounds pass holders knew they wouldn’t have much action left to watch if they stuck around, so hordes of fans made a beeline for the exit gates. The outdoor seating areas cleared out, and within half an hour, it mostly felt like a ghost town.

Those lucky enough to have seats on Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena, or John Cain Arena got to stay put and enjoy some music over the speakers while the roofs shut. But Norrie’s adoring army of fans on Court 7 had to flee.

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When play resumed around an hour later, a fraction of the number of spectators returned. But those who came back were louder than the full crowd before them. “Ole Norrie,” chants broke out while Norrie and Nava were warming up again.

The floors were still wet, and it was cold in the small stands on either side of the court, and in the viewing platform above, which is handily connected to the bar over by Court 6. But there was a sense of Cam-raderie between the Norrie fans who played the waiting game and returned for the resumption of the tiebreak.

Nava’s supporters also stuck around to see whether the world No. 89 could force a fifth set. He had to work quickly, as some light drops of rain started to fall again. In the end, Norrie won three of the next five points to seal a 6-1 7-6(3) 4-6 7-6(5) victory. The grounds pass holders might have been cold and damp, but you wouldn’t have known it.

Cheers and chants erupted as the British No. 2 lapped it up, fistpumping and waving his arms to jeer them on. His post-match interview with TNT Sports could barely go ahead as spectators broke out into more chants every time he spoke, and the No. 26 seed went to the sidelines to shake hands with as many fans as possible. As he walked off the court, they broke out into song: “Walking in a Norrie wonderland.” An after-dark rain delay at the Aussie Open might be chaotic, but there’s something special about the aftermath.