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Novak Djokovic Plays Tennis in His House With Frying Pans

In Wednesday’s Hot Clicks: Novak Djokovic finds a way to pass the time, what the MLB stoppage means for Mike Trout and more.

Djokovic wins the Living Room Open

Athletes are fueled by a competitive drive no normal person could even imagine. They have a fundamental need to battle it out against another person to see who’s the best. So what happens when you have two pro tennis players locked in a house with at least two months before their next tournament? They have to get creative and find another way to compete. 

Novak Djokovic is riding out the crisis with his family, including his brother Marko, who also plays pro tennis. The brothers set up a little tennis court in between the living room and dining room, using chairs and couch cushions, and used frying pans for rackets.

It’s the kind of thing two bored teenagers might do on a rainy day, but the Djokovic brothers had a pro-quality 20-shot rally. 

What a good reminder of how amazing professional athletes are. If you tried that at home, you might be able to sustain a five-shot rally—maybe 10 shots. But Novak and Marko kept the ball alive for 20 shots, while casually mixing in behind-the-back and between-the-legs shots. I’d probably pay $10 for a live stream of their whole game. 

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Email dan.gartland@si.com with any feedback or follow me on Twitter for approximately one half-decent baseball joke per week. Bookmark this page to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. By popular request I’ve made a Spotify playlist of the music featured here. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.