For one collective moment, all play at the U.S. Open halted.
Employees working in the hawkeye base, the hub of the electronic line calling system, were forced to abandon their positions when a fire alarm went off on Monday.
It temporarily suspended play across the entire Billie Jean King National Tennis Center grounds.
“Following the determination that this was only an alarm, play was resumed,” the U.S. Tennis Association said in a statement, per Fox Sports.
While it was only about a six-minute delay across 15 matches, several players acknowledged that the situation was a first for them.
Daniil Medvedev and Caroline Wozniacki were among the notable players whose matches were briefly suspended.
“That’s crazy, I don’t know what happened,” Medvedev said. “It was a little bit strange, I made a good return and they’re like, ‘Stop! Stop!’ And we both didn’t understand what was happening and then they told us…I think the most important [thing] is that everyone is safe…Definitely first time, strange experience.”
