Midway through the second set of his first Grand Slam quarterfinal, John Millman realized he was drowning in a sea of himself — or at least raining on his own parade.

At 2-2 in the second set at the United States Open on Wednesday night, Millman came to the net and asked his opponent, Novak Djokovic, if he could stop the match to leave the court and change his clothes.

Not only was he soaked from head to toe, Millman was dripping so much sweat onto the court that he was making it dangerously slippery. His shorts had become so clingy that it was tough for him to pull the tennis balls out of his pockets.

Djokovic was only too happy to oblige, showing humanity in the humidity.

“I’m soaked, too — go ahead.” Djokovic told Millman. “I’m fine to have a little rest.”

Read the full article on NYTimes.com