A ‘ball boy took’ Rafael Nadal’s tennis racket in the middle of a match … – msnNOW
© Andy Cheung/Getty Images Rafael Nadal. Andy Cheung/Getty Images
- A ball boy unwittingly caused chaos when he seemingly took one of Rafael Nadal’s rackets.
- It all went down in the first round of the 2023 Australian Open in Melbourne.
- As the reigning champion and No.1 seed, Nadal is favored to win the title for a third time.
A “ball boy took” tennis star Rafael Nadal‘s racket in the middle of a match, causing chaos Sunday at the Australian Open.
“I need the racket back,” Nadal could be heard telling the umpire during his first-round contest against Jack Draper at the famed Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.
Nadal had other rackets he could use, but the one he cherished most had a useful tool on it called a dampener.
A vibration dampener is a small device designed to reduce the shock when a tennis ball connects with the strings on a racket.
“I need the dampener and everything,” Nadal said.
The incident took place in the very first set when Nadal told Draper: “The ball boy took my racket.”
Despite the interruption, Nadal went on to win the match
© Photo by Getty Images Rafael Nadal proceeds to the second-round of the Australian Open. Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Eurosport commentator Guy McCrea told tennis fans watching at home that “there is going to be a delay,” according to a CNN report.
Nadal went on to win the first set by a 7-5 score before surrendering the second to Draper 6-2. Nadal bounced back in the third to win the set 6-4 before winning the match in the fourth set 6-1.
The tournament’s No. 1 seed appeared to see the funny side of the situation after the win.
“Normally, I have the number of the rackets under control so I said I need the stringer, but I need the stringer for the other racket,” Nadal explained, CNN said.
“So [the ball boy] picked the racket I was ready to play with. But no problem at all.”
Reigning champion Nadal plays an American in the next round
Nadal proceeds to Tuesday’s second-round match where he faces American player Mackenzie McDonald.
One of the greatest players of all time, Nadal has won 22 tennis majors. The majority of his success has come at the French Open as the clay court master has won that tournament 14 times.
Nadal won the Australian Open in 2009 and 2022.
As the reigning champion, the Spaniard is favored to defend his title at this year’s competition.