Rafael Nadal has been left perplexed after a ballkid took the tennis racquet he was utilizing through the first set of his Australian Open marketing campaign on Monday.
The defending champion was on serve with British opponent Jack Draper when play was briefly delayed at a changeover earlier than the beginning of the eighth sport.
WATCH IN THE VIDEO ABOVE: Nadal left bemused as ballkid steals his racquet.
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After serving for a 4-Three lead Nadal had requested the chair umpire for a few of his racquets to be despatched to the stringer – and that is when issues went pear-shaped.
Nadal initially sat his racquet down subsequent to his bag, however what occurred subsequent stays a thriller.
The Spaniard, who didn’t depart the scene for a bathroom break, stood as much as resume the match and was totally bemused to search out the fallacious racquet had been taken.
“This one’s for the stringer, not that one. I want the racquet again!” he defined to the umpire.
Australian doubles nice John Fitzgerald described the blunder as “an enormous mistake” in commentary.
“He is aware of the stress, is aware of the sequence he desires to make use of his racquets in,” he stated.
But when it appeared like a major downside, Nadal wasn’t exhibiting it.
He laughed as he defined to Draper, who had lengthy been standing and ready to serve, {that a} ballkid had taken his racquet.
“You do not typically get a primary in a Rafa match in spite of everything these years however that’s undoubtedly the primary that will have occurred,” lead commentator Mark Petchey stated.
Fitzgerald cheekily joked that it could not have been accidentally.
“Gee, it is price a bit, too, that racquet. He could by no means see that once more,” he stated.
“That is likely to be on the streets of Melbourne someplace! Oh, I am positive he’ll get it again.”
The sudden racquet swap didn’t overly trouble Nadal because the match stayed on serve for the subsequent two video games.
And on the following changeover, it appeared that the lacking piece of apparatus was returned to Nadal in spite of everything.
Fortunately the strings remained in tact however the world No.2 packed the racquet away regardless, evidently preferring to not make one other unscheduled change.
“He’d get somewhat punchy, would not he, in the event that they’d already minimize the strings out,” Fitzgerald stated.
Nadal went on to interrupt Draper within the 12th sport to win the primary set earlier than wrapping up a scratchy 7-5 2-6 6-Four 6-1 victory.
Draper, 21, loomed as a harmful opponent after catapulting into the world’s high 50.
This time final yr he was the world No.262 and taking part in on the ATP Challenger tour.
However he struggled with leg cramps that burned any try to capitalize on Nadal’s 46 unforced errors.
“If we put into perspective all of the conditions I went by means of within the final six months, it is a optimistic begin,” Nadal stated.
“He is one of many hardest opponents I might meet as a seed.
“The final couple of matches have not been too straightforward for me and hopefully I can preserve going from this victory.”
