Ball Boy took his racket, causing chaos at the Australian Open

• The ball boy unintentionally caused chaos when he apparently took one of Rafael Nadal’s rackets.
• It all came crashing down in the first round of the 2023 Australian Open in Melbourne.
• As the reigning champion and number one seed, Nadal is favored to win the championship for the third time.

A “ball boy” stole tennis star Rafael Nadal’s racket mid-match, causing chaos at the Australian Open on Sunday.

“I need my racket back,” Nadal was heard telling the umpire during his first-round match against Jack Draper at the famous Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.

Nadal had other racquets he could use, but the one he loved the most had a useful tool called a damper.

A vibration dampener is a small device designed to reduce shock when the tennis ball connects with the strings of the racket.

“I need a damper and everything,” Nadal said.

The incident happened in the very first set when Nadal told Draper: “The ball boy took my racket.”

Despite the stoppage, Nadal won the match

Eurosport commentator Guy McCrea told tennis fans watching at home that “there will be a delay”. According to CNN report.

Nadal won the first set 7-5 before dropping the second to Draper 6-2. Nadal bounced back in the third set to win the set 6-4 before winning the match 6-1 in the fourth set.

The number one in the tournament seemed to see the funny side of the situation after the victory.

– Normally I have the number of rackets under control, so I said I need a racket, but I need a racket for another racket, Nadal explained, CNN said.

“So [the ball boy] I chose a racket that I was ready to play with. But no problem.”

Reigning champion Nadal will play the American in the next round

Nadal advances to Tuesday’s second-round match where he will face American Mackenzie McDonald.

One of the greatest players of all time, Nadal has won 22 tennis tournaments. Most of his success has come at the French Open, as the clay court champion 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 in this year’s competition.