VENOMOUS SNAKE STOPS BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL TENNIS OPEN
Austrian tennis player Dominic Thiem had to stop his match during a Brisbane International qualifying event when a venomous snake was found near the court.
The former US Open champion was a set down during his match against Australian James McCabe when the dangerous reptile was found near electrical wires.
The snake was identified as a highly venomous eastern brown snake approximately 50 centimetres in length.
A snake catcher had to be called in to remove the snake. This caused a break in play that lasted 40 minutes. It seems as if it was also a good luck charm for Thiem as he managed to recover and win the match.
Thiem, who is an animal lover, said it was something that he’ll never forget.
“I really love animals, especially exotic ones. But they said it was a really poisonous snake and it was close to the ball kids, so it was a really dangerous situation.”
“It’s something that has never happened to me and is something I’ll definitely never forget.”
The qualifying event marks the start of the professional tennis season with the Australian Open set to start on 14 January.
Image credit: NBC10 Philadelphia