Dominic Thiem experiences a scary moment in Brisbane when a snake appears on the court. The referee interrupts the match and an expert arrives. The animal turns out to be particularly venomous
Former US Open winner Dominic Thiem had an unintentional encounter with Australian wildlife at the tennis tournament in Brisbane and experienced a scary moment.
During the Austrian’s qualifying match against Australian James McCabe, one of Australia’s most venomous snakes strayed onto the court at the ATP tournament. The referee had to interrupt the match at the end of the first set before the animal could be removed by an expert.
It was an eastern brown snake about 50 centimetres long, one of the deadliest reptiles in Australia. “I really love animals, especially exotic ones,” said 30-year-old Thiem. “But this was a really venomous snake and it was near the ball kids, so it was a really dangerous situation.” Nobody was injured in the incident, partly because spectators spotted the snake in time. “Something like this has never happened to me before, it’s something I’ll definitely never forget,” said Thiem.
The former world number three is fighting to return to the top of the world rankings after his long injury break. After winning the 2020 US Open final against Alexander Zverev, he was repeatedly set back by wrist problems. Thiem is currently ranked 98th in the world. The 30-year-old overcame the first qualifying hurdle in Brisbane against the 20-year-old McCabe, winning 2:6, 7:6 (7:4), 6:4.
