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Spanish tennis star Rafael Jodar has denied pushing a ball girl out of his way at the French Open on Friday after footage of the alleged incident sparked fury online.
During his third-round win against USA’s Alex Michelsen, Jodar was seen throwing a bottle of water to someone in his box at Roland-Garros before a ball girl suddenly walked across his path as he went to head backstage for a bathroom break.
The girl lost her footing momentarily before regaining her balance. It was unclear if there was any contact as Jodar also appeared to be gesturing to the person in the box — who he said was his father — with his left hand at the same time as he passed by the girl.
‘I didn’t touch her,’ he stressed when asked about the viral clip in his postgame press conference. ‘No, no, no. I could never do that.’
‘I didn’t push her or anything. I was telling my dad to give me the things that he was going to give me after a toilet break when I was coming back,’ Jodar explained.
‘She was in the middle, so I think she was trying to get out of the way. She was going backwards, but I think she, like, fell, but not because I push(ed) her.’
Spanish tennis star Rafael Jodar has denied pushing a French Open ball girl out of his way
Jodar stressed after his victory that he didn’t push the girl and that the angle was misleading
Jodar said the ball girl got her feet tangled in the court cover.
‘It was right behind her. So when she was walking backwards, she fell with that,’ he said. ‘I appreciate all the work that the ball kids are doing. I know it’s difficult with the heat and the conditions to stay there, so I appreciate. I could never, you know, push a ball kid.’
The No 27 seed had drawn fierce criticism online over the initial video, which one user shared on X while writing: ‘But Rafael Jodar, he’s a total creep. How he pushes the ball girl – And it’s not the first time I’ve heard that he’s awful off the court’.
Another fumed: ‘Pathetic attitude from Rafa Jodar… I mean he’s talented but this attitude doesn’t belong in the tennis court.’
However, before he explained what happened in his press conference, others leapt to Jodar’s defense by pointing out that the angle was misleading.
‘Watch it in slow motion,’ one user said. ‘The ball girl was crossing in front of him and trying to get out of his way but she tripped backwards as she tried to get back in place.’
While another fan posted: ‘The angle of the video makes it look like he is pushing the girl. It did not happen. At the same exact time Jodar is arguing with his box gesticulating the girl slips with the court cover.’
Jodar won 7-6 (2), 6-7 (5), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to make the fourth round at a major for the first time. He is now set to meet fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno in the fourth round on Sunday.
