Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar appeared to ignore a ball girl who was waiting to hold his hand ahead of his fourth-round match at the French Open.
The 19-year-old Jodar was back on court two days after denying that he pushed a ball girl during his third-round win against Alex Michelsen, after footage of what appeared to be an unfortunate illusion went viral.
This time, a small child was waiting for Jodar with her hand outstretched as he was introduced onto court ahead of playing Pablo Carreno Busta on Sunday, but he seemed to forgot to take her hand and walked on by.
Earlier this month, Italian tennis player Luciano Darderi apologised after forgetting the hand of a ball girl before his semi-final against Casper Ruud at the Italian Open. Darderi, 24, burst onto the court in sunglasses, missing the ball kid who was waiting to take his hand. He later apologised on Instagram for an “involuntary gesture”.
Speaking on Friday, Jodar said he would “never” push a ball girl and insisted he did not make any contact with the child after she stumbled backwards and tripped over a piece of tarp on the court just as Jodar walked past her. The angle of the footage was unfortunate for Jodar.
“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 clarified after the match.
“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 because it was something for [the court cover].”
The tarp has proven controversial in Paris this week, with injuries caused and its inconvenient location proving awkward for both the 27th seed and the ball girl.
“It was right behind her,” Jodar added. “So when she was walking backwards, she fell with that,” he said, emphasising his respect for the young helpers.
“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.”
Jodar fought from two sets down to beat Carreno Busta and reach the quarter-finals of a grand slam tournament for the first time his career. The teenager has enjoyed a breakthrough season, and has emerged as one of the favourites to win this year’s Roland Garros, which will crown a new grand slam champion following the exits of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic and the absence of the injured defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
