Rafael Nadal may have continued to cut a path through the Australian Open men’s draw, scoring a straight-sets win over Argentine Federico Delbonis, but it was his kind-hearted gesture towards a ballgirl that caught the eye of tennis fans all over the world.
The world No.1 was taken to a second-set tiebreak, but was otherwise untroubled in the 6-3 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 second-round victory on Rod Laver Arena, however accidentally slammed an errant forehand straight into the head of a ballgirl.
Ever the good guy, Nadal went up to the injured girl and gave her a kiss on the cheek and followed it by checking up on her after the win as well, giving her his headband as a momento.
After the hit, Nadal was left visibly shaken and described it as one of the scariest moments on a court in his esteemed career.
“For her it was probably not a good moment,” she said.
“I was so scared for her honestly the ball was so quick and (hit her) straight on the head. She’s a super brave girl.
“Honestly it was one of the more scary moments on the court.”
Despite the straight-sets win, Nadal lamented his inability to capitalise on a number of break-point opportunities in the second set.
“I lost a lot of opportunities on break points,” he told Nine.
“Honestly, I found a way to finally win that second set and in the third, I think I played a little bit more relaxed.”
