The match of Austrian Dominic Thiem, former US Open champion, in the first round of the qualifying tournament for the Brisbane International Tennis Championship was disrupted by a deadly snake on Saturday. One of Australia's most venomous snakes entered the court during Thiem's match against James McCabe. The referee was forced to stop the match after spectators spotted the 50 cm long brown snake from the stands. A snake catcher removed the snake from the court without anyone getting harmed.
The match resumed, and Thiem won in two sets to one, with scores of 2/6, 7/6, and 6/4. Thiem stated, "I really love animals, especially venomous ones, but it was a very venomous snake, and it was quite close to the ball boys, so the situation was really dangerous." He added, "I've never experienced anything like this before, it's something I'll never forget."
