Spanish tennis player Rafael Jodar has denied pushing a ball girl during his third-round victory at the French Open, after footage of the incident circulated on social media.
The moment occurred between sets of his match against American Alex Michelsen on Friday. Jodar threw a water bottle into his player's box as a ball girl walked into his path. The girl momentarily lost her balance, but Jodar insisted he did not touch her.
“I didn’t push her or anything,” Jodar said after the match. “I was telling my dad to give me the things that he was going to give me after a toilet break. 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 fell, not because I pushed her.”
The 27th seed attributed the stumble to the court cover, saying the girl tripped while walking backwards. He emphasised his respect for ball kids, stating, “I could never push a ball kid.”
Despite the controversy, Jodar secured a hard-fought 7-6 (2), 6-7 (5), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory, advancing to the fourth round of a major for the first time. He will face fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta next.
