Australian Open ball boy collapses mid-match due to extreme heat – as play is halted amid worrying scenes in Melbourne
A ball boy collapsed in the middle of a match at the Australian Open in concerning scenes.
The incident occurred during a mixed doubles match as Tim Puetz and Demi Schuurs faced JP Smith and Kimberly Birrell.
In sweltering conditions at the Margaret Arena in Melbourne attention was quickly drawn to the ball kid.
As reported by The Mirror, Puetz and Schuurs realised that something was wrong after celebrating a point.
Puetz rushed over to the child, who appeared to faint in his arms.
The match umpire also checked on the child’s welfare before medical personnel entered the scene. The ball kid left the stadium in a wheelchair.
It was later confirmed by Tennis Australia that the ‘ball kid is fine’.
Speaking on commentary, Chris Bradnam said: ‘There clearly was a little bit of distress. It’s been a scorcher of a day, over 30 degrees celcius. Need an ice pack and some fluid pretty quickly.’
Smith and Birrell won the game by two sets to one.
The tournament got underway on January 12 and is set to run until January 26.
