A poisonous snake interrupted play for 40 minutes during the Brisbane International qualifying match of Tennis on Saturday involving Dominic Thiem and James McCabe. The play had to be suspended for a snake catcher to arrive and haul the reptile into his bag, having been spotted among the electrical wires on the sidelines of the Tennis court.
The incident occurred after James McCabe had sealed the first set 6-2 over the 2020 Australian Open champion. The reptile has reportedly been identified as the Eastern Brown snake and have the potential to cause significant damage to the human body with their bite, including paralysis and bleeding, as reported by the Australian Museum.
Notably, Australia is also the hub to 20 out of world's most 25 venomous snakes. Responding to the incident, Thiem said he loves exotic animals, but admits it was a dangerous situation to be in at that stage. He told the Brisbane International Website.
"I really love animals, especially exotic ones. But they said it was a really poisonous snake and it was close to the ballkids, so it was a really dangerous situation. It’s something that has never happened to me and is something I’ll definitely never forget."
Dominic Thiem survives against spirited James McCabe:
As far as the match situation goes, the 30-year-old Austrian survived a spirited effort from his Australian counterpart as he once held a 6-2 5-3 40-0. Nevertheless, Thiem overcame three match points to upstage McCabe following a nearly three-hour bout.
"It was a good win in the end. He was playing very well. He was serving extremely well I thought. Wins like today are really important. I didn’t feel amazing on court, but still pulled out the win," Thiem told Brisbane International Website after the win.
Thiem now remains only one win away from reaching the main draw.
