- Dominic Thiem’s qualifying win in Brisbane was disrupted by a venomous snake
- The creature, the second most deadly in the world, was spotted courtside
- A professional snake catcher was called in to nab the dangerous visitor
Dominic Thiem’s qualifying win at the Brisbane International on Saturday was disrupted by the presence of a deadly snake courtside.
The creature, the world’s second-most deadly snake, was spotted at the match, causing a delay to proceedings while a professional catcher was called in to nab the dangerous visitor.
Former US Open champion Thiem was in the second set against Australia’s James McCabe at the time, when fans courtside spotted a deadly 50cm eastern brown snake.
Security staff were called in, and the umpire temporarily stopped the action when the snake slithered on to the court, and a snake catcher was called in to remove it.
The snake’s venom contains a deadly cocktail of poisons, including a powerful neurotoxin which paralyses the nerves of the heart, lungs and diaphragm.
Dominic Thiem’s qualifier at the Brisbane International was interrupted by a deadly snake
The 50cm eastern brown is the world’s second most deadly snake for its poisonous venom
The match was suspended while a local snake catcher was brought in to deal with the creature
After the match, Thiem – who is returning from a long injury absence – proclaimed to be a fan of snakes, despite the unusual interruption to the match.
The Austrian veteran said: ‘I really love animals, especially exotic ones.
‘But they said it was a really poisonous snake and it was close to the ball kids, so it was a really dangerous situation.
‘It’s something that has never happened to me and it’s something I’ll definitely never forget.’
Local expert Lucas Perrett, who caught the snake, told 9News Queensland: ‘My wife is a massive tennis fan, we actually have tickets for next Saturday and Sunday.
‘And when I texted her going “I’m going to pick up a snake from the Brisbane International” she went “no way, get me an autograph”.’
Thiem was a set down to McCabe at the time of the snake incident, and had to save three match points against his 20-year-old Australian opponent in the second, before ultimately prevailing 2-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-4.
Australia’s James McCabe had three match points, but was unable to seal victory in Brisbane
Thiem is outside of the automatic Australian Open spots after a troublesome wrist injury
The 30-year-old looked down and out at 3-5, 0-40 on McCabe’s serve in the second set, but saved all three points and forced a tiebreak which went in the Austrian’s favour.
A 6-4 victory in the deciding set moved Thiem within one victory of the main draw.
On McCabe, the former World No. 3 said: ‘He was playing very well. He was serving extremely well I thought. It was a good win in the end.’
Thiem, now ranked 98 in the world after falling down the rankings with a troublesome wrist injury, will rely on late withdrawals to avoid qualifying for the Australian Open, having missed the cut-off for the main draw by one place.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk