Rafael Nadal melts hearts as he accidentally fires a brutal forehand straight into the face of a ballgirl before planting a kiss on her cheek
- Rafael Nadal had a scary moment in his round two win at the Australian Open
- The world number one accidentally sent a brutal forehand into a ballgirl’s face
- The 33-year-old immediately rushed to her aid and gave her a kiss on the cheek
- ‘Honestly it was one of the more scary moments on the court,’ Nadal said
Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal has shown his true colours after he kissed a ballgirl on the cheek after a brutal forehand slammed into her face at the Australian Open.
The world number one had a scary moment during his round two victory over Argentina’s Federico Delbonis in the second round.
The 33-year-old was steaming towards a straight sets victory when a wayward forehand shot down the sideline and smashed into a ballgirl’s face.
Nadal immediately left the baseline to come to the ballgirl’s aid and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
Rafael Nadal has had a scary moment during his round two victory at the Australian Open
Nadal hit a brutal forehand into a ballgirl’s face, and immediately rushed to her aid
In his post match interview on Rod Laver Arena, Nadal said it was one of the scariest moments of his career.
‘For her it was probably not a good moment,’ Nadal said.
‘I was so scared for her honestly the ball was so quick and (hit her) straight on the head. She’s a super brave girl.’
‘Honestly it was one of the more scary moments on the court.’
Nadal was taken to a second-set tiebreak but was otherwise untroubled in the 6-3 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 victory.
‘I lost a lot of opportunities on break points. Honestly, I found a way to finally win that second set and in the third, I think I played a little bit more relaxed,’ he told Channel Nine.
Following his win, Nadal checked in on the ballgirl again and gave her his sweatband as a souvenir.
He will play fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreño Busta in the third round, and a possible fourth round clash with Australian star Nick Kyrgios.
After the match Nadal gave the ballgirl his sweatband to keep as a souvenir