TORONTO – A ball boy at the Australian Open brought a whole new meaning to the tennis phrase “New balls, please” after he was hit by a 196 km/h serve down under.
A men’s Round 2 match between Spain’s Feliciano Lopez and France’s Adrian Mannarino was stopped during the first set Thursday morning after the ball boy was struck in the groin.
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After taking the initial shot, the young man retrieved the tennis ball from the back end of the court before taking a knee.
“Are you okay?” the chair umpire asked him.
Lopez and Mannarino went to check on the ball boy, who was grimacing in pain.
After a few deep breaths, the young man was helped to his feet and off the court for a break.
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