3 Instances when Australian Open 2024 matches were interrupted by bugs ft. Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz
The Australian Open is the first Grand Slam of the year and is also sometimes referred to as the 'Happy Slam'. The glorious, sunny weather in Melbourne is the norm throughout the tournament, but heat can take its toll on the players at times.
However, during night matches, there is often another source of trouble: bugs and insects. It has often happened that a match had to be stopped due to an interruption by such insects.
In this article, we will look at three such instances, where matches at the 2024 Australian Open had to be stopped due to bugs or insects.
#1. Carlos Alcaraz vs. Richard Gasquet, first round:
Carlos Alcaraz was playing his first match at the Australian Open in two years against Richard Gasquet. As it was a night match, there were contsant interruptions by bugs. Both players kept using their rackets to move the insects away.
Alcaraz, in particular, had a tough time putting an insect away with his racket, as the persistent bug couldn't be removed easily. He, however, succeeded in his endeavour finally.
Alcaraz won the match 7-6(5), 6-1, 6-2 to move into the second round.
#2. Emma Raducanu vs. Shelby Rogers, first round:
A bizarre incident occurred during Emma Raducanu's second-round match against Shelby Rogers on centre-court as a large beetle was seen moving across the baseline. It forced a stoppage in play, as the insect kept navigating the court.
The crowd at the stadium took some time to understand the situatio and then burst into laughter. It was quite a sight for the spectators and the players were surprised, to say the least.
It did not, however, affect Raducanu's focus adversely, as she went on to win the match 6-3, 6-2 and move to the second round.
#3. Andrey Rublev vs. Sebastian Korda, third round:
Andrey Rublev faced Sebastian Korda in the third round in a night match that was yet again affected by bugs. Rublev tried his hand, quite literally, to collect the bug, but did not quite succeed. The insect kept slipping out of his hands repeatedly.
He was then helped by one of the ballgirls, who managed to get hold of the insect and took it away. Rublev was hardly distracted by the incident and went on to win the match 6-2, 7-6(6), 6-4 to move into the fourth round.