Rising Spanish tennis player Rafael Jodar found himself at the center of an online storm after a video from the French Open appeared to show a ball girl stumbling near him.
Jodar, 19, had just finished a set against American player Alex Michelsen on Friday when the moment happened.
As he was leaving the court, a ball girl walked into his path. Jodar raised his hand while appearing to speak to his father nearby, and the girl suddenly lost her balance and moved backward.
The clip quickly spread online, with some viewers accusing the young player of pushing her.
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But Jodar strongly denied that he shoved the ball girl and said the moment was not what people were making it out to be.
“She was walking backwards, I mean, I didn’t push her or anything,” Jodar said after the match.
The Spanish teenager explained that he had been trying to tell his father to hand him items he needed after a bathroom break.
“I was telling my dad to give me the things that he was going to give me after a toilet break when I was coming back,” Jodar said.
He added that the ball girl appeared to be trying to move out of the way and may have tripped over a tarp on the court.
“She was in the middle, so I think she was trying to get out of the way,” he said. “She was going backwards, but I think she fell, but not because I pushed her.”
The viral moment came during a dramatic match that saw Jodar defeat Michelsen in a five-set thriller, winning 7-6(2), 6-7(5), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.
After the match, Jodar made a point to praise the ball kids working at Roland Garros, especially in the heat and difficult conditions.
“Obviously, I appreciate all the work that the ball kids are doing,” he said. “I know it’s difficult with the heat and the conditions to stay there, so I appreciate. I could never push a ball kid.”
The incident also renewed discussion about safety around the court at this year’s French Open.
Jodar is not the only person involved in a strange on-court stumble during the tournament. Players Katie Boulter and Zeynep Sonmez have both lost their balance near sponsorship boards behind the baseline.
Boulter later complained about the boards on X, writing, “THESE THINGS HAVE TO GO.”
As for Jodar, the controversy did not stop his run in Paris. He is now set to face fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreño Busta in the fourth round on Sunday.
For now, the 19-year-old insists the viral video was misunderstood and says he would never intentionally harm a ball kid.