"The ball boy took my racket": Rafael Nadal and a strange moment in the first round of the Australian Open

Who are the candidates to win the Australian Open?

4:59

(CNN) --

It wasn't all smooth sailing for Rafael Nadal in his victory in the first round of the Australian Open on Monday.

Midway through the first set against Great Britain's Jack Draper, the 22-time Grand Slam winner was left with open arms as he explained to the referee that he was looking for his racket.

"This is the one with the stringer, not that one," Nadal was heard explaining to the referee.

"I need my racket back! It's not this one. I need the shock absorber and everything," added the Spaniard, referring to the small rubber device that players place between the strings to attenuate the impact when they hit

Nadal executes a backhand against Draper.

(Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

It turned out that the ball boy had taken Nadal's racket with the shock absorber to the stringer.

"I don't think I have a spare, so I think there's going to be a delay," explained Guy McCrea, a Eurosport commentator.

advertising

• Australian Open: Novak Djokovic chases Rafael Nadal's record as Iga Swiatek looks to cement her status as the best in the sport

After choosing a different racket, Nadal apologized to Draper saying, "The ball boy took my racket!"

After the match, Nadal described the racket mishap as a "funny situation".

"Normally, I have the number of the rackets under control, so I said that I need the stringer, but I need it for the other racket," Nadal explained, according to Eurosport.

"So (the ball boy) picked the racket he was ready to play with. But there was no problem."

Later in the match, Nadal had another conversation with the referee when the floodlights appeared to come on automatically, despite the fact that the match was being played in sunlight.

"Now it's bothering me a lot," Nadal told the referee as he gestured towards the floodlights.

"The Combination of Lights".

Draper was also dissatisfied, and the referee called the stadium staff to fix the situation.

Nadal needed four sets to beat the 21-year-old Draper.

The Brit took the second set against the 36-year-old to level the match, but then suffered cramps as the match progressed, and Nadal went on to prevail 7-5 2-6 6-4 6-1.

Nadal's victory extends a streak of 26 years since the last time a defending champion lost in the opening round of the Australian Open.

Nadal and Draper embrace at the net after the Spaniard's victory.

(Lukas Coch/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

"Last year had been one of the most emotional tournaments of my tennis career, there is no doubt about that," said Nadal, who beat Daniil Medvedev 2-6 6-7 6-4 6-4 7-5 in the final. of the Australian Open last year having lost the first two sets.

"Unfortunately that's over now, so we have to keep working.

"I'm very happy to be back here in Australia once again. I don't know, it's like my 19th season on the professional circuit.

"I am very excited for this new beginning... The last two months have not been easy for me, but I hope this victory helps me."

The top seed from the Australian Open will now face American Mackenzie McDonald in the second round.

Australian Open 2021 Rafael Nadal