Deadly snake halts Dominic Thiem’s comeback win in Brisbane – ‘It was a really dangerous situation’

Dominic Thiem’s match against James McCabe at the Brisbane International qualifying event was halted for a bizarre reason when a deadly snake was spotted on court.

The Austrian lost the opening set 6-2 to McCabe before the snake made its way onto the back of Show Court 2.

A snake catcher was called to capture the 50cm eastern brown snake, with play resuming after a 40-minute delay.

Thiem, 30, admitted afterwards it was one of the most memorable moments of his career.

“I really love animals, especially exotic ones,” Thiem said after the match.

“But they said it was a really poisonous snake and it was close to the ball kids, so it was a really dangerous situation.

“It’s something that has never happened to me and is something I’ll definitely never forget.”

After the delay, the 2020 US Open champion rallied to secure a comeback victory. He saved three match points at 3-5 down in the second set before recovering to win a tie-break and force a decider.

He wrapped up the hard-fought win 6-4 in the third set to advance to the second and final qualifying round.

Thiem suffered a wrist injury in 2021 that saw him tumble down the rankings and he just missed out on an automatic spot in the main draw for the upcoming Australian Open, with gets underway on January 14 live on Eurosport and discovery+.

The Austrian needs just one player to withdraw from the first Grand Slam of 2024 to guarantee he makes his 10th appearance at Melbourne Park, but he is slated to play in Australian Open qualifying.

Also in the draw for the qualifying event is Emma Raducanu, who has been out of action since April after undergoing ankle and wrist surgeries.

Another player making his highly anticipated comeback imminently is Rafael Nadal. The 22-time Grand Slam champion is in the field for the Brisbane International, which is set to be his first tournament since the 2023 Australian Open.