Tennis player Rafael Jodar accused of pushing French Open ball girl, but did he really?
We live in an age where cameras are everywhere, and when someone starts making accusations of brutal behavior — you know, like the allegations of pushing a ball girl at the French Open — there will likely be some video evidence to prove or disprove that claim.
Fortunately, we have an example of this.
Spaniard Rafael Jodar won a five-set match against American Alex Michelsen, but rumors later surfaced that he had pushed a ball girl.
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Spanish Rafael Jodar denied allegations that he pushed a ball girl during one of the French Open matches. (Susan Mullane-Imagn Images)
A reporter brought this up in the post-match press conference and Jodar vehemently denied the claim.
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Jodar said the ball girl tripped over a rolled-up tarp as she walked past him on her way to get something from her father during a bathroom break (this sounds like something that might happen in Little League).
So let’s look at the tape. He says he didn’t push a girl who was just there to chase tennis balls or something, and this reporter thinks he looks that way enough to ask him about it.
On tape!
I mean the social media clip…
Yeah… unless he used the Force to do it, I’ll say he didn’t force it either.
I think it’s just a matter of timing and perspective. It’s clear that Jodar never actually made contact with his hand, but the timing of the play and the difficulty of judging depth make this possible – at least on first viewing.
If you watch it again, it is clear as day that this modest and handsome writer does not force it at all.
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Rafael Jodar hits back in his match against Alex Michelsen at Stade Roland Garros. (Susan Mullane-Imagn Images)
This raises the question: Why didn’t the reporter watch the incident a little more closely before blasting Jodar and making him defend himself?
We can give it the benefit of the doubt and assume that all angles are not yet available or published online. But there was at least one angle clear enough to make the reporter think she was an old-fashioned ball girl on the clay courts at Roland-Garros.
