Deadly snake stops Australia tennis tournament match
The Brisbane International tennis tournament had the most unlikely creature in attendance—a venomous snake.
During a match between former US Open champion Dominic Thiem and Australian James McCabe on Dec. 30, a snake slithered courtside causing the match to be suspended for 40 minutes.
McCabe had the first set 6-2 against Thiem when play was stopped.
According to AFP, the reptile was reportedly an eastern brown snake and it was seen along the electrical wires in front of the spectators on the side of the court.
While the match was paused, a snake catcher arrived to capture the reptile by teasing it into a bag.
When play continued, Thiem won the second and last set, with scores of 7-6 and 6-4, respectively.
"I really love animals, especially exotic ones," the former US Open champion said. "But they said it was a really poisonous snake and it was close to the ballkids, so it was a really dangerous situation."
"It's something that has never happened to me and is something I'll definitely never forget.
Eastern brown snakes are fast-moving, aggressive critters that cause the most deaths by snakes in Australia. Their venom is the second most toxic of any land snake in the world, and it can cause progressive paralysis and stop blood from clotting, according to the Australian Museum.