Stanislas Wawrinka survived a major scare as Slovakian Martin Klizan put up a tough fight in the first round of the Australian Open. The Swiss tennis ace did manage to get the better of his opponent in an intriguing five-setter, not before having a crack at his opponent’s nether region.
As the match was poised at 4-4 in the fifth set, Klizan reached for a low return off Wawrinka’s backhand. However, he only managed to hoist the ball high up in the air. As Wawrinka, who is known for his meaty forehand, approached the net to take his shot, Klizan had already given up hope.
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The 31-year-old Swiss sauntered in and sized up his shot only to slam the ball at full power into Klizan’s groyne. Footage showed that the ball hit directly in Klizan’s nether regions.
Now, one must remember that the average speed of Wawrinka’s forehands averages at 128 Km/h. This shot, in particular, was even faster at 209 Km/h.
Klizan, naturally, sunk to the ground clasping his groyne area, visibly, in pain. The Slovak hunched down on his knees as he let the pain sink in. Wawrinka immediately clambered over the net to check on his opponent to apologise.
Klizan appeared to accept the apology without any fuss. The Melbourne crowd did their part, though, jeering and booing at Wawrinka.
Wawrinka soon regained his composure and took control of the match. The Swiss emerged victorious over his 34th seeded opponent 4-6 6-4 7-5 4-6 6-4 to book his place in the second round.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Klizan was very sporting about the incident. He did mockingly say, "I stopped playing. He could play anywhere, the whole court. He could play anywhere on the court and he hit me."
Wawrinka defended himself for taking a powerful shot against the seemingly defenceless Klizan. He said, "That was, for sure, a tough shot for him. The thing is there are some players they fake you, and you stop playing and then they just put up the racquet. So for me, I already miss some easy ones. For me, the most important thing was to run straight over to him.”
He also added how concerned he was after the ball hit his opponent as he said, "I just wanted to make sure he was OK. I realised he was OK. I'm sorry I touch him in the wrong place. But I think it was OK at the end."
