The Melbourne Summer Set tournament, a qualifier held before the upcoming Australian Open, was briefly delayed this morning after a bird “s*at” on second-seeded Reily Opelka’s hat:
Update from Rod Laver Arena:
A bird has shat on Reilly Opelka's hat, and he's struggling to find another one that doesn't have logos that are too big.
Because of his mop of hair he can't play without a hat.
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) January 6, 2022
Apparently, Opelka’s “considerably-sized head” and “mop of hair” made it difficult to secure a replacement and the first hat they offered him was too small:
Update:
Opelka has gotten a new AO-branded hat, the kind ballkids wear, but it's very small for his considerably-sized head.
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) January 6, 2022
Success!
Update: new hat delivered. pic.twitter.com/QlwSzhg5eP
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) January 6, 2022
Obviously, the trauma of getting crapped on affected his play and he went on to lose to 112th-ranked Maxime Cressy:
112th-ranked Maxime Cressy serves-and-volleys his way to a big win, beating Reilly Opelka 11-9 in the third set tiebreak.
He also just got into the #AusOpen main draw direct, so he's having quite a nice time here in Melbourne.
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) January 6, 2022
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