Rafael Jodar breaks silence on viral ball girl controversy while French Open dream run keeps growing

Rafael Jodar found himself in the middle of a social media storm during the French Open after a viral video led some fans to believe he pushed a ball girl during his third-round match against American player Alex Michelsen.

The clip quickly spread online and sparked debate, but the Spanish teenager strongly denied the allegation after the match. Jodar said there was no contact and explained that the moment had been taken out of context. Even with the attention around the incident, he stayed focused on the court and earned one of the biggest wins of his young career by reaching the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time.The moment happened between sets during Jodar’s match against Alex Michelsen at Roland Garros.

In the video, Jodar can be seen walking near the sideline after throwing a water bottle toward his team area. At the same time, a ball girl moved across his path and appeared to briefly lose her balance. The clip quickly went viral, with many viewers questioning whether Jodar had shoved her.

Rafael Jodar denies ball girl incident after viral French Open video against Alex Michelsen

No, no, no. I could never do that.”Jodar explained that he was actually signaling to his father in the stands after returning from a toilet break. He said the ball girl was trying to move out of the way and lost her footing while stepping backward.“I didn’t push her or anything. I was telling my dad to give me the things that he was going to give me after a toilet break when I was coming back,” Jodar said. “She was in the middle, so I think she was trying to get out of the way.

She was going backwards, but I think she, like, fell, but not because I pushed her.”The 19-year-old also said a court cover behind the baseline may have caused the stumble. He added that he has a lot of respect for the ball kids who spend hours working in difficult conditions during the tournament.“I appreciate all the work that the ball kids are doing. I know it’s difficult with the heat and the conditions to stay there, so I appreciate.

I could never, you know, push a ball kid,” he said.While the discussion around the video continued online, Jodar delivered a huge performance on the court. He battled past Alex Michelsen in a five-set match that lasted more than four hours. The Spaniard won 7-6(2), 6-7(5), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to move into the fourth round of a major tournament for the first time in his career.Now, Jodar will face fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta with a place in the French Open quarterfinals on the line. Sources for this report include The Associated Press, The Independent and Tennis Majors.