A first-round tennis match at the Miami Open in Florida was delayed on Wednesday due to a surprise visitor.
Jiri Vesely from the Czech Republic was playing against Tommy Haas of Germany when he noticed an iguana. The large lizard seemed to enjoy his view from the top of the scoreboard at courtside.
Vesely asked the umpire to stop play and try to remove the iguana.
The umpire told Vesely he would not stop the match unless the iguana ran onto the playing surface.
He said “If it’s like that, on the scoreboard, I don’t think it’s going to bother you, Jiri.”
Vesely disagreed.
The umpire said: “forget about it, it’s not a dangerous animal.”
During their conversation, Haas, a former second-ranked player in the world, went over to the iguana and took a selfie.
The fans cheered.
The television commentator said: “you do not see this very often.”
Haas received a lot of comments about his photo on Instagram. One person wrote: “Man, I’m going to hate it when you are truly done playing.”
The iguana did become a distraction, after all.
People who work at the tennis stadium tried to catch the iguana by the tail, and by throwing a towel over it, but that did not work.
The iguana ran across the court to the other side, and climbed onto the scoreboard.
“It’s scampering everywhere,” said the commentator. “You don’t expect to see this!” he added.
Everyone kept laughing and cheering. The iguana was finally captured and taken outside the stadium.
Vesely recovered from the distraction and won the match.
The 38-year-old Haas said maybe the iguana got the message that it might be the last time he would be playing in the Miami Open.
“He wanted to say ‘hi’ and take a peek or something,” Haas said.
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Words in This Story
umpire – n. a person who controls play and makes sure that players act according to the rules in a sports event
distraction – n. something that makes it difficult to think or pay attention
selfie – n. a picture that you take of yourself especially by using the camera on your smartphone
scamper – v. to run or move quickly and often playfully
peek – v. to look at someone or something secretly especially from a hidden place