An Australian Open ball kid collapsed on day one of the qualifiers in Melbourne, with a player seen rushing to their aid. It occurred during a match between Moez Echargui and fellow qualifier Luca Van Assche. 

The camera was focused on Echargui during a break, with the Tunisian seen wiping his face with a towel. As he began walking back to the baseline for the next point, a ball kid started to fall over just out of shot.

After stumbling for a second or two, the unfortunate ball kid eventually crashed to the ground, with Echargui seen sprinting to help. Thankfully, the kid did get back to their feet soon after, with an Australian Open official also seen rushing to the scene.

The kid was then escorted off the court, before action in the Echargui and Van Assche match resumed. The cause of the incident is unclear. Express Sport have contacted Tennis Australia for an update.

Despite his commendable actions, the qualifier ended in defeat for Echargui, who was beaten in straight sets by his French opponent. The 21-year-old won both sets 6-4, meaning he’ll progress into the second qualifying round, with a match against Estonian Daniil Glinka pencilled in for tomorrow.

The qualifiers will continue throughout the week, ahead of the main draw getting underway next weekend. One of the biggest names of any Grand Slam draw will always be Novak Djokovic, but there have been some concerns that this could be his final appearance at Melbourne Park.

Putting the fear to rest, Serena Williams’ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, recently said: “First of all, I understand the people who are getting worried about Novak’s future, considering that he just withdrew from Adelaide, but I don’t think they should. It’s probably the last two years of Novak playing on tour. He’s still seeded quite high, so he will have the time at the Australian Open to have his level raised.

“He is probably the most serious player of all time, the one who always wants to be the best prepared, always. You have to remember that it’s a five-set event and at his age, it’s even more difficult to win a Grand Slam, of course, because of Sinner and Alcaraz, but also because it’s challenging on the physical side.”