Unusual Pause at the US Open: Search for the Damper
In an unexpected turn of events during the US Open, a match was interrupted by a peculiar situation: the search for a vibration dampener. The incident occurred in the match between two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova and Canada’s Victoria Mboko. The action stopped when the damper on Krejcikova’s racket came off on the second point of the match. Chair umpire Aurelie Tourte, along with Mboko, security personnel, and the public, joined Krejcikova in the search for the small object. The situation generated a moment of camaraderie and surprise on the court.Krejcikova, winner of Wimbledon last year and the French Open in 2021, highlighted the kindness of everyone involved in the search for the damper, a crucial element to reduce the vibrations of the ball when hitting the racket. Once the search was resolved, Krejcikova, 29 years old and originally from the Czech Republic, managed to advance in the tournament, winning the match in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-2. Mboko, who will turn 19 on Tuesday, tried not to lose concentration after the interruption of approximately six minutes.It’s happened to me many, many times in my career. We lost it and couldn’t find it. That’s more or less what was happening there. The damper was playing with us, so we all looked for it and I’m happy we found it.
Barbora Krejcikova
Mboko played with her right wrist bandaged, due to a previous injury. Before the US Open, she had won her country’s tournament in Montreal, where she defeated Grand Slam champions such as Naomi Osaka, Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina and Sofia Kenin. The young tennis player expressed her satisfaction at the opportunity to face high-level players and the experience this gives her.She interrupted the game a little bit. I guess it was okay. I tried to focus and refocus because it took quite a while to find her bumper. I think after all I just wanted to regroup. It was a little pause in the game, but I tried to make sure I was still active and jumping and ready for the next point.
Victoria Mboko
