WATCH: Turkey’s Abrupt Presence Causes Hysterical Interruption to ATP Challenger Match in Italy

While the Madrid Open was going on at full pace, a strange scene unfolded in a different match. As the ATP Challenger tour was simultaneously causing a stir in the tennis world, one incident caught the fans’ attention in a hilarious moment on-court. A peculiar guest resulted in the halting of an intense match at yesterday’s Challenger match in Cagliari, Italy.

Yesterday, the ATP Challenger match was in full swing when Mariano Navone showed his prowess against Shintaro Mochizuki. As the Argentine player competed against the 20-year-old player, a bizarre incident paused the game. A turkey came inside the court and went on wandering, completely oblivious to the high-stakes match between the two players.

The competitors, astonished at this unprecedented turn of events, stopped playing while the security guards came into action. And then the two security guards had to chase the turkey away by running after it. This happened during the last set of the match, which was actually the deciding set. By then, the score was 6-0, 4-6, and 4-3.

But amid the intensity of the last game, the uninvited guest caused a lot of laughter among the audience. Although it raises questions about the tightening of security during a match, the turkey’s fleeting moment in the spotlight indeed brought a lighthearted moment to the game.

However, eventually, Navone won the third set and qualified for the quarterfinal match of the season, scheduled today. There, he would play against the American Emilio Nava. Navone, who entered the game after a defeat against Holger Rune in the Madrid Open, also opened up about his deep connection with the ATP Challenger before embarking on the journey.

“Challengers have changed my life,” says Mariano Navone about the ATP Challenger

Mariano Navone has had a mixed start to the season so far. Although he did not make it past the third round in his home ground, the Argentina Open, the 23-year-old player reached the final at the Rio Open earlier in February. But even there, he lost the match to Sebastian Baez with a score of 6-2, 6-1. And after the second-round exit from the Madrid Open, the World No. 41 is all set to make his mark in the ATP Challenger this season.

And why not? He has already achieved a lot of success on the ATP Challenger tour. Last year, he bagged five titles at this level. He himself once said, “Challengers have changed my life. The level of challenge has given me everything. The matches have a lot of intensity. The competition, the players are so special. They’ve developed my game and mentality. It’s a challenge all the time to win matches. It’s very difficult to win.” And as he plays his favorite competition, fans also hope to see a lot of lighthearted moments during his matches.