Rafael Jodar faces heat after viral video shows him pushing ball girl but did he actually do that?

Spanish teenage tennis star Rafael Jodar is facing heavy criticism after a video from his third-round match against Alex Michelsen at the French Open 2026 went viral. The clip appeared to show the 19-year-old pushing a ball girl out of his way during a changeover.

The video sparked massive outrage on social media with fans criticising Jodar for his alleged misbehaviour with the ball girl. The rising star, who is making his French Open debut, appeared to have pushed the ball girl as he made his way toward his player box after throwing a water bottle aside during a break in the match.

However, he has clarified that he did not even touch the ball girl and could never engage in such behaviour.

Jodar's clarification over ball girl controversy

Jodar made a strong comeback in his match against Michelsen after losing his way in the middle. He won the opening set before losing back-to-back sets. However, he bounced back to win the last two sets with ease to get the best Grand Slam finish of his small career.

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The 19-year-old defeated Michelsen 7-6 (2), 6-7 (5), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career.

After the match, Jodar weighed in on the controversy. “I didn’t touch her,” he said. “No, no, no. I could never do that.”

“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 push(ed) her. It was right behind her. So when she was walking backwards, she fell with that," Jodar said.

"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 concluded.

Fact check: Did Jodar push ball girl?

On first glance, the video establishes Jodar pushing a ball kid while on his way out to the player box. However, on closer look, it does not appear as simple.

The girl seems to have tripped due to the presence of something on the ground and not because Jodar pushed her. Since Jodar moved his hands in a certain way at the same time as the girl tripped, the angle of the viral video made it seem like the girl fell due to the teenager's action. Multiple camera angles suggest there was no actual physical contact between Jodar and the ball girl.