Remember the blazing battles players endured under the scorching sun at the US Open? The first week’s cool, breezy afternoons soon gave way to fiery days and humid nights that nearly brought even the fittest athletes to their knees. Yet, while the US Open has ended and the tour nears its close, chaos returned on the juniors circuit, as one ATP player’s bizarre mid-match request forced the umpire to call a supervisor for sun protection.

At the Challenger Brisbane Open, chaos unfolded under the blazing sun when budding Indian player Aryan Shah faced Aussie Marc Polmans in a tense junior ATP Challenger clash. After dominating the first set 6-1, Shah found himself struggling in the second at 3-3, battling not just his opponent but the relentless glare above.

In a moment that left everyone scratching their heads, he suddenly asked the umpire if he had a spare pair of sunglasses after resorting to underarm serves during game five. The umpire, confused by Shah’s abrupt change in rhythm, called for the supervisor as the young Indian pleaded, “it is impossible to serve.” Moments later, he went back to his usual rhythm, but the incident had already stolen the spotlight.

Tennis has always been a sport of precision, poise, and power, but every so often, it delivers moments of pure absurdity that leave both fans and umpires speechless. It’s no secret that many players are creatures of habit, some might say neurotics bound by rituals and superstition. 

Take Richard Gasquet, for instance. The Frenchman’s superstition? He insists on reusing the same little yellow ball with which he’s just struck a winner. During his 2010 US Open clash against Nikolay Davydenko, this obsession led to a brief off-court standoff. After a rally-ending winner, the ball sailed into the stands, where a spectator eagerly pocketed it. Gasquet, refusing to let superstition slip away, demanded its return.

The fan hesitated, perhaps unaware of the player’s ritualistic conviction. Yet Gasquet’s persistence prevailed, after a thirty-second exchange, the prized ball returned to the court. He went on to win the match in straight sets, as if fate had rewarded his stubborn ritual.

Then there’s Serena Williams, who in 2015 served up one of the sport’s most bizarre requests. Down 0-6 at the Hopman Cup against Flavia Pennetta, Serena turned to the umpire mid-match and asked if she could order an espresso. Once approved, she sipped, regrouped, and roared back to win 6-3, 6-0.

From Gasquet’s superstition to Serena’s caffeine-fueled comeback, tennis continues to remind us that even on the grandest stages, humanity, and hilarity, never take a backseat.

When Hubert Hurkacz stunned fans by requesting umpire replacement mid-match

From asking for sunglasses mid-match to calling for an umpire change, tennis has never been short of bizarre moments, and Hubert Hurkacz’s clash with Grigor Dimitrov at the French Open last year was a shining example of that. Their Round of 16 encounter descended into chaos when Hurkacz, down two sets to love and fighting to stay alive, found himself arguing over a crucial line call late in the third set.

Dimitrov stopped the point, believing the ball was out, but umpire Alison Hughes inspected the mark and confirmed it had clipped the line. Cameras supported her call. Yet Hurkacz refused to accept it. “Call the supervisor,” he demanded, his frustration boiling over as he shouted toward his box, “What are you doing? So bad.”

Still fuming, Hurkacz made the universal “substitution” gesture with his hands, and then, astonishingly, turned to Dimitrov. “G, you wanna make a change? You wanna continue with the lady here?” he asked, gesturing toward Hughes, who sat silently above them on her chair, hearing every word of this surreal exchange.

Dimitrov, caught off guard, could only respond with confusion. “Wanna continue with what?” he said, unsure whether his opponent was joking or serious. But Hurkacz doubled down, walking closer and clarifying, “No I mean like, do you want to continue with the lady here or you’re fine or you want a change? That’s what I said. Up to you.”

For a man widely regarded as one of the nicest players on tour, it was an out-of-character moment that left both fans and Dimitrov bewildered. As strange as it was, it joined a long list of tennis oddities, the kind of unpredictable drama that keeps the sport endlessly fascinating.

So, with players now asking for sunglasses mid-match, which bizarre moment do you remember most from recent times?