Austrian Dominic Thiem’s qualifying tennis match at the Brisbane International against Australian James McCabe was interrupted for 40 minutes when a venomous snake slithered its way courtside. A professional snake catcher was called in to safely remove the 20-inch eastern brown snake, which posed a danger to the players and ball kids. Despite the interruption, Thiem went on to save three match points and win the match in three sets. The Brisbane International is a warm-up tournament for the Australian Open, where former world number one Rafael Nadal is set to make a comeback after nearly a year off the court due to a hip injury.