Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. HOME News Politics Royal Showbiz & TV Sport Comment Finance Travel Life & Style Football Tennis F1 Boxing UFC Cricket Rugby Golf Racing NFL NBA Other A player ranked 262nd in the world pulled off the sublime trick during a doubles match in Canada. 11: 28, Thu, Jul 18, 2024 | UPDATED: 11: 29, Thu, Jul 18, 2024
Estonian player Mark Lajal played the incredible trick shot cauhght the eye (Image: Getty)
Most tennis players prefer to do their warm-ups and fitness regime before they walk out onto the court, but Mark Lajal may be the first of his kind to combine the two while a match is in play. In a bizarre move, the youngster pulled off a sublime press-up midway through a point and still managed to hit a winner.
The 21-year-old showed off his fine skillset in a recent ATP Challenger Granby doubles event in Canada, where Lajal was playing with his fellow Estonian player, Daniil Glinka.
The pair took on American duo Tennyson Whiting and Kelsey Stephenson and there was little to choose between the doubles teams, with the first set finely poised at 4-4 on serve.
And that’s when Lajal sprung a surprise. While it is normal for players to duck at the net when their partner is serving, Lajal took it one step further by laying down on his stomach while the point was still going on.
Mark Lajal lowers his body and does a press-up during the point (Image: ATP Challenger)
He had tried to get out of the way after deciding against a smash attempt at the net, instead dropping to the floor and pinning his arms to the ground.
As Glinka hit the return, Lajal leapt forwards to meet an inviting forehand and smashed home from the net to land himself a winner.
Quite what motivated Lajal to imitate a press-up is anyone’s guess, but some tennis fans on social media theorised that he may have accepted it as part of a dare with his colleague.
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Mark Lajal volleys home the winner during his doubles match in Canada (Image: ATP Challenger Tour)
Reddit user ‘tehnoodub’ said: “This feels like a bet or dare or something. Like the night before the match he said to his partner ‘I bet I can do a push-up mid rally followed immediately by a winner at the net’.”
Another fan, ‘UncomfortableFarmer’, said: “Just one pushup? Gotta get those numbers up”, while ‘ColdAdmirableSponge’ praised Lajal for being “out here doin push ups and volley winners whilst I can do neither.”
Lajal isn’t known to many outside of his home nation and he currently sits 262nd in the world in the ATP rankings.
However, he recently gave Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz a run for his money in the first round before the Spaniard sealed a 7-6, 7-5, 6-2 victory in round one.
The fitness move certainly didn’t harm Lajal and Glinka, as the pair claimed victory in the closely-contested match, winning out 6-7 (4), 6-2, 10-6.
They will take on the home favourites Joshua Lapadat and Justin Boulais in the next round, with the crowd eagerly awaiting to see if Lajal pulls out his trademark move again.
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