Alexander Zverev and Flavio Cobolli were busy fixing shoelaces. Sounds absurd? Not so if one were to look at the Team Europe bench at the ongoing Laver Cup. The French Open finalists from this year decided to pitch in to help their Team Europe teammate, Rafael Jodar, with the 20-year-old becoming quite infamous for his shoelace stoppages during matches in recent months.

Both Zverev and Cobolli were spotted relacing some of Jodar’s shoes, as the Spaniard took on Alexander Bublik in a singles clash on Day 1. This was after the Spaniard broke his shoelaces after just three games against Alexander Bublik, needing a fresh pair. Team Europe did not want their player to waste any time changing his shoes should the laces break, which has been a regular occurrence for Jodar.

The saga began during the Citi DC Open final against Taylor Fritz. With the American winning the first set and being in control of the match in the second, Jodar stopped the match to fix his shoelaces. The time taken by the Spaniard drew attention from fans online, with some attributing the shoe-lace changing to a deliberate time-wasting tactic. However, there were no such issues, as Fritz won the match in straight sets, but that was just the beginning of what was to come.

In his next event at the Canadian Open, the Spaniard was in the thick of it again, as he again needed to change his shoes due to broken shoelaces. The incident occurred during the semifinal against Brandon Nakashima, while the American was ahead in the match and in the middle of his service game in the second set. Yet again, Jodar took some time to change his shoes, which did not improve his rapport with the fans.

The shoelace struggle did not seem to leave Jodar alone, as he was up against it in his opening round match against Denis Shapovalov in Cincinnati as well. However, this time, the shoelace change saw a decisive shift in the match’s momentum. Down 1-5 in the final set against Shapovalov, the win seemed almost confirmed for the Canadian, but the set was delayed twice because Jodar needed to have his shoes changed after he broke his shoelaces again. Having already taken a medical timeout in the set, the constant delays saw Shapovalov lose all rhythm, and the Spaniard completed a comeback, winning the set 7-5.

By now, online discussion about Jodar’s shoelace antics had reached its peak, and the Spaniard seemed to be aware of the fact. In his next match against Alejandro Tabilo in Cincinnati, the 20-year-old took a precaution by bringing a large bag of laced shoes, which he could change into should he run into the same problem again.

However, the shoelaces did not seem to be done with the Spaniard as they broke again at the Laver Cup, to which the Spaniard had a plausible explanation.

Rafael Jodar Gives His Reason for Repeated Shoelace Breaks

While fans were at him once again after his shoelace break against Bublik at the Laver Cup, Jodar had a plausible explanation behind the repeated occurrence. The Spaniard referred to his baseline style and ability to slide on hard courts, which occasionally causes his shoes to break.

However, on this occasion, Jodar had his Team Europe teammates working hard to make sure his new shoes were at the ready. The support proved effective, as the Spaniard easily dispatched Bublik in straight sets, helping Team Europe finish Day 1 with a 3-1 lead.

The Spaniard was not in action on Day 2, but is slotted to play the final match against Taylor Fritz on Day 3. With Team Europe having a 7-5 lead going into the final day, the tie might get over before the final match, but should it be required, Jodar will need teammates again to make sure he can do his job on the court, while they back him by having his shoes ready in case the shoelaces decide to take the spotlight once again.