MELBOURNE, Australia — Ana Ivanovic was leading her third-round match against Madison Keys, 6-4, 1-0, on Saturday night at the Australian Open when a disturbance in her player’s box caught her eye. Nigel Sears, 58, had collapsed on a staircase inside Rod Laver Arena.
Seeing Sears in distress, Ivanovic approached the chair umpire, Felix Torralba, and told him, “I think he’s my coach.”
The players remained on the court for several minutes, during which Ivanovic cast several worried glances at her box. As medics continued to attend to Sears, play was indefinitely suspended. Ivanovic appeared near tears as she left the court.