Rafael Nadal Stops Match when Distraught Mother Can't Find her Daughter

I can't imagine what it feels like to momentarily lose your young child but it must be frightening and it likely sends parents into a nothing-else-matters panic—even if it happens at a star-studded tennis match and interrupts the players.

That happened Wednesday in Spain, when a doubles match involving Rafael Nadal and John McEnroe was halted when a mother started shouting her daughter's name from the stands in trying to find her. The commotion was loud enough that Nadal stopped himself just before he served and once he looked up and starting swiveling his head around. It set the entire stadium, with 7,000 in attendance, on the lookout too.

Suddenly, calls of "Clara" could be heard ringing out across the venue. Video showed the mother frantic and likely scared. When the camera found the little girl, she was also scared.

Luckily, it was all resolved quickly enough. The girl soon popped up and her distraught mother claimed her. It was all over in just about a minute. But it was an emotional moment and it looked like even McEnroe got a little teary-eyed on the court at the end of the affair.

It was quite a way for Nadal to open his new Rafa Nadal Sports Centre. At least he and his partner won the match two sets to one.

But there was another reinforced lesson too: Continue to never read the comments. The Express, an English newspaper, ran a story online about this and of course there were snippy commenters.

"Why [was] this mum so careless in the first place, not to keep an eye on her daughter, especially in crowded places," wrote someone named Tommy. "Luckily, she was found and [I] hope this will be a learning lesson for her."

Thanks Tommy. This woman obviously needed your parental advice in this moment. Where would we be without you?