Video: Rafael Nadal takes a nasty fall and breaks ... a shoelace

Rafael Nadal fell so hard that he somehow snapped his shoelace. (Scott Barbour/Getty Images) MELBOURNE, Australia -- When Rafael Nadal takes a bad tumble, the

Rafael Nadal fell so hard that he somehow snapped his shoelace. (Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

MELBOURNE, Australia -- When Rafael Nadal takes a bad tumble, the tennis world gasps and holds its breath. Did he hurt himself? Did his knees break? Is his quest to become the first man in history to win all four Grand Slams at least twice in jeopardy? You can only imagine the thoughts of those watching when Nadal got tripped up, hit the ground hard and rolled to a stop during his fourth-round match against Kei Nishikori.

Turns out there were no scratches -- just a busted shoelace. The match was delayed as Nadal had to run off court to get a new shoelace from the locker room. Apparently, of all the things he carries with him on court, an extra pair of laces isn't one of them.

You can see Nishikori's great shot and Nadal's fall below.

Knowing that Nadal was ok, the jokes started coming on Twitter:

so nadal has that giant suitcase he brings out on court, but no shoes in it? so what's in there, a desktop PC?

— Tennis Tweets (@tennistweetscom) January 20, 2014

They should use the video of Nadal's fall in fire safety videos. #stop #drop #roll

— SI Tennis (@SI_Tennis) January 20, 2014

Nadal breaks his shoelace! This really is the 20th anniversary of Tonya and Nancy! #AusOpen

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) January 20, 2014

Trying to remember that Nadal bag check I have seen a million times on Tennis Channel. Think he pulled out shoes.

— Ray Krueger (@ray_krueger) January 20, 2014

Definitely remember Nadal had a mouthpiece in his bag. In case an MMA fight broke out.

— Ray Krueger (@ray_krueger) January 20, 2014

Kei O'd. RT @ESPNTennis The infamous Rafa broken shoelace. #ESPNAO #AusOpen http://t.co/gnHl6xeAjH

— SI Tennis (@SI_Tennis) January 20, 2014