We Had A Pigeon Rescue At The French Open

A pigeon decided to take in the French Open on the clay courts at Roland Garros but fortunately avoided getting drilled by a serve thanks to the unbeatable combination of a quick-thinking umpire and a towel.

It would seem that pigeons aren't particularly unusual at the French Open, and during a changeover in the fourth set of a match between Daniil Medvedev and Tomas Machac, one landed on the court, but wouldn't move.

According to the Associated Press, the poor bird appeared to be injured which is a damn shame.

Fortunately, those on the court didn't just stand around and wait for someone else to handle the bird situation, umpire Damien Dumusois climbed off his chair, grabbed a towel, and saved the bird.

A pigeon is caught on the court during a match between Daniil Medvedev and Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic on day seven of Roland Garros at Stade Roland Garros. (Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports)

Can we talk about the towel for a moment? I don't know when, but at some point, the towel became the go-to tool of choice. If an animal gets in your house or your pool or, apparently, tennis court, someone will call for a towel. It's almost a reflex at this point. It's unclear if people even know how they'll use the towel when they call for it, they just know it's best to have one at the ready.

Heck, I might just start driving around with a towel in the back of my car just in case I come across an animal that needs saving. 

Anyway, Dumusois scooped it up and walked the pigeon over to a doorway where he handed it to another person who held it up to the crowd — which drew cheers — and then promptly turned it into some kind of stew (just kidding about that last part; I don't know what happened, but I hope it's alright).

Once the bird delay was over, Medvedev went on to win the match.

I'm just glad this appears to have worked out better than the bird that got smoked harder than a Charley Hull lung dart at the US Women's Open in Lancaster, PA. 

That was a rough one.