British pro tennis player Olivia Nicholls, who specializes in doubles and has a slew of wins under her belt in the WTA Tour doubles titles and ITF Circuit, has slammed Australian low-cost airline Jetstar after the carrier charged her $160 to check her expensive rackets into the hold only for them to be damaged beyond repair.
Taking to Instagram and X on Saturday, the 30-year-old tennis player vowed never to fly ever again with Jetstar, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Australian flag carrier Qantas.
Having just concluded a successful appearance at the United Cup tournament in Sydney, where she reached the quarter-finals alongside Charles Broom in the mixed doubles, Olivia was already on the move again when she caught a flight with Jetstar.
Given the fact that professional tennis rackets are incredibly expensive, Olivia pleaded with Jetstar staff to allow her to take her bag with three customized rackets onboard the plane with her.
Some airlines specifically ban passengers from bringing rackets onboard as carry-on luggage for fear that they could be used as a deadly weapon. Other prohibited items sometimes include large umbrellas and hiking poles with sharp ends, although the restrictions differ from airline to airline.
In Olivia’s case, she would have had no reason to know that she couldn’t take her rackets onboard the plane as Jetstar’s conditions of carriage and carry-on baggage information make no mention of sporting equipment.
Despite her best efforts, however, Olivia was forced to entrust Jetstar with caring for her rackets at a cost of AU $160 (US $100).
It appears, however, that despite the rackets being packed in a padded practice case, Jetstar didn’t do a very good job at safely handling the rackets. Olivia shared a photo of the aftermath, with at least one of the three rackets badly bent.
Olivia says the damage was so bad that they are beyond repair.
Fellow pro tennis player and Australian native Ellen Perez quickly came to Olivia’s defense, slamming Jetstar as a “disgrace” and asking how it was “even possible” to cause so much damage to protectively packed rackets.
“I’m convinced it was thrown at a propeller, like this is wild,” Perez wrote on X.
