The scene created a buzz around the world. Thursday February 11, 2021, as Rafael Nadal was in the middle of a match against American Michael Mmoh in the second round of the Australian Open, a visibly tipsy spectator started yelling at him, then give him the middle finger. Astonished by her behavior, Xisca Perello's husband first tried to chat with this woman sitting in the stands in front of a Spanish flag: "What, me ?", he asked her, with a smile. An ace and a foul later, Rafael Nadal had to interrupt his match again because of the spectator who had just brandished her middle finger … Quickly evacuated under the boos of the public, the disruptor happily let them finish the part that s 'is concluded in three sets (6-1, 6-4, 6-2) and 1h47. Still disturbed by this unprecedented situation, Rafael Nadal subsequently confided, as reported by RMC Sport: "Maybe she had drunk too much gin or tequila, I don't know. Honestly, it was a weird situation, but funny at the same time. For me it was funny. Someone give me one. middle finger, that surprised me. But I said to myself: 'poor girl, she was probably drunk' ".
The spectator comes out of the silence
Journalists from local 3AW radio tracked down the woman in question, an Australian from Sydney, who does not regret her gesture: "I'm not a big Nadal fan. I even think he's incredibly boring with all of his OCD ", she said. Originally, "Lisa" (an assumed name9 by the way) hadn't planned to see this game: "I bought a ticket to see the previous women's match between Coco Gauff and Elina Svitolina. And then I stayed to watch the boring Nadal", she explained. The spectator is convinced: “The fact that these images have gone viral is a testament to how boring Nadal's games are. Otherwise, why focus so much on a spectator? "
The tennis fan, who travels from Sydney to Melbourne every year to attend the Open, is therefore pleased with the little notoriety, but admits being reprimanded by her daughter. Rafael Nadal was right: before this incident, Lisa had drunk a little too much alcohol …
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