"How about when his hooligans boo Novak Djokovic at RG 22, he was enjoying it" - Fans react to Rafael Nadal's disapproval of Barcelona crowd's conduct

Tennis fans recently reacted to Rafael Nadal disapproving of the unsavory behavior exhibited by the crowds at the Barcelona Open towards his opponent, Flavio Cobolli during the first-round match.

Nadal defeated Cobolli 6-2, 6-3 in one hour and 25 minutes to move into the second round at the Barcelona Open. This marked the Spaniard's return to the court, following his quarterfinal run at the Brisbane International earlier in the year, and his first match on clay since claiming his 14th French Open title in 2022 by defeating Casper Ruud in the championship match.

During the second set of the match, when the former World No.1 was getting ready to serve for the match point, a disruptive spectator from the crowd shouted "arrivederci Flavio," which translates to "goodbye Flavio" in Italian.

The Spaniard, visibly displeased by this unpleasant conduct towards Cobolli, shook his head disapprovingly at the heckler and gestured apologetically towards Cobolli in response to the fan's behavior.

This incident prompted tennis fans to take to social media to share their opinions on Rafael Nadal's disapproval of the unruly behavior at the Barcelona Open.

Some fans highlighted the inconsistencies in Nadal's actions, citing instances such as his failure to intervene during the 2022 French Open quarterfinal match against Novak Djokovic, where the Serb faced similar taunts from the crowd.

"How about when his hooligans fans boo Novak at RG 22, he didn't shake anything, he was enjoying it," a fan posted on X (formerly Twitter).

"Except RG22 V Novak [Djokovic]. He didn’t complain then," the fan posted.

Some fans also recalled the 2022 Australian Open final that the 22-time Grand Slam champion played against Daniil Medvedev, where the audience booed the Russian without any intervention from Nadal.

"Lol he stood by doing nothing while xenophobic abuse was hurled at his opponent in the AO22 final, even as his opponent begged for something to be done. Like a lot of respect in tennis it tends to happen only when you’re well on top," a fan wrote.

"Where was his reaction when the whole Australian crowd told [Daniil] Medvedev to "f*ck off to Russia" at AO22 final or at RG22 QF against Nole !!!???," the fan wrote.

Despite the criticisms, some fans commended the Spaniard for his gesture towards Flavio Cobolli.

"This is why we love him so much. A talented tennis legend and a class act," a fan posted.

"The respect. That s why I love him since the beginning," the fan posted.

"That’s my goat right there!" a fan wrote.

Rafael Nadal will face Alex de Minaur at Barcelona Open 2R

ATP Cup 2020

After securing a victory over Flavio Cobolli in the first round of the 2024 Barcelona Open, Rafael Nadal will go up against Alex de Minaur in the second round.

De Minaur entered the ATP 500 clay-court tournament following a quarterfinal finish at the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters, where he defeated Stan Wawrinka, Tallon Griekspoor, and compatriot Alexei Popyrin before falling to Novak Djokovic in the last eight.

Alex de Minaur, who received a first-round bye, will kick off his Barcelona campaign against Nadal in the second round. The two players have met four times on the ATP Tour, with the former World No.1 winning three of those four match-ups. However, De Minaur managed to clinch their most recent match at the 2023 United Cup, winning 3-6, 6-1, 7-5.