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Over the years, Rafael Nadal's lengthy pre-serve rituals have captured a lot of attention from fans and experts alike. But during his second-round match against Michael Mmoh at the 2021 Australian Open on Thursday, Nadal's routine was given an extremely disrespectful reaction by one of the spectators - a reaction that the Spaniard maturely laughed off.
Serving for the second set at 6-1, 6-4, Rafael Nadal got into his trademark set of movements but was interrupted by a woman from the stands. The female spectator heckled the 20-time Major champion and even yelled an obscenity towards him, saying:
"Hurry up you OCD F***,"
The champion that he is, Rafael Nadal didn't get too bothered and proceeded to go back to his routine. But then some more chatter ensued from the woman's end, which further disturbed the players.
Chair umpire Fergus Murphy tried to control the situation by politely requesting the woman to not delay the match. Immediately after that the woman flashed her middle finger, much to everyone's shock.
You can watch more parts of the exchange in this thread of tweets.
Rafael Nadal was initially taken aback by the fan's gesture, and he even responded to the lady with a "Me?" while pointing to himself. But he remained unperturbed when the lady seemed to confirm that she was referring to him, and eventually broke into peals of laughter.
If there was ever an incident that perfectly showcased Rafael Nadal's humble and down-to-earth nature, this has to be it.
"Poor girl, she must be drunk" - Rafael Nadal on the woman who showed him the finger
Nadal went about his business with aplomb after the middle finger fiasco, reeling off two quick points to take a 30-0 lead. But then the heckler struck again, this time audibly shouting "W****R".
The gentleman that he is, Nadal once again laughed it off, even showing a thumbs-up gesture to the woman.
With the situation going out of control, security personnel intervened to escort the woman out of the stadium. However, she still had something to say to Rafael Nadal as she gave the Mallorcan a thumbs-up sign and then raised both her hands in what could be perceived as a form of apology.
During his post-match press conference, Nadal described the incident as 'weird but funny'. He didn't express any kind of anger against the lady, and instead surmised that she only behaved that way because she was drunk.
"The finger was addressed to me I think," Nadal said. "She had drunk too much gin or tequila. It was weird but funny. For me it was funny. Someone gave me a middle finger, that surprised me. But I said to myself: poor girl, she must be drunk."
When the lady was being escorted out of the stadium, Nadal took to entertaining the crowd by doing some keepy-uppies with the ball, juggling them on his head and feet. The woman, meanwhile, was still far from done with her obscenities. She gave the finger to the entire stadium on her way out, amid a chorus of boos from all sections of the crowd.
After the incident, normal service ensued. Rafael Nadal served out the set with back-to-back aces to take a two sets to love lead in the match (eventually winning it 6-1, 6-4, 6-2).
The Spaniard will next take on Brit Cameron Norrie in the third round on Saturday.
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
