Rafael Nadal defeated American Michael Mmoh in straight sets on Thursday to advance to the third round of the Australian Open, but not before his match was interrupted by an unruly obstinate who was eventually escorted by the security of the event.
After taking the first set 6-1, Nadal was serving for the second set 5-4 when a woman started screaming.
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It is unclear what exactly she was shouting, but the more than 21,000 fans present at Rod Laver Arena booed her, at which point she raised her middle finger – apparently in the direction of the 20-time Grand Slam champion.
At first unhappy with the interruption, Nadal started to laugh after seeing the woman’s hostile gesture, even pointing at himself to ask: “Who, me?”
Security advised the woman to calm down, but when Nadal was preparing to serve, she screamed again, this time an obscene obscenity.
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Nadal, still amused and perplexed by the situation, couldn’t help but laugh when the woman was finally escorted out of the stadium.
He overcame the interruption and hit two aces to finish the set.
Nadal defeated 177th ranked Mmoh in one hour, 47 minutes in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.
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He said after the match that it was a “positive night”, despite the interruption, and when asked if he knew the woman – considering how personally offended she looked – he said he didn’t know her and “honestly, he doesn’t want to know.”
He will face Cameron Norrie from the UK in the fourth round on Friday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.