Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal shrugged off some heckling from a spectator before beating American qualifier Michael Mmoh 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in the second round of the Australian Open.
Nadal was serving for the second set at 5-4 when a woman yelled out and made hand gestures as he prepared to serve. She yelled again at 30-0 and stadium security escorted her out of Rod Laver Arena. The rest of the crowd started booing and Nadal laughed.
He went back to work after the brief delay and hit two aces to finish off the set.
The 20-time major champion completed the match against the 177th-ranked Mmoh in 1 hour, 47 minutes and said it was a “positive evening for me.”
Except for one thing. He was asked if he knew the woman who caused the delay. He responded by saying no and added "honestly I don’t want to know.”
More than 21,000 fans attended Melbourne Park on Day 4. The Australian Open is the first major in a year to allow sizeable crowds with the government allowing up to 50% capacity. No fans were allowed at the U.S. Open because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the number of spectators at the French Open was extremely limited.
