Rafael Nadal's run to the third round of the Australian Open tennis tournament was briefly disrupted, when organizers removed an annoying fan from Rod Laver Stadium to boycott the second-ranked Spanish player while playing on Thursday.

The incident did not affect the match, as Nadal appeared with a strong performance and won 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 over American Michael Camouh, who was promoted from the qualifiers, to preserve his chances of winning the 21st Grand Slam title.

#AusOpen VAMOS RAFA 🇪🇸

📽️Kortta kaos yaşatan Rafael Nadal'ın “aşırı” hayranı ve İspanyol raketin tepkileri… İşte o anlar 👇pic.twitter.com / YXZ7JfgtuJ

- SuperHaber Spor (@superhaberspor) February 11, 2021

Nadal was preparing to hit the serve in the second set when advancing 5-4 when he was subjected to annoying shouts from the stands, the referee asked the cheerleader to remain calm, and when Nadal looked at the stands, an inappropriate signal was directed at him with her finger.

"What? Me?" Asked Nadal astonishedly.

And he stood smiling in front of the woman.

Shortly after the game, the cheerleader crossed the field, after which security officials removed her.

Nadal points in exclamation to himself after the woman's signal (Reuters)

Nadal spoke about the incident, in an interview at the stadium, in response to whether he knew this cheerleader, and said, "No. And honestly, I don't want to know her."

He added jokingly, "You may have had a lot of alcoholic drinks, but the situation was strange and funny at the same time."

Nadal added, "I do not know who directed me to point the finger, and I do not know the reason. But I was surprised at the same time I thought that she was a poor woman and maybe she was drunk."

Nadal did not play for Spain in the ATP Cup for teams last week due to a back problem, and he had said after winning the first round in Melbourne that he was still affected by the injury.

On the field, however, Nadal showed no signs of injury against the US ranked 177 in the world and under the closed roof of Road Lever, striking 40 successful kicks in front of a disguised deficit.

Fonini and Caruso quarrel


In another match, Fabio Fognini and Salvatore Caruso got into a fight, separated only by the stadium

superintendent 

after the first pure Italian match in the men's singles competition at the Australian Open tennis tournament.

#AusOpen |

Fuerte discusión entre los compatriotas, 🇮🇹 Fabio Fognini y 🇮🇹 Salvatore Caruso en el duelo de 2R 😲

🎥: @ uygarkaracapic.twitter.com / f6cJxAq0Lb

- Golpe de Tenis (@golpedetenis) February 11, 2021

The two players competed for more than 4 hours at John Keane Stadium, before the 16th seed Funeni won 4-6, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6.

The traditional handshake on the net after the match turned into a quarrel, as Fonigny thought Caruso was lucky at some points during the match, something his opponent refused.

The quarreling between the players continued on the field until the observer separated them.

The handshake between Funini and Caruso turned into a quarrel (Reuters)

"We are friends. You know me, such things happen and remain on the field. I have nothing to say about this question after that," Funeni told reporters, smiling.

In response to another question about the incident, he added, "I'm really happy because I think I didn't do my best today."

"I had several more chances than in Group E. But this sport. I was lucky too. Such things sometimes happen on the field."

When he was pressed into the question for the third time, Funini's smile faded. "Do you understand what I'm saying or not? Can you please change the question? Next question, thank you," he replied.

Caruso did not like the answer to the same question either, and said, "For all his opinions are different from the other. I think that such things should remain in the dressing room, and I will talk to him because we are friends."

This is the second year in a row that Funini has entered a brawl after playing a long game at Melbourne Park.

Funeni tore his shirt in protest, and a point was deducted from his tally after he refused to play during a tense encounter that ended in a fourth round loss to Tennis Sandgren.

The American player described this match as "war."

The 33-year-old, who is good at playing on sandy terrain, will play in the third round with brilliant Australian Alex de Mino.