THE loutish Australian who gave Rafa Nadal the middle finger says she was NOT drunk and defended her outrageous behaviour by claiming: The world No.2 is boring.
The rowdy woman from Sydney – who identifies only as Lisa – also admitted her family have been left “embarrassed” by the incident which has gone worldwide on TV and viral on social media.
On Thursday, Nadal was subjected to a foul-mouthed rant from a female fan as he beat American Michael Mmoh in the Australian Open second round.
The Spanish legend, 34 had to stop serving when the blonde-haired woman yelled ‘Hurry up, you OCD f***’ and then stuck up her middle finger.
Nadal joked that she might have been indulging in “too much gin or tequila” before the match had started.
‘Lisa’, a self-styled “tennis aficionado”, told Australian radio show 3AW News Talks: “I wasn’t drinking gin or tequila. I did have one (drink) at the tennis, a glass of bubbly. I was there for a few hours.
“Alcohol does make one become less inhibited but I’m pretty much like that anyway to people that know me. I am a bit out there.”
The woman was promptly escorted out of the Rod Laver Arena by security guards and she joked she might have to wear a disguise upon her return to Melbourne Park the next time.
The heckler said: “I’m certainly not a fan of Nadal’s.
“I think he is incredibly boring and he goes through all those OCD rituals all the time.
“The only reason I was happy to be at the match was because I had a ticket to see the previous female match. I stuck around to watch the boring Nadal.
“Apparently pictures of me have gone viral, which reflect how incredibly boring his matches are. Why would you want to focus on a spectator?
“It’s a bit embarrassing. I had no idea when I woke up this morning. I had messages, phone calls from all sorts of different people. So I had to watch it on TV.
“It’s probably not a great look for me but what can I do? What’s done is done.
I wasn’t drinking gin or tequila. I did have one (drink) at the tennis, a glass of bubbly. I was there for a few hours.
Female fan who heckled Rafa Nadal at Australian Open
“My family weren’t too happy. My daughter wasn’t too happy because I am so ‘embarrassing’.
“I just called out ‘get over your OCD rituals’ as he was serving. Then he looked at me and that is when I flipped the bird.
“I was going for the other guy as so many other people were going for Nadal. I felt sorry for the American.
“Security were very rude. They said: ‘Right you have to go.’
“I said: ‘Why? I am a spectator. I have paid for my tickets. Why am I not allowed to be a bit vocal?’
“I’m a tennis aficionado, I come down to Melbourne every year, I’m so glad it was held this year.”
