Australian Open final halted as fan storms court during Rafael Nadal vs Daniil Medvedev
Djokovic ‘cleared out of the way’ for Nadal says Webster
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Sunday’s Australian Open final had to be halted after a fan stormed the court. Rafael Nadal is currently locking horns with Daniil Medvedev as he looks to win a record 21st Grand Slam. And, with the match in the balance, a supporter made their way onto the surface of the Rod Laver Arena.
Today could be a historic day in tennis with Nadal hoping to move out in front of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic on 21 Grand Slam titles.
And the excitement appeared to be getting a bit too much for one supporter inside the Rod Laver Arena, with a fan jumping from their seat and landing in front of the commentary box.
Security were quick to apprehend the fan, who stormed onto the court at 5-3 in the second set.
BBC commentator Gigi Salmon witnessed the incident unfold, saying on air: “Someone has just jumped from their seat and landed in front of the commentary box.
“Had a banner that will not be shown. Security has been very quick to get on court.”
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Journalist Ben Rothenberg also witnessed the incident unfold.
He shared a video on Twitter that showed the crowd cheering as the fan was dragged out by security.
They appeared reluctant to leave and opted to lie flat, with the authorities then physically carrying them out of the ground.
Nadal appeared unflustered by the whole affair and play resumed immediately afterwards.
The Spaniard had been able to break Medvedev but the Russian has since broken back to level the second set at 5-5.
Speaking before the match, meanwhile, Nadal’s coach Carlos Moya admitted they were relishing the showdown.
“We don’t talk about it but obviously we dream about it and will be talking about it on Sunday hopefully,” Moya told reporters.
“There have been many things to talk about these past few weeks as you know, but we don’t talk about 21.
“We know it’s there, there’s pressure too but we avoid putting too much importance on it. Rafa has said plenty of times his happiness does not depend on it.
“So, if it happens, we will talk about it on Sunday.”
Mats Wilander thinks Federer and Djokovic will both be watching Nadal’s match today.
“Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are for sure following these finals very closely,” Wilander told Eurosport.
“First of all they are lovers of tennis. I think they will most probably watch it because it’s fun and [they’ll think]: ‘Ah, yeah, that’s what Rafa used to do against me’ or ‘Look at this Daniil Medvedev, is he better than we ever were?’
“Then I think there’s the tactical tennis pro that’s still out there [thinking]: ‘What can I learn from what Medvedev does to Nadal, or Nadal does to Medvedev?’.
“So I’m sure Federer and Djokovic are both watching.”
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