Rafael Nadal has been accused of ‘disrespect’ of the Australian fighter who just scored the victory of his career with two simple words, leaving fans furious: ‘He should do better than that’
- Boilover took place at Brisbane International
- Nadal is on his way to a comeback after a year of absence
- Fans have criticized the champion for disrespecting the Australian
- He Called Jordan Thompson ‘The Opponent’
Spanish champion Rafael Nadal has been accused of disrespect after refusing to say his opponent’s name following his defeat by Aussie Jordan Thompson on Friday night.
Thompson saved three match points before turning the tables and beating the returning Rafael Nadal in a late-night Brisbane International quarter-final classic.
The Australian won 5-7 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 in a Friday night battle that lasted three hours and 25 minutes and ended just before midnight.
The 37-year-old Nadal has not played tennis for a year and is hoping for a new rise at the Australian Open, where he won against all odds in 2022.
He was modest in defeat, saying he had his chances but had to accept there would be stumbles on the comeback trail.
“I have to accept all this stuff after a year, you know,” he said.
‘That’s normal, that things happen.
‘Every day is a different story and it’s difficult after such a long time.’
However, it was what Nadal said next that angered Australian fans.
The victory over Nadal was the biggest of Thompson’s career and took him to the semi-finals of the Brisbane International.
Nadal liked to talk about himself, but only referred to Thompson as “the opponent” during his post-match media conference
While Nadal may not know his opponents well, Aussies would be familiar with Thompson after he dated The Bachelor’s Brittany Hockley.
“Today the opponent played well,” he said.
‘I still had to play ball. I didn’t play badly, but I was just one ball away.’
Furious fans took to social media to criticize Nadal for forgetting or ignoring Thompson’s name during his media conference.
“Your ‘opponent’ Nadal was Jordan Thompson, in case you forgot his name,” one fan wrote.
‘The opponent?! That’s low,” another added.
“Does he know Jordan Thompson’s name? It seems clear he doesn’t. Calls him “the opponent” several times. He should do better… someone who is wrapped up in himself makes a very small package.”
Thompson came back from the edge in the second set before controlling the third and sealing the match when Nadal overshot his backhand to end the longest rally of the match.
Nadal has not played tennis for a year and needed a medical timeout late in the match against Thompson
Thompson now has the chance to win a home tournament and break into the world top 40
Nadal, who took an injury timeout to treat pain in the same hip that required career-saving surgery last year, walked to Thompson’s side of the net and hugged the Australian.
“He was one of my idols growing up,” Thompson said.
‘I loved Lleyton (Hewitt), loved Andy Murray, loved Rafa.
“It was special to share the field again and to take him down was a completely different feeling.”
The 29-year-old Sydney talent’s victory capped a top week for the Australian men following Alex de Minaur’s defeat of world champion Novak Djokovic in the United Cup on Wednesday.
‘Unreal. Aussies in Australia playing good tennis and bringing down good names must be good for the country,” Thompson said.
Thompson’s job is to back up second seed and former world number 3 Grigor Dimitrov on Saturday night for a spot in Sunday’s final against top-seeded Dane Holger Rune or in-form Russian Roman Safiullin.
Thompson is ranked 55th in the world and will return to the top 50 and could move into the top 40 if he wins the tournament.