Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 18, 2022 Britain’s Andy Murray in action during his first round match against Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili REUTERS/James Gourley
MELBOURNE—For moments during his riveting opening round win on Tuesday at the Australian Open, Andy Murray was under the impression that he was being booed by a section of the crowd at the boisterous John Cain Arena.
The British former world number one made his displeasure clear during his post-match interview on court, only to find out later that a few fans were actually imitating Cristiano Ronaldo’s famous “Siuuu!” goal celebration.
“That’s painful stuff there. Those guys …” Murray said, breaking off during an answer on court as what seemed like jeers ringing out from a section of the stands after his win over Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili.
Andy loves the fans. The fans love Andy ❤️ @andy_murray · #AusOpen · #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/0LdJPBxBeF
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 18, 2022
Portugal and Manchester United striker Ronaldo customarily runs to the corner flag on the pitch, leaps, spins and then lands with his arms outstretched as supporters join in from the stands roaring “Siuuu!” in unison, meaning “Yes” in Spanish.
“Initially, I thought it was, because there were some people booing during my practice yesterday. I have no idea what for,” a smiling Murray later told reporters.
“But then after a few times it was like, ‘No, they’re doing that, I think it’s like “Siuu” or something that Ronaldo does when he scores. And, yeah, it was incredibly irritating,” Murray added, breaking into a smile again.
Murray received plenty of support from the crowd during his match, setting up the mood for Australian Nick Kyrgios to take the court against another British player Liam Broady.
Kyrgios himself did a Ronaldo imitation after his victory as the fans got behind the tennis maverick.
“I can’t believe they did it so much. They were doing some Ronaldo thing. Ronaldo does it every time he scores,” Kyrgios said. “It’s like — I thought they were going to do it for like 10 minutes.
“They did it for two-and-a-half hours, like every point. I don’t know why… It was a zoo out there.”