Barcelona defender Gerard Pique appeared unaffected after he was abused during the Madrid Open first round clash between David Ferrer and Mikhail Kukushkin on Monday. Pique, who has previously been jeered on international duty for Spain due to his public stance on Catalan independence, was in the stands to watch Ferrer progress to the second round with a 2-6, 7-6, 6-4 victory over the Russian.

The Barcelona centre-back was not a popular figure at La Caja Magica in the Spanish capital, as he ignored whistles from spectators with Real Madrid allegiances - clearly still angered by his antics in the recent El Clasico defeat.

The boos were towards Pique were so loud that the umpire had to stop play at one stage when the player rose to his feet to show support for Ferrer on his serve. Pique - dressed in a black T-shirt - soon returned to his seat amid cries of 'Hala Madrid!' and a volley of insults directed towards the centre-back putting in no doubt the feelings of the crowd towards the unwelcome presence.

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