Quote of the Day: Iga Swiatek tells fans “Quiet, s'il vous plaît” at Roland Garros - Tennis Magazine

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Wednesday, May 29, 2024

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After David Goffin called out a fan who “spat out their chewing gum” in his direction during a match, a growing number of players are saying they too have had enough of the hostile treatment in Paris.

ByBaseline Staff

Published May 30, 2024

© Sipa USA

One of the best WTA matches of the year unfolded in breathtaking fashion on Wednesday at Roland Garros, as four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka faced two-time defending champion Iga Swiatek in the second round.

The high-stakes meeting between the current and former world No. 1s was exciting enough on its own, but on more than one occasion it was nearly derailed by rowdy fans on Court Philippe Chatrier who wanted to be part of the action—yet another example of the “hooligans” who are increasingly going “too far” at this year’s tournament.

Read more: For Ben Shelton, facing a French player in Paris felt like 'playing in the SEC'

From their repetitive chanting to their relentless whistling, Parisian crowds have long presented one of the mental biggest challenges in tennis for non-French players. It’s even worse for the unlucky ones drawn to face a home player—as an amused Ben Shelton recently found out after being subjected to cursing, heckling and a ‘football’-like atmosphere in his win against Hugo Gaston.

Top seed Swiatek gestures during her match against Osaka at Roland Garros, where she pleaded with fans to support players "between the rallies but not during."

© Sipa USA

But it’s never felt quite this unfriendly at Roland Garros before, and now a growing number of players are saying that they’ve had enough of the downright hostile treatment.

Yesterday, David Goffin revealed that he was “insulted for three and a half hours” by fans on Court 14, and called out one fan who allegedly even “spat out their chewing gum” in his direction during his victory against French wildcard Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in what the Belgian player called “total disrespect”.

"It's total disrespect."

David Goffin said someone spit gum at him during his first round match. Have the French crowds gone too far?#TheBreakTC | #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/5VVQaJQl9F

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) May 29, 2024

On Wednesday evening in Paris, it was world No. 1 Swiatek who hit her breaking point after multiple interruptions to what was quickly becoming an instant classic against Osaka. Despite chair umpire Aurelie Tourte’s numerous pleas for silence, fans continued to cry out between serves and even during points.

After securing her 7-6 (1), 1-6, 7-5 victory over Osaka, had a strong message as she called for respect—and a bit of quiet, please—for players who are simply trying to put on a show:

IGA: SWIATEK: I’m sorry to even bring (this up)... I have huge respect for you guys and I know that we are basically playing for you, because this is entertainment. We’re also earning money because you.

But sometimes, under a lot of pressure, when you scream something during the rally or right before the return, it’s really, really hard to be focused.

I usually don’t bring this up, because I want to be the kind of player that’s in the zone and really focused… But guys, this is serious for us. We’re fighting our whole lives to be better and better… The stakes are big, there’s a lot of money here to win, so losing even a few points may change a lot.

Please, guys, if you can just support us between the rallies but not during… that would be really, really amazing.

WATCH: Match of the year? Iga Swiatek saves match point, edges Naomi Osaka in Roland Garros second round

Swiatek’s words were met with loud applause by the hundreds of other fans on Court Philippe-Chatrier who appreciated the players’ performance, one of the blockbuster early matchups of the women’s event.

With her victory over Osaka, the Pole extended her Roland Garros winning streak to 16 matches in a row as she moved into the third round. She awaits the winner of Jana Fett and Marie Bouzkova next, after their match was suspended due to rain and rescheduled for Thursday.

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