Novak Djokovic hit out at disrespectful French tennis fans – now it’s time to take action
Tennis players will never say this publicly, but they must all dread the prospect of playing in front of a French crowd.
Even before a ball is struck at the French Open or the Paris Masters, you can rest assured that some clown in the stands will desperately try to draw attention to himself by mimicking the trumpet in the Spanish bullfight song pasodobles españoles and hoping the fans around him cheer when he has done his party piece.
Tragically, plenty join in and give a big cheer to encourage more of the same during the warm-up and time and again during the match, often when the players are preparing to serve.
We then have the bizarre spectacle of fans screaming at players who dare to conduct even the most polite conversation with a chair umpire and if you happen to be playing a French player in Paris, you can expect to be jeered for daring to beat him.
This is nothing new.
Tennis fans in France have always been disrespectful towards players and downright rude in their antics in the stands, with Novak Djokovic a big enough name to stand up to the madness when he made these comments at the French Open last summer.
They are very passionate fans,” Djokovic said of the Roland-Garros crowds last summer.
“At times they are not easy, and I have been having some love affairs with the fans here, and also some tough matches, some tough seasons.
“I have experienced both sides. Obviously, you always want to be the one that they support or at least have a neutral atmosphere, but it’s not always possible for that to happen, in particular, when you’re playing against a French player like I did in the first round.
“That’s where you have to just be aware that you’re going into a big battle; not just with your opponent.”
“Of course, they do everything to support their own home favourites, their own countrymen and countrywoman to win, particularly if they are underdogs,” said Djokovic.
“On the outside courts, I saw highlights of (David) Goffin’s match and that they can be even more loud and inappropriate at times. It’s part of what we do; it’s part of sport.
“We are different from football or basketball, but at the same time, you want a good atmosphere as a player. I really want to see fans cheering, and I want to see that atmosphere.
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“Wimbledon is different. Obviously, Wimbledon has its history, culture and tradition.
“Most of the other tournaments you really want to see fans cheering and chanting songs for their player or country; that’s beautiful to experience. It’s a fine line when it starts becoming disrespectful towards the player.
“I support a player standing up, you know, against people who are disrespecting and heckling him.
“It’s not always possible to tolerate. Of course, it’s very much needed, because you don’t want to be spending unnecessary energy elsewhere. But, you know, at times you just have to face somebody that is heckling you.”
Every tennis fan who isn’t French would agree with you Novak!
Time and again, umpires are being forced to plead with fans to respect players and refrain from screaming as they are about to serve, with the disrespect reaching shameful levels in the final moments of Ugo Humbert’s win against Carlos Alcaraz.
Supporting French player Humbert is to be expected, but the closing moments of the match were played amid a chaotic atmosphere that was not befitting what should be a great occasion, with idiotic calls from the stands possibly fuelled by spectators who should have stopped drinking beer many hours before.
While we don’t want tennis fans to sit on their hands paralysed with fear about moving from their seats during a match, screaming when a player is about to serve or trying to become the star of the show by chanting their annoying bullfighter’s cry is childish and annoying.
Tennis players are doing their job when they are on the court, so umpires and security officials in French tennis stadiums should get tough with those who attend the event merely to try and steal the show for themselves by screaming nonsense when it is not needed.
They could give one warning and when the next incident inevitably occurs moments later, throw them out.
If three or four of them are frogmarched out of the stadium, those who have paid for tickets may well have second thoughts about joining them in taking a walk of shame alongside a security guard.
France is fortunate to have a Grand Slam and a Masters tournament in Paris every year, but the spectators who trying to turn themselves into the stars of the show are helping to cement the negative reputation French tennis fans have earned over many years.
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