Patrick Mouratoglou has shared his opinion on whether tennis fans should be allowed to shout to the extreme in tennis matches amid unruly behavior by some spectators at Roland Garros.
Although crowd engagement creates a fun in-stadium experience, in the last few days, some fans at the French Open have stepped over their boundaries, easily affecting players' concentration on points.
Unwarranted shouting, either before a serve or in the middle of a rally, can also unfairly impact a player, especially in partisan atmospheres where the crowd is cheering a home player.
Shortly after her thrilling second-round win over Naomi Osaka, World No. 1 Iga Swiatek begged the fans not to shout during points because unnecessary noise can be distracting. Mouratoglou echoed the Pole's sentiments but argued that not everyone inside the stadium is familiar with the sport.
"Iga (Swiatek) said that she was not happy with the fact that some people in the crowd were expressing themselves during the rallies. Of course, we ask people not to do it, but not everyone knows tennis, not everyone realizes that it can be disturbing, and not everyone can control themselves during the point."
Moreover, the French coach supported his claim by referring to Stan Wawrinka's second-round match against Pavel Kotov, where excessing shouting created a lively atmosphere, and there was not a single complaint.
David Goffin alleged that he was spat at by a member of the crowd during his five-set win over home wild card Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. He accused the crowd of being disrespectful.
Mourtagolou sympathized with the Belgian and explained that there has to be a limit when a fan's behavior is concerning, and those who abuse their privilege should be warned and thrown outside the stadium.
"They're excited, and in a way, it's cool. There is a great atmosphere. During the match between Stan Wawrinka and Kotov, a lot of times the crowd shouted during the rally nobody complained. Now, what I agree with in the comment of David Goffin is that there have to be limits, of course."
"We can't let people spit on players or throw their chewing gums or whatever. This is completely crossing the line, and now I think in the stadiums, there need to be some people. Their job is to see if some people are crossing the lines, and if they are, they have to be warmed straight away."
"And if they continue, then they have to be taken out of the stadium. Probably the fans are getting more and more engaged, and I see it as a fantastic thing, and I hope it's going to continue that way, but shouting being extreme in supporting your player shouldn't be a problem."
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