Gauff Gives Honest Verdict On Controversial Crowd Debate At Roland Garros

Gauff Gives Honest Verdict On Controversial Crowd Debate At Roland Garros

by Zachary Wimer

Much has been said about the Parisian crowd at this year's Roland Garros, and Coco Gauff shared her thoughts on the whole matter.

A few days ago, noted veteran David Goffin spoke out against the Parisian crowd after enduring over five sets of what he described as abuse. Iga Swiatek didn't have such a dramatic experience with the crowd, but she took issue with it after her match against Naomi Osaka.

It's not a secret that the crowd in Paris is quite rowdy, and sometimes, it gets out of line. Novak Djokovic had a really long response when asked about it, as it's become a big topic this year.

The event organizers also took some measures to defuse the situation, including banning alcohol in the stands, as alcohol isn't quite known to defuse a tense situation.

Gauff, as one of the top players, was also asked about it, and she shared her thoughts on the whole matter. As an American, she's no stranger to crowds, and she likes big crowds who are passionate about the match.

"I like big crowds obviously, and I like when people are passionate about the match. I know sometimes during the point it can be tough when there's crowd noise, and especially when it's unexpected. I think constant noise is better."

"I think to an extent it's tough because you're watching a match at such high stakes, and I see myself as a spectator. Even when I'm watching my little brother play, you want to make a noise. It is tough sometimes. I think for the most part people are respectful to the players."

While some compare the outside courts to the arenas, the American explained the difference, because for the most part, nothing happens, but when it does, it becomes a problem because tennis is generally played in relative silence in those arenas.

When an athlete gets used to it for such a long time, any kind of noise can become distracting. Daniil Medvedev discussed this when he was asked about this situation, Iga Swiatek explained it to the fans on the Court Philippe-Chatrier, and Gauff has the same experience, even though she often plays on the Court Suzanne Lenglen.

"I feel like usually when I play on Lenglen, the crowd is more calm and chill. But for some reason this year, I don't know if the tickets have been changed. I don't know."

"Every time I played there, there was a group of boys, different boys, but all under the age of 12, and they were just cheering super loudly. I actually enjoyed that. And they were respectful to my opponent, which I like when it's like that."

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