French Open issues response after David Goffin makes accusations against partisan crowd
David Goffin claimed that he was disrespected and insulted during his first-round match at the French Open.
French Open organisers have issued a statement after David Goffin accused the crowd of disrespecting and insulting him while he faced a French player on Court 14.
Goffin said “someone spat out their chewing gum at me” when he beat wildcard Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard on Tuesday night.
And the French Tennis Federation has now called for the fans to show respect.
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While the governing body knew that the home fans would cheer on their players, they reminded spectators to follow the rules.
“The public are incredibly enthusiastic, particularly on the outside courts. However, they must of course show full respect to all players while doing so,” their statement read.,
“Oversight bodies are in place to make sure rules are followed. Although it is only natural that fans share their excitement and cheer on their favourites, this may not in any case go against the values of tennis or consideration for the players.”
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It comes after Goffin made strong claims about the fans’ behaviour on Tuesday after beating the recent Lyon Open champion 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-7(4) 6-3. The former world No. 7 put his finger to his ear to rile up the crowd and invoke booing after the three-hour and 31-minute battle.
He later explained that he was just giving it back after enduring a hostile environment for the entire match. “When you are insulted for three and a half hours, you have to tease the public a little. Clearly, it goes too far. It's total disrespect. It's really too much,” he said.
The current world No. 115 claimed that tennis would soon enter football hooliganism territory, adding: “It's becoming football. Soon, there will be smoke bombs, hooligans, and there will be fights in the stands. It's starting to become ridiculous.
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“Some people are there more to cause trouble than to create an atmosphere. Someone spat out their chewing gum at me. It [the match] was getting complicated. That's why I wanted to stay calm. If I started to get angry about it, it could have destabilised me.”
And the Belgian believes it is only an issue at the French Open. “A lot of people are complaining, a lot of umpires feel that there is a lot of disrespect,” he continued.
“This is repeated a lot in the locker room and among the ATP authorities. We're going to have to do something about that. I think it only happens in France. At Wimbledon, obviously, there's not that. Or in Australia either. And at the US Open, it's still rather quiet. Here, it's really an unhealthy atmosphere.”
