Taylor Fritz’s unruly booing by the French Open crowd labelled as ‘great atmosphere’ by director Amelie Mauresmo

Mauresmo believes the French Open crowd brought life to the tournament

Taylor Fritz’s unruly booing by the French Open crowd labelled as ‘great atmosphere’ by director Amelie Mauresmo

Amelie Mauresmo and Taylor Fritz (Image via Sky Sports and Eurosport)

The 2023 French Open was an amazing spectacle of high-quality tennis. Novak Djokovic made history by winning his 23rd Grand Slam. He also knocked world no. 1 Carlos Alcaraz out of the event.

In the women’s draw, Iga Swiatek won her fourth Grand Slam at the age of 22. However, there were a few controversial moments over the fortnight. A lot of that had to do with the crowd that came to cheer for the players.

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One thing that was seen was the crowd often booed players. Many players weren’t pleased with that and had complained to the authorities. However that didn’t stop the crowd. One of the instances of the crowd going too far with their boos was in the third round match between American Taylor Fritz and Argentine Francisco Cerundolo. The American had made sure he complained and had clearly said that he was unimpressed with the crowd behaviour and didn’t approve of it.

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Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo when questioned about the crowd behaviour had this to say. “There is only this evening, or maybe I have missed some, but I don’t think so, there was this famous night when people were going too far. Everybody was really warmed up on the stands, as well. Well, there you go.
But apart from that episode, honestly, I think it’s fantastic to have such an atmosphere. The atmosphere during the quallies, also continues and reach the main draw, and even on Court 14. And after the first week in the main draw, that’s fabulous.” She did acknowledge the Fritz booing, however she also praised the crowd saying that such atmospheres are needed in sport to make it lively.

Related: Novak Djokovic already eyeing the Calendar Slam in hunger for more success following the French Open title

Wimbledon promises another spicy interaction between crowd and players

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Wimbledon crowd (Image via The Telegraph)

Wimbledon is the most prestigious tournament of the year. However, there will be a few uneasy moments when Russian and Belarusian players take to the courts. The players from these two countries will take part in the event after a year’s gap.

For those uninitiated, they weren’t allowed to participate in the 2022 edition as Wimbledon didn’t approve of their actions in Ukraine. To make it fair, they removed ranking points from Wimbledon last year. Moreover, everything is normal this time around, and it will be interesting to see how the crowds will welcome the Russian and Belarusian players. Will they be hostile or welcoming? All the players will hope for is that they don’t face the unnecessary wild booing that they faced in Paris. They would want the crowd to be more supportive and encouraging.

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