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Tom Hamilton, Senior Writer
PARIS — Spectators will not be allowed to drink alcohol in the stands at Roland Garros after crowd trouble during the opening rounds of the French Open.
Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo addressed the crackdown on fan behavior Thursday after both David Goffin and Iga Swiatek had issues with spectators during their matches, including Goffin saying a spectator spat chewing gum at him in his first-round win over France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
“Alcohol was allowed until now in the stands — not in all the stands — that’s over,” Mauresmo said. “If they exceed the limit, if they don’t behave well or if they throw things at the players, that’s it.”
Spectators can still drink in the concourses and areas around the stands, just not next to the court — unlike the three other Grand Slams. This is one tactic as Mauresmo and the French Open tighten security measures at Roland Garros.
“First of all, we are happy that people are very enthusiastic about watching tennis, about being part of the matches, about feeling emotions and showing emotions,” Mauresmo said. “But yes, definitely there are steps that they shouldn’t go further [than].
“So few things have been put in place: First of all, the umpires really going to be even more strict to further respect the players and respect the game. This is something that we’re not going to tolerate, to overstep these two things. That’s for sure. So umpires have quite an important role in this matter. And definitely in terms of security, we’re going to try to see which people … are overstepping. So these individuals … try to calm them down or they go out. If they go too far, they go out.”
Mauresmo left the option open for further measures if these initial steps don’t improve the atmosphere on court.
“Let’s see how it goes with the [umpires] being a little bit more strict. Let’s see how it goes with the security being also a little bit more strict,” she said. “And I don’t want to be negative and I’m an optimist. I’m really trying to see that people are going to react in a good way and that it’s going to be OK, and if it’s not, we will take other the measures.”
Goffin said after his first-round match that the behavior in the stands was becoming “ridiculous.”
“When you are insulted for 3½ hours, you have to tease the public a little,” Goffin told Belgian media. “Clearly, it goes too far, it’s total disrespect. It’s really too much. It’s becoming football. Soon there will be smoke bombs, hooligans and fights in the stands. It’s starting to become ridiculous. Some people are there more to cause trouble than to create an atmosphere.”
Swiatek, after her second-round win over Naomi Osaka, pleaded with the crowd to stay quiet during points.
“Sometimes under a lot of pressure when you scream something during the rally or right before the return, it’s really, really hard to be focused,” Swiatek said on court. “This is serious for us. We are fighting our whole lives to be better and better. Sometimes it’s hard to accept that. The stakes are big. There is a lot of money to win. The few points may change a lot.
“So please, guys, if you can support us between the rallies, not during, that would be really, really amazing.”
Mauresmo also announced that play would start at 10 a.m. local time Friday — an hour earlier than normal on the outside courts — with an extra match taking place on Court Philippe-Chatrier as they seek to get the schedule back on track after rain delays.