"People show up drunk to those matches" - Ben Shelton on French Open 2024 crowd being lot less rowdy compared to college tennis spectators
Ben Shelton talked about the French Open crowd and pointed out that there is stark contrast in behavior between the spectators at Roland Garros and those at college tennis matches. He also stated that the fans at the clay court Major were more composed and respectful, in contrast to the rowdy and often intoxicated fans at college tennis events.
Seeded 15th, Shelton advanced to the third round at the French Open after his second-round opponent, Kei Nishikori, retired from the match due to an injury, with the scoreline at the time was 7-6 (7), 6-4, 0-0 ret.
During the post-match press conference, the World No.15 was asked about the alcohol ban that was put in place at Roland Garros following an incident where fans booed Belgian David Goffin and threw chewing gum at him after he defeated French wildcard Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round. He was also questioned about his experience with the crowd at the tournament .
Ben Shelton addressed the alcohol ban by mentioning that some spectators in the stands, particularly who were present during his first-round match, would not pleased. He noted that the crowd was just as loud as the fans at Goffin's match.
"Well, I'm sure a few people who've been in the stands, especially at my first match, are going to be unhappy when that comes out. I don't know; I've seen all the talks about whether it's a good thing or bad for the sport turning into football," Shelton said [at 4:30].
The World No. 15 revealed that he was accustomed to rowdy crowds as he had transitioned to the professional tour after playing college tennis where spectators were often unruly due to being drunk.
"Obviously, I'm a lot different than a lot of the pros out here because I played college tennis, which pretty much means anything goes. A lot of people show up drunk to those matches, and they can say absolutely anything they want. So what I hear out here obviously it's a lot more people, but it's a lot less than what I've dealt with in the past," he added [at 4:48].
Despite the disorderly behavior, Ben Shelton expressed that he preferred to play in packed stadiums compared to playing in a silent venue as it added excitement to the sport.
"I think it brings a little bit of excitement to the sport. That's the moment that people want to see; that's the court that you want to go to. You want to go see the court where there's tons of noise, not the one that's completely silent," Ben Shelton continued [at 5:09].
Shelton stated that while he enjoyed the energy of a full stadium, the challenges that came with having fans in such close proximity to the players was "tricky", referencing the incident involving David Goffin.
"But I see both sides of it because it can also get dangerous when some of these stands have people so close to the players. And in a situation like [David] Goffin, he said they were throwing things at him; then that gets a little bit tricky," he said [at 5:24].
Ben Shelton will face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the third round of French Open 2024
Ben Shelton will go up against the 21st seed, Felix Auger-Aliassime, in the third round of the 2024 French Open.
Shelton kicked off his campaign at Roland Garros by defeating Hugo Gaston 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in the first round . He then overcame former World No.4 Kei Nishikori to advance to the third round.
Meanwhile, Auger-Aliassime began his campaign in Paris by defeating Yoshihito Nishioka 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 in the first round, followed by a victory over Henri Squire with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to secure his spot in the third round.
This upcoming match between Ben Shelton and Felix Auger-Aliassime at the French Open will mark their first-ever meeting on the ATP Tour. The winner of this match will go on to face either third seed Carlos Alcaraz or 27th seed Sebastian Korda in the fourth round.