WATCH: Maria Sharapova screaming at jeering French Open fans resurfaces in light of recent debate over unruly crowd behavior at Roland Garros
In light of the recent complaints against the French Open crowd, an instance of Maria Sharapova yelling at them has resurfaced. Sharapova, known for her trademark shrieking, seemed to have annoyed the fans at the 2008 Slam during her round of 16 clash with Dinara Safina.
The two were evenly matched after two sets at the Court Suzanne Lenglen, with both going into tie-breakers. Safina got the better of Sharapova comfortably in the third set, winning 6-7(6), 7-6(5), 6-2.
Throughout the match, Sharapova's shrieking was at an all-time high. Fans at the court were not pleased with it. Watch her screaming at the jeering crowd in the third set below:
After the match, she had bemoaned her interaction with the crowd.
"I can't please everyone," Sharapova said (via CBC). "It's not in my job description. I'm an athlete, and I go out there and fight my heart out. They paid the ticket to watch me, so they must appreciate me on some level, right?"
In the 2024 edition of the Paris Slam, there have been similar complaints from players regarding the crowd. Belgian David Goffin revealed that one of the members of the crowd spat a chewing gum at him.
Goffin was up against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round of the 2024 French Open. The Belgian won the match after five sets but the Frenchman's home crowd was unhappy. They jeered at him and Goffin felt that it was disrespectful.
A day later, defending champion Iga Swiatek complained about the crowd. The Pole faced Naomi Osaka in a blockbuster second-round match at the Court Philippe Chatrier where she was 5-2 down in the deciding set. The World No. 1 showed her grit to win five games in a row and advance to the third round nonetheless.
During her post-match speech, she respectfully asked the crowd to not shout during the rallies. She was losing her focus because of the noise from fans.
French Open director Amelie Mauresmo bans alcohol consumption in the stands in light of unruly fan behaviour
After complaints about unruly crowd behavior were received, French Open director Amelie Mauresmo released a new directive. A ban was placed on alcohol consumption in the stands.
Consumption of alcohol will still be allowed around the ground but will be prohibited in the stands.
“Alcohol was allowed until now in the stands – not in all the stands – that’s over,” Mauresmo said.
“There are a few people who cross the line. Yet I want to be uncompromising about respect for the players and the game. I’ve given instructions to the umpires that they should be hyper-reactive so that they can control the court, if, for example, there are [shouts] between the first and second serves," Mauresmo told media on Thursday (via Tennis Majors).