"The French crowd is one of the best, if not the best," Fils responds to Munar after their Roland-Garros clash
This Thursday, Arthur Fils and Jaume Munar delivered a high-quality match on Court Suzanne-Lenglen. In an intense battle, the 20-year-old Frenchman, struggling with back pain and physical exhaustion in the third and fourth sets, ultimately found the physical and mental strength to defeat the Spaniard (7-6, 7-6, 2-6, 0-6, 6-4 in 4h25).
In an exceptional atmosphere, Fils secured his place in the third round, where he will face Andrey Rublev on Saturday. After the match, Munar, eliminated in a nail-biting finish, had criticized the behavior of the French crowd during the match.
"It's the most annoying crowd, clearly. They keep singing the anthem until the very end, even if it delays the start of a game, they don’t let you serve, and they keep doing silly things to distract you between serves.
Whether I double fault or not, it’s my fault, not theirs, but it would be nice if the game could proceed normally. Imagine if, right now in this press conference, someone started shouting and prevented me from answering.
That would be insane," lamented the world No. 57. These criticisms were addressed by Fils shortly afterward during his press conference.
"Undisciplined? That’s a strong word. When you see football crowds, this is nothing in comparison. When you see NBA or NFL crowds, this is nothing. The atmosphere is crazy, but it’s tennis.
If they make a bit of noise before serving, it’s always a bit irritating for the opponent, but you have to deal with it—there’s no choice. When I went to Brazil and played against Fonseca, I didn’t complain about the crowd.
When you go to Australia and play against Australians, or when you go to New York and play against Americans, the guys are screaming in your ears for 3-4 hours—what are you going to do?
You’re not going to complain about the crowd. Personally, I think the French crowd is one of the best, if not the best, and it will stay that way," Fils explained to Tennis Actu TV.
Comparing apples to oranges. Tennis players listen to the way the ball is hit. The sound gives some information as to how it was hit. Even if just passively, they're still tuned in. No such thing in basketball or football. The tennis hooligans need to lay off the booze and keep their traps shut.
Fils was a 14 seed playing against an unseeded player, yet he feels he needs help from the crowd? And then encourages them to continue to be hooligans with "...the French crowd is one of the best, if not the best, and it will stay that way," Well, I guess he knows if Rublev plays well he's going to be sent packing and needs all the help he can get.