They delay the start of a game, don’t let you serve, keep trying to distract you between serves," Munar slams Parisian crowd
After his five-set defeat against Arthur Fils, Munar reflected on the match circumstances in an interview reported by *L'Équipe*. First, the Spaniard commented on the Frenchman’s injury:
"His stoppage, everyone knows it was due to cramps. It shouldn’t happen like that, he shouldn’t have stopped. I don’t think it influenced the match. [...] But the intensity with which he played the last games says it all. If you have a back injury, it stays there all the time. I know what cramps are like: after five minutes, they pass because you relax, you’re no longer competitive, then you recover emotionally and feel fine again. I know how it works."
Next, the 28-year-old player criticized the behavior of the French crowd, particularly those on the Suzanne-Lenglen court:
"I have no problem with people cheering for the other player, shouting—I’m prepared for that. In South America, they’re also very tough. But what I consider a total lack of respect, and it happens often here, is not stopping the chants, interrupting the game, which can’t proceed normally. It should also be remembered that we’re here to do our job. It’s great that they’re involved, but it can’t be a circus. Without a doubt.
This is the most disruptive crowd, clearly. They sing the anthem until the end, even if it delays the start of a game, don’t let you serve, keep doing silly things to distract you between serves. Whether I double-fault or not is my fault, not theirs, but it would be nice if the game could continue normally. Imagine if now, in a press conference, someone shouted and kept me from answering. That would be absurd.
At the US Open, it’s a total spectacle, but people experience it more as spectators, not with excessive fanaticism. This year, I played a great match against Fritz in Miami. The crowd supported him from start to finish, and it didn’t bother me for a second. In Australia, it’s a bit similar. But I think here, in France, the flag weighs 'too heavily,' and sometimes there are no limits. I don’t like saying this, but I think they could calm down a bit and let the game proceed normally.
