Crowd-sourced mayhem: Has this Roland Garros become the Acting-Out Grand Slam?

The French have always been paragons of sophistication and they’ve never shied away from letting you know it. They have the finest wine, the most cerebral writers, luxurious scarves, and the Mona Lisa, not to mention the stinkiest cheese, and—d’accord!—those Repetto ballet flats. But that only makes their obsession with homegrown tennis players and the rowdy and even hostile partisan fans who love them a little puzzling.

Enthusiastic fans are a staple at every major, but this Roland Garros has become the Acting-Out Grand Slam. And not everyone is amused.

Read More: Sacré bleu! Roland Garros bans alcohol in the stands after fans were called out for rowdiness

“Clearly, it goes too far, it’s total disrespect,” veteran ATP pro David Goffin told reporters after hanging a second-round five-set loss on French wild card Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. Goffin said one fan had even spat chewing gum at him. “It’s really too much. It’s becoming football, soon there will be smoke bombs, hooligans and there will be fights in the stands.

"It’s starting to become ridiculous. Some people are there more to cause trouble than to create an atmosphere.”

WATCH: "Totally Disrespectful" - David Goffin criticizes rowdy French crowd | The Break

These things happen at many events, and they’re usually isolated incidents. But there’s been a pattern developing at this tournament. “Yeah, it's tough,” Tomas Martin Etchevery said, after throttling local hope Arthur Cazaux in the second round. “It's tough every moment, you know. It's incredible to play against this crowd. ...I felt the same before in Chile also, in Brazil [it’s] like that.”

Goffin, a French-speaker from nearby Belgium, claimed that the situation is coming to a head: “A lot of people are complaining. A lot of umpires feel that there is a lot of disrespect. This is repeated a lot in the locker room and among the ATP authorities. We’re going to have to do something about that. ...Here [at Roland-Garros], it’s really an unhealthy atmosphere.”

Not every player is like Ben Shelton of the US, who was marinated in heckling and taunting while competing in college on behalf of the University of Florida. Shelton was unfazed by the rambunctious French contingent—known as “the blues (or “bleus” if you happen to speak French)—during his first-round win over Frenchman Hugo Gaston. In fact, he said he enjoyed the atmosphere and was “motivated” by the jeering and barracking for his opponent. “You know, you play in the SEC (the collegiate Southeastern Conference), and all bets are off,” he said.

True, but this is Paris, right?

A lot of people are complaining. A lot of umpires feel that there is a lot of disrespect. This is repeated a lot in the locker room and among the ATP authorities. We’re going to have to do something about that. ...Here, it’s really an unhealthy atmosphere. David Goffin speaks about unruly fans at Roland Garros

More than anything, the behavior of the French crowd points to the underlying frustration felt by nationals who have produced a steady stream of elite, skilled and creative players only to see them go flat as corked wine at the majors. The nation hasn’t celebrated a native-born Grand Slam singles champion on home ground since Yannick Noah’s magical mystery tour of 1983. Small wonder, then, that the fans appear committed to dragging their compatriots over the finish line at every opportunity—no matter what it takes, or how remote the chances.

Ironically, the gusto with which the French put their thumbs on the scale only increases the pressure load on the players, any of whom will tell you that away games are always less stressful. Ugo Humbert, whose respectable No. 16 ranking leads the French men, lost in round one this year to unseeded Lorenzo Sonego. Caroline Garcia, who’s been ranked as high as No. 4 (in 2018), has not been as far as the third round at her home Slam since 2020. She was beaten in the second round this year by Sofia Kenin. It’s another grim start for the home team.

But there’s also an up-side to the desperation exhibited by the Blues (so named for the color of the seats on the outside courts), or any other nation’s manic partisans. Most players are thankful for validation by fans. Over time, expressing love for a home crowd has become an act that makes its own gravy. The platitudes are so common that acknowledging crowd support can seem like a pleasant but empty public relations exercise. But it’s much more than that. It can tilt a level playing field.

“In a match it [crowd support] helps you amazingly,” Gael Monfils, an idol at home in France, said after he won his opener. “You necessarily get all of the positive energy and adrenaline. When you have more adrenaline you feel like a conqueror, and you're more engaged in your shots and you have an energy boost. That's exceptional.”

Understandably, the French players have no problem with the high jinks of their supporters. It would seem treasonous if they did. “Yeah, the crowd was very loud during all the match,” Cazaux said, “In the fourth set I had, like, a second breath due to the crowd, so thanks to them.”

Kristina Mladenovic described crowd support as “Something that’s very dear to you.”

Historically, decorum has been a prized feature of Grand Slam events. The crowds at the majors tend to be more knowledgeable and ticket prices weed out the uncommitted. But tradition and codes of conduct among fans as well as players is generally on the wane. At Roland Garros, visiting players tasked with battling erstwhile local heroes are not the only ones having to contend with disruptive fans.

Read More: Quote of the Day: Iga Swiatek tells fans “Quiet, s’il vous plaît” at Roland Garros

After No. 1 ranked Iga Swiatek defeated Naomi Osaka in a second-round match, the winner politely chided fans in her on-court interview for calling out and shouting during points—causing her to miss at least one shot. Later, she told reporters that disruptions occurred a number of times, particularly when she was returning serve. “That’s why I wanted to speak out about it,” Swiatek said, “because if it would happen [just] one time, I would just let it go.”

“I know the French crowd is enthusiastic," she added. "But for now in tennis we have these kinds of rules. I know that French crowds can be kind of harsh, I don’t know if that (speaking out publicly) was a good decision or not, but I hope they can treat me as a human and just kind of work on it.”

All in all, that doesn’t seem like a bad idea at all.