Tennis Stars Back French Open Booze Ban in Light of Rowdy Fan Behavior and ‘Personal Abuse’

The French Open imposed a booze ban after David Goffin claims a fan spat gum at him. (Photo: AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

The Daily Mail reported on Friday that tennis stars like Liam Broady expressed approval after the French Open decided to ban booze earlier this week.

Broady expressed to the outlet that some spectators don’t go to watch the game of tennis, but to “go for a drink with their mates and see which players they can rattle.”

Players expressed incidents of abuse in the past, but what appeared to be the last straw was when a fan spat chewing gum in the face of tennis player David Goffin during his match with Giovanni Mpteshi Perricard.

“A lot of players have said it’s been like that for a few years since COVID,” Broady said, according to The Independent. “I’ve had all sorts there, personal abuse. You try and laugh it off. But it’s difficult because you’ve only got 15 or 20 seconds between points and you’ve got a nine-year-old kid telling you what’s going to happen and insulting you. It’s a different experience.”

Broady then expressed to The Daily Mail that he had to ask for a group of fans to be removed from the event after being heckled.

The BBC reported on Wednesday about the incident with Goffin after the Belgian tennis player beat France’s Giovani Mpteshi Perricard to a chorus of boos from the crowd. The tennis player cupped his ear in response.

“When you are insulted for three and a half hours, you have to annoy the public a little,” Goffin expressed to Belgian media, per The BBC.

As things escalated, Goffin said an individual from the crowd spat gum at him. Despite the act of disrespect, the athlete kept his cool.

“If I started to get angry about it, it could destabilize me,” Goffin said.

That appeared to be the flashpoint for Tournament Director Amélie Mauresmo to impose the alcohol ban.

Experts Say People Are ‘More Disrespectful’ After COVID-19

In August, The Guardian reported that tennis matches aren’t the only places where bad behavior is prevalent — concerts are also rife with disrespectful spectators.

Music industry professionals claim bad behavior is now “the new norm” and singers have experienced dangerous items being thrown at them by rowdy fans as they perform.

Harry Styles was hit in the eye when a fan threw candy at him in Vienna. Bebe Rexha had to get hospitalized and get stitches after a fan threw a cell phone at her during her show in New York, and Pink was shocked when a fan threw their mother’s ashes on stage during the middle of her set.

At the Bebe Rexha concert, the man who threw the phone at the artist was asked why he would do such a thing and he explained he thought it was “funny.”

Cardi B took matters into her own hands after a fan threw a drink at her and threw a microphone into the crowd. Though the fan pressed charges, they ultimately dropped them.

CBS News reported in October that experts have confirmed that people are more disrespectful than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sociology and Anthropology Professor at the University of P.E.I. Charles Adeyanju claimed that the public is experiencing a collective form of anxiety. Other experts have said the pandemic conditioned individuals to “police” other people’s behavior, making us notice rude behavior even more in wake of the health catastrophe.

“We got used to policing people’s actions during COVID, we got used to policing whether people were following the procedures, whether they were violating quarantine, if they’re wearing a mask,” Dalhousie University Assistant Sociology Professor Michael Halpin said, according to CBS. “We’ve been kind of taught to monitor people’s behavior in a different way.”

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