French Open Bans Alcohol Consumption in Stands After Various Fan Disruptions

After players voiced concerns about fan disruptions during the French Open this week, the tournament has decided to ban alcohol consumption in the stands.

Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo announced the decision on Thursday after World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and David Goffin both complained about fan interruptions early in the tournament. Fans can still drink alcohol on tournament grounds, just not in the stands while watching a match.

Swiatek’s comments went viral on Wednesday after her intense three-set match vs. Naomi Osaka. The reigning French Open champion begged fans to quiet down during the points and to save the chants and celebrating for in-between points.

“Sometimes under a lot of pressure when you scream something during the rally or right before the return, it’s really, really hard to be focused,” Swiatek said. “This is serious for us. We are fighting our whole lives to be better and better. Sometimes it’s hard to accept that. The stakes are big. There is a lot of money to win. The few points may change a lot. So please, guys, if you can support us between the rallies, not during, that would be really, really amazing.”

Goffin faced Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in a five-set match. While tensions were obviously high, a fan spit out his gum at Goffin. The Belgian tennis player complained about the high volume noise during the match, too.

“When you are insulted for 3½ hours, you have to tease the public a little,” Goffin said. “Clearly, it goes too far, it’s total disrespect. It’s really too much. It’s becoming football. Soon there will be smoke bombs, hooligans and fights in the stands. It’s starting to become ridiculous. Some people are there more to cause trouble than to create an atmosphere.”

Security is expected to be more strict with the new rule implemented at Roland Garros.