American Taylor Fritz has received a reminder of how brutal the Roland Garros crowd can be, when he was booed for minutes, after ending the run of the last local man standing at the French Open.
Sustained boos and whistles rained down from the Court Philippe Chatrier stands, after the American shushed the fans repeatedly, beating Arthur Rinderknech in four sets under the lights.
As he prepared for his post-match interview, Fritz kept his cool, as he came under fire, barely able to exchange words with courtside interviewer Marion Bartoli.
"I'm sorry, I actually can't hear you," he told the former Wimbledon champion. "The crowd was so great honestly... that I had to let it fire me up.
"They cheered so well for me, I wanted to make sure I won," he added, after ending the French presence in the Roland Garros singles draws by beating the last home favourite.
The crowd is fickle, corporate seats are often empty at lunchtime, but when a French player needs support, spectators turn the usually quiet courts into a wild arena and the claycourt Grand Slam provides an atmosphere unmatched at other majors.
This is exactly what Fritz - like others before him - experienced in his match against Rinderknech.
When the crowd picks on a player, it can become exceptionally unsettling, as Martina Hingis notoriously experienced in the 1999 final against Steffi Graf.
Booed and jeered by the fans, after disputing a line call at 6-4 2-0 up, the Swiss lost her composure and the contest, before being booed again after matchpoint.
Reuters
