'You have to deal with it': Arthur Fils defends French fans amidst Jaume Munar's 'disrespectful' crowd claims

Arthur Fils came to the defense of French tennis fans after his hard-fought victory against Jaume Munar at Roland Garros. The Spaniard had strong complaints about the crowd's "disrespectful" behavior during what ended up being a 7-6, 7-6, 2-6, 0-6, 6-4 win for the French No. 1.

The atmosphere in tennis is undoubtedly different from other sports; for example, silence is kept during points, which doesn't happen in disciplines like football. However, that doesn't mean the crowd isn't loud, especially when local players are involved. In those cases, we see more noise between serves and more euphoria if a home player wins a point, which is what happened in the match between Arthur Fils and Jaume Munar.

The Spaniard (who was mounting a comeback) described the French crowd's behavior as an "absolute lack of respect" due to uninterrupted chanting, which, according to Munar, prevented the game from progressing. French fans have been criticized multiple times for the interruptions they cause to opposing players when facing locals.

But Arthur Fils came out in defense of his compatriots and their behavior in the match. "If they make a bit of noise before serving, of course it’s a bit annoying for the opponent. But you have to deal with it, right?" The Frenchman also mentioned that he dealt with a similar situation but didn't complain about it: "When I went to Brazil, I played Fonseca. I didn’t complain about the audience."

The world No. 14 also defended his home crowd when asked to evaluate their behavior, which some might consider unruly. "Compared to the football crowds here, it’s nothing. When you see the crowds the NBA or NFL has, it’s nothing. The atmosphere is crazy, but it’s okay. It’s disciplined."

Furthermore, regarding fan behavior in matches involving a compatriot, Fils commented, "When you go to Australia and you play Australians or when you go to New York and you play Americans and the guys scream in your ears for 3 or 4 hours, what can you do? You can’t complain about the crowd. You don’t have a choice. You know it’s there. So I think that the French crowd is one of the best if not the best, and it will stay that way."

Arthur Fils' next challenge at the French Open will be in the third round, where he will face Andrey Rublev.