(TargetLiberty.org) – French Open organizers have stated that following the rowdy behavior of fans at the stands one of the four Grand Slam tournaments has selected to completely ban alcohol sales.
Amelia Mauresmo, the tournament director, reportedly stated that alcohol consumption at the stands was previously authorized but that it would no longer be. She noted that in order to showcase further respect for the game and the players they would be stricter moving forward.
This latest decision is the result of the behavior exhibited by the crowd during the first week of the tournament at the Roland Garros Stadium.
On Wednesday, Belgian David Goffin revealed that during his match against France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, where he had a five-set victory, one fan had spat gum at him.
On Wednesday Iga Swiatek, the No. 1 women’s player, had also called for fans to stay quiet during points in her match against Naomi Osaka.
Mauresmo argued that the decision to ban drinking is so they can ensure that the fans’ behavior is more respectful. As she argued this was something they were unwilling to tolerate and that while there were only a few individuals who were overstepping it was necessary for security purposes for them to be able to determine which people were causing trouble.
On Thursday a U.S. Open spokesperson had put out a statement noting that currently they were not planning on banning alcohol during the 2024 US Open. The tournament is scheduled to take place in late August to early Septemeber in Queens, New York.
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