Dan Evans says calling French Open fans ‘hooligans’ is ‘laughable’

PARIS — British tennis player Dan Evans is surprised at complaints about the crowd at the French Open and said calling them “hooligans” is “laughable.”

Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo announced Thursday that alcohol would no longer be permitted in the stands during matches at Roland Garros after players spoke out about crowd behavior.

On Tuesday, David Goffin said a spectator spat chewing gum at him and that he feared it would descend to “smoke bombs, hooligans and fights in the stands.” Iga Swiatek, the world No. 1, pleaded with the crowd to stay quiet during points after her second-round win over Naomi Osaka on Wednesday.

In addition to her decision to ban alcohol from the stands, Mauresmo has since asked security to step up measures against any troublemakers.

Evans, who plays doubles with Andy Murray on Friday at Roland Garros, has been surprised by players complaining about the crowd, fearing it may have long-term repercussions for the sport.

“I’m surprised at the reaction of some players to the crowd,” Evans told The Times. “We have to be careful what we are saying about the spectators and asking them not to drink or get too excited. They will start thinking, ‘What’s the point?’ The atmosphere here is one of the best. They are passionate and go crazy for this. There are kids everywhere loving tennis. Now we are telling them to stop.

“The spectators pay hard-earned money to come here, and for some players to tell them to stop being so loud … come on, this is sport. We want the crowd to be into it. To call them hooligans is just laughable.”

While Goffin doubled down on his comments after his second-round exit to Alexander Zverev on Thursday, Sebastian Korda was less enthusiastic about the move to tighten up on spectator behavior.

“That they’re not smashing booze out there? I’ve played in Australia on one of their brand-new courts that has a bar right next to it,” Korda said. “It wasn’t a fun experience. I’ve heard some stuff that weren’t very nice.

“I think [spectators] should do whatever they want, but hopefully not get too rowdy out there.”