Liam Broady agrees with French Open alcohol ban and thinks some fans will ‘shake players’ over ‘personal violence’

Liam Broady has admitted the French Open crowds have “gone out of control” as he reacted to the new alcohol ban at the tournament.

The British tennis star, ranked number 1.5 in the men’s singles, is missing this year at Roland Garros due to an ankle injury.

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But the 30-year-old still stays on top of the year’s second Grand Slam – as well as the unwanted scenes that have occurred since its start.

Belgian player David Goffin said a spectator spat chewing gum at him during his first-round victory over Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

Then, defending champion Iga Swiatek criticized spectators for shouting during points after her tense second-round victory over Naomi Osaka.

Now the tournament has introduced a ban on alcohol in the stands – and Broady is not surprised.

Joining talkSPORT Breakfast on Friday to discuss the ban, he said: “I don’t think it’s an issue in any other tournament, but I think it is and players have noticed it since Covid.

“I’ve actually been to qualifying for the last few years and it’s been pretty horrible, guys.

“Maybe it’s not comparable to the Premier League and Championship crowds and the abuse that footballers get, but for tennis it’s really getting out of hand over there in Paris.”

When asked what kind of remarks tennis players were hearing, Broady said that while the stars enjoy the atmosphere and the abuse isn’t quite on par with what can be seen at football, some of the crowd’s remarks were personal.

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“So, tennis players, the more people who come to watch us, the better. We spend most of our time playing in tournaments where there are not many people, a good atmosphere is fantastic,” he said.

“I think what you see at Roland Garros is that a lot of players, with the crowd behind them, will say ‘the atmosphere is incredible, it’s the best I’ve ever seen’.

“It’s very similar to football, whoever the crowd supports is a huge advantage isn’t it. It’s a home and away advantage, people who don’t play not in tennis perhaps don’t realize it as much.

“I find it a bit more difficult in tennis because there is only one person and the ball is under your control the whole time. It’s a bit like in football if one person had the ball under control all the time and she was mistreated all the time by the mob.

“It can get more personal, I mean, I’ve had all sorts of things there. You get personal abuse. I mean, I love football, I’ve been around football a lot so I know it’s not as bad as football.

“But I try to laugh about it, but it’s difficult because you only have 20 or 30 seconds between one point to prepare for the next one and you have a nine-year-old telling you what’s going to happen in the next match. next point and insulting you, it’s a different experience!

Broady then detailed a time he had to ask the referee to remove a fan from a crowd.

“So I didn’t play at Roland Garros this year because I was injured, but last year in my second qualifying round I had to ask a group of people to withdraw,” did he declare.

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“It was quite funny at the French Open, so I think it’s been happening for a few years now.

“The referees seem incapable of doing anything. I have the impression that some guys go to Roland Garros to have a drink with their friends and see which players they can shake.

“I think a lot of people don’t go to watch sports.”