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REPORT: ROLAND GARROS 2014

Crowd fervour is bad news but there are no crowds at French Open

Beware if the centre court supporters start chanting your name.

Roger Federer beaten in five sets by Ernests Gulbis. 1 June 2014
Roger Federer beaten in five sets by Ernests Gulbis. 1 June 2014 RFI/Pierre René-Worms
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The centre court spectators cheered heartily for the French 12th seed Richard Gasquet as he tried to come from two sets down against the Spanish 16th seed Fernando Verdasco. Gasquet lost. The people bawled for the Swiss fourth seed Roger Federer during his five setter against the Latvian 18th seed Ernests Gulbis. Federer lost. And they even bellowed for the French 13th seed Jo Wilifried Tsonga in his last 16 game against the second seed Novak Djokovic. Do I really need to say? In the last match of the day, no one seemed to have learned. They chorused 'Parmi' 'Parmi' for Pauline Parmentier as the Frenchwoman tried to overcome Garbine Muguruza. Parmi perished.

Ernests Gulbis can't do anything by half measures.

Such a divisive figure, due to some of his bizarre pronouncements. But Ernests' importance might be rising. He once called the on court behaviour of the ‘Big Four’ - Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Roger Federer – boring. But they didn’t mind as they tended to win the big titles. Earlier in the tournament, Gulbis came out with some Neanderthal pronouncements on the role of women in society. There was a certain brutality to his destruction of the fourth seed Roger Federer. But then Federer did have the backing of the centre court crowd.

It can all seemingly turn on one shot.

The Australian 19th seed Samantha Stosur was a set up against the Russian seventh seed Maria Sharapova. It was 4-4 30-all in the second set and the Russian was reeling as she hit her second serve. Stosur’s return was a forehand smacker but it rifled into the net. Sharapova held to lead 5-4. Stosur dropped her serve to lose the second set. She didn’t win a game in the decider.

Time to run for the ear plugs.

Maria Sharapova is famed for her noises as she whacks the tennis ball around the court. Young Garbine Muguruza makes a game old grunt too as she thrashes the little green darling over the net. Sharapova and Muguruza are set for a quarter-final shriek-off on day 10 after their victories over Samantha Stosur and Pauline Parmentier respectively. I shall be there courtside kitted out with my aural contrareception.

If you build will they come?

Well, since my game use of lines from films is shocking, positively shocking, it seems wholly apt that I wildly misuse a lynchpin from Field of Dreams, the Kevin Costner vehicle from yesteryear. The French Tennis Federation has big plans for the redevelopment of Roland Garros which will allow more people to pour into the site and provide a roof for centre court. But anyone looking at the number of spectators watching the match between Pauline Parmentier and Garbine Muguruza on centre court late on day 8 would wonder why larger facilities are needed. The main show court couldn’t even boast a capacity crowd on a Sunday evening when a Frenchwoman is battling it out against potentially the next big thing on the women’s tour. You’ve got to ask yourself one question, do they feel lucky?

 

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