Iga Swiatek pleads with French Open crowd to stop ‘screaming’ at players during points – ‘Serious for us’ – Eurosport

Iga Swiatek pleaded with the French Open crowd not to disturb players during points after her epic win over Naomi Osaka, saying “this is serious for us” as “a few points can change a lot”.

It kept the defending champion on course for a fourth Roland-Garros title in five years, and she used her on-court interview as a chance to directly address the supporters on Court Philippe Chatrier.

“I’m sorry to even bring this [up]. I have huge respect for you guys [the fans] and I know that we are basically playing for you because this is entertainment and we’re also earning money because of you,” Swiatek said.

“But sometimes under a lot of pressure, when you scream something during the rally or right before the return, it’s really hard to be focused. I usually don’t bring this up because I want to be the kind of player who is in the zone and focused.  

“But this is serious for us, we are fighting our whole lives to be better and better, and sometimes it’s hard to accept that, because the stakes are big and there is a lot of money here to win, so losing a few points may change a lot.

“Please guys, if you can support us between the rallies but not during, that would be really amazing.

“I hope you’re still going to like me, because I know that the French crowd might get some players that they don’t like and then boo, but I love you guys and I always love playing here, so let’s continue that.”

In a battle between two four-time major champions, Osaka looked set to cause a huge upset by eliminating the top seed until a late surge from the Pole swung momentum back in her favour.

Former world No. 1 Osaka’s ranking has dropped to No. 134 after she took a year out of the sport on maternity leave in 2023, but she was back to her best against Swiatek.

“For sure this match was really intense, much more intense for the second round than I ever expected,” Swiatek admitted.

“For sure I’ll be more ready next time but Naomi played amazing tennis with really loose hands, sometimes risking a lot, but she was playing it in. Maybe she’s going to be a clay court specialist in a while. I’m happy that she’s back and playing well.”

Swiatek edged the opening set in a tie-break but was flattened 6-1 in the second and then had to fight her way back from 5-2 down in the third in a remarkable show of mental resilience.

“I felt for most of the match that I wasn’t really here and now, my mind was flying around sometimes,” she said.

“When I was under the biggest pressure, I was able to actually focus more and play better and not think about what the score is or that I’m really close to losing. I just kept going forward and I hope my game is going to get better because of that.”  

Eurosport analyst Laura Robson was courtside on Philippe-Chatrier for Swiatek’s victory and described her address as “very brave” given the Paris crowd’s reputation for making their feelings clear.

Robson was also able to explain the moments she believes triggered Swiatek’s annoyance in a tight contest.

“Very brave, especially at Roland-Garros, because we know what the crowds can be like here,” Robson said.

“But there are two points that came to my mind when she was saying that. There was one time she let the ball bounce, she could’ve taken it out of the air – she was right in front of me – and it ended up being just inside the baseline. It looked like she was a bit put off by people in the first couple of rows.

“Then another time when she came in, went for the drive volley, someone screamed as she was making contact with the ball.

“This match was so tight, it was 30-30 or deuce in almost every game, so that could’ve really changed the trajectory of the whole thing. I can totally see where she is coming from. She is defending champ, she wants to win this thing, and that could’ve easily gone the other way.”