Spain’s Jaume Munar ripped the French fans at Roland Garros, saying they’re “the most annoying and fanatic crowd in the world,” after his five-set loss to French star Arthur Fils Thursday in the second round of the 2025 French Open.
Munar, who asked spectators to be quiet during the thrilling match, explained that the French crowd displayed an “absolute lack of respect” by interrupting play.
“Look, I’m going to be very sincere. I find it perfectly fine if they cheer for the other player; I’m very used to that and it doesn’t bother me,” Munar said in his post-match press conference. “What is an absolute lack of respect is not stopping singing, shouting nonsense, and constantly interrupting because it prevents the game from progressing and unfolding normally.
“They engage in a very entertaining show for the audience, but they don’t realize that we are doing our job. It’s the most annoying and fanatic crowd in the world, the flag weighs too much here.”
When asked about the fan atmosphere in Paris compared to other Grand Slams, Munar said, “In New York and Australia, they understand sports differently. They can cheer a lot and have a sense of spectacle, but they never disrespect the players.
“In this tournament, it is necessary for people to calm down a bit because this is a real circus.”
Fils, who played through a back injury suffered during the third set, defeated Munar in four hours and 25 minutes, earning a 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4), 2-6, 0-6, 6-4 victory on his home soil.
He embraced the celebration from the crowd and took his shirt off before throwing it into the stands at Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
The atmosphere during the match was described as an “almost hostile environment” by Spanish outlet Puntodebreak, which said the crowd was “singing the Marseillaise and causing a disruption.”
The No. 14-seeded Fils now advances to a third-round matchup against No. 17 seed Andrey Rublev on Saturday.
The winner will likely face No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner in the Round of 16.