Jeers, tears for Garbine — but Kristina’s not crying
PARIS — Dealing with boisterous partisan fans goes hand-in-hand with playing tennis, summed up home favorite Kristina Mladenovic as she responded to Garbine Muguruza’s complaint that French Open spectators crossed a line on Sunday.
The Spaniard broke down in tears after her Roland Garros title defense ended in a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 fourth-round loss to Mladenovic.
Muguruza and her coach accused the crowd on Suzanne Lenglen Court of being disrespectful.
“To the French crowd, pathetic, no class!” Sam Sumyk, the French coach of Muguruza, said on Twitter.
“I think the audience was really tough today. I can’t really understand. I don’t know how to explain,” said Muguruza, whose post-match media conference was briefly interrupted when she broke down in tears and left the room before quickly returning.
“If you had been in my shoes on the court, I think you would have understood. I don’t know what people were expecting. I’d rather not say anything more.”
Mladenovic, who lost the Stuttgart final against German Laura Siegemund in what she described as “extremely tough” conditions, said the support of the home crowd can be a double-edged sword.
“They are excited, the atmosphere was just amazing, it’s not easy to handle for the both of us. It’s a lot of pressure, even for me,” the 24-year-old said.
“It’s not easy to control the nerves and the pressure.”
French players have often crumbled under the pressure of playing a Grand Slam at home, but Mladenovic seems to feed off the crowd.
“It’s part of the sport, it’s amazing to play on great stage,” she said.
“At the end of the day, sport is a show.”
Speaking about her final in Stuttgart, she explained: “I such a thought the crowd was extremely tough there and I did not make any comment because it’s sport.
“I don’t know if I have a different culture of sport. You know, team sports and everything,” added Mladenovic, who is of Serbian descent.
Triple Paris champion Mats Wilander said it was tougher for women to deal with the pressure, because their matches are shorter.
“It’s a really tough situation,” said the 52-year-old.
For Wilander it’s not a question of whether the crowd crossed a line, it’s a question of how the players deal with intensity.
The Swede speaks with authority. He lost to France’s Yannick Noah at Roland Garros in 1983, and beat another French favorite, Henri Leconte, in 1988.
“But for men, best of five (sets), you have time to get over it, time to block it out. But best of three? Matches finish quicker, it can really catch you by surprise,” he said.
Mladenovic’s quarterfinal opponent, Timea Bascinszky of Switzerland, is aware of the challenge ahead.
“I know that the crowd will not be with me, and it’s OK,” she said after beating Venus Williams on Sunday.
“Maybe so many Swiss people bought tickets. I mean, Stan (Wawrinka) is doing amazing here.
“For me, it’s my third time in a row in the quarters. Maybe there’s going to be a lot of Swiss flags. You never know.”