With the recent controversy surrounding Iga Swiatek and the World No.1 calling out the crowd after the match as well as David Goffin saying the French fans are becoming like hooligans, Andy Roddick had his say on the matter.
Previously calls have been made to allow fans to wander around during matches and make noise as much as they want similar to baseball. But Roddick refutes that comparison. He said that whilst in baseball, the pitcher can't be heard throwing the baseball it is the opposite in tennis. He said that the main aspect as a tennis player is hearing the sound of the ball off the racquet.
Something which would be discerned and not heard if they allowed fans to wander around as they please and make noise. It also aids hostility especially in a country like France where they heavily get behind their own anyway. He said also that tennis players work too hard on their craft in order for the noise to be drowned out by fans and crowd noise so that should be respected.
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"I get asked a lot, "Well, we can move around like baseball games and we can yell during the play and we can do all this". Yes. You can't hear a pitcher throw a baseball. Our first tell as tennis players is the sound off off the other person's racquet," said Roddick.
"If they firm it up, if it's off-center, if it's a slice, if it's a thud as opposed to a smack, we need to be able to hear the ball off the racquet. When someone unleashes a serve, we have less than half a second to react, and cover six feet both ways. We need every single tell.
"We need to be able to track the ball and we need to hear how it comes off the racquet. We've built this instinct over the course of our lives and over the course of hours and hours and hours of playing."
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Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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