Paula
Badosa responded to
Iga Swiatek's comments about the
French Open crowd after
the 3-time champion urged fans not to shout between points. The Pole overcame a
tough match against former world No. 1
Naomi Osaka, even saving match points,
and used the on-court interview to make her plea to the fans:
"I
have huge respect for you guys and I know we are playing for you. This is
entertainment and we are also earning money because of you. But sometimes under
a lot of pressure when you scream something during the rally or right before
the return, it’s really, really hard to be focused," Swiatek said after
defeating Osaka. "So please guys, if you can support us between the
rallies not during that would be really, really amazing," she added.
Badosa says
Swiatek "cannot complain"
The
26-year-old has had a good run at
Roland Garros, with consecutive wins over
Katie Boulter (26th seed) and Yulia Putintseva, both coming from a set down.
Badosa spoke at a press conference before her third-round match against world
No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka.
One of the
topics the Spaniard addressed was Swiatek's comments on Philippe Chatrier the
day before. The former world No. 2 explained that she and many other players
who play on outside courts have to endure noise from other courts around them:
"Was this an issue these days? There's been an issue?" Badosa said.
"I
think she cannot complain, because I played Court 8 and 9 and you can hear
everything," the former Indian Wells champion said. "Like, I can hear
Suzanne Lenglen, Philippe Chatrier, Court 6, 7 during the points."
Badosa (No. 137) will face Sabalenka (No. 2) in the third round. The Belarusian leads the h2h by 4-2.
"I
think she's very lucky she can play all the time on Philippe Chatrier and she's
okay with that," Badosa added. "But I don't mind. As I said, I played
on small courts these days, and I was hearing so much noise," she
continued.
The
Spaniard also commented on her own experience with the crowd: "In that
moment, I'm just so focused on myself and on my match that it doesn't really
bother me. Honestly, I like when the fans cheer and all this. I think I get
pumped. Look, we had a very tough situation years ago when we were playing
without fans with the Covid situation, so now, for me, I'm so happy they're
back and I think they're very important for our sport."