The roar that greeted Alize Cornet's second-round victory against Jelena Ostapenko at the French Open on Thursday was so deafening that the Latvian former Roland Garros champion literally had to cover her ears after being overwhelmed by the support her French opponent received on court Philippe Chatrier.
The Roland Garros crowd is known to be fickle, corporate seats are often empty at lunchtime, but when a French player needs support, spectators can turn the usually quiet tennis courts into a wild arena and the claycourt Grand Slam provides an atmosphere unmatched at other majors.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com"When you see all these people here to support me, I had shivers in my body, and almost tears in my eyes of emotion.
Booed and jeered on by the fans after disputing a line call while 6-4 2-0 up, she lost her composure and the match before being booed again after the match point. "I think there is a difference between a great atmosphere and supporting your fellow countrymen, which is completely fine and it's great," he said.
"When you win one game, two games, you feel they are fired up and it gives you a bit of energy, a bit of energy here, there, a bit of tension for him, and he feels that if he misses, he's going to be shouted at, and it's not pleasant for him. That's life, and that's the advantage when we play at home."Roger Federer was one of them and, to a lesser extent, 13-time champion Rafael Nadal was never victim of any abuse since his debut in 2005.
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