Scandal at the French Open: "This only happens in France"

David Goffin has been knocked out in the second round of the French Open after a tough match in the first round, where he also had to fight against the crowd.

In five hard-fought sets, Goffin beat 20-year-old Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, one of the new favourites among the Parisian crowd.

The public behaved disgracefully towards the Belgian, according to Goffin, quoted by L'Équipe journalist Quentin Moynet on X.

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"When you're insulted for three and a half hours, you have to annoy the public a little. Clearly, it goes too far," Goffin stated.

"It's total disrespect. Some people are there more to make a mess than to make an atmosphere today, someone spat their gum at me," he continued.

Goffin is not the only one to have been subjected to such behaviour: "A lot of people are complaining. It's the echo that there is in the locker room and in the ATP authorities. I think that it only happens in France."

"At Wimbledon there is not that. In Australia either. The US Open is rather quiet here."

In the second round, Goffin faced Alexander Zverev of Germany, who proved too strong for the Belgian in three sets.

Goffin, a former world No. 7, is still looking to improve on his best result at Roland Garros. In 2016, he reached the quarter-finals, according to the official Roland Garros website.

Tennis is a beautiful sport, where there is no place for such behaviour. Let's hope the rest of the tournament goes off without incident.

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