PARIS: David Goffin ticked off Roland Garros fans, one of who the Belgian claimed had spat chewing gum in his direction, during his first-round win over wildcard entrant Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard late on Tuesday.
The Belgian, 33, who was once ranked in the top-10, covered his ears as he left Court No.14 after 3 hours and 31
minutes of action.
“When you are insulted for 3-1/2 hours, you have to tease the public a little,” Goffin told Belgian media. “Clearly, it goes too far, it’s total disrespect. It’s too much. It’s becoming football, soon there will be smoke bombs, hooligans and fights in the stands. Some people are there more to cause trouble than to create an
atmosphere,” he said.
“Someone spat out their chewing gum at me. The match was getting complicated. That’s why I wanted to stay calm. If I started to get angry about it, it could have destabilised me.”
Goffin, who enjoys a career-high ranking of No.7, came through in five sets. He urged the French federation to take action.
“I think it only happens in France,” he said.
