Controversy at Roland Garros: Taylor Fritz booed by the crowd and gestures in retaliation

"There are no more Frenchmen at Roland Garros," lamented the French media after Californian Taylor Fritz beat Arthur Rinderknech in the fourth set on Thursday. Fritz's victory was not without controversy. The crowd turned against him after the player from San Diego won the last point of the match. The French audience did not intimidate Fritz, who waved his hand and repeatedly shushed the audience. The booing lasted several minutes.

After falling behind in the first set, Taylor Fritz, ranked eighth in the world, managed to come back against Rinderknech. From there, the French fans began to lose control. Each set ended in Fritz's favor, 6-4, 6-3 and again 6-4. With his victory, Fritz will advance to the third round of the competition, while the French hopes of seeing a French champion have come to an end.

It wasn't until the end of the match that Fritz turned to the crowd with a finger to his lips and shushed the French. He did not have any bad gesture with his opponent, whom he greeted after the match. The roar from the stands was such that the authorities had to ask for silence for several minutes before giving way to Marion Bartoli, who was to close the event with some questions for the Californian, as planned. The French media were ashamed of the crowd's reaction. According to Le Parisien, it was "a surreal scene that the French public had never offered to the best players in the world on the Roland-Garros clay."

It was impossible for the French female tennis legend Bartoli to ask any questions to Fritz, who, when the audience finally stopped jeering, said goodbye with a few sarcastic words. "I came out and the crowd was so great, honestly. The crowd was just so great," Fritz said, as the crowd tried to drown out his voice. "They cheered so well for me that I wanted to make sure I won. Thanks guys." There was a small group of Americans in the crowd supported Fritz with signs and posters.

Fritz's girlfriend, Morgan Riddle, was in the audience. The Roland Garros screens flashed an image of her photographing the moment of Fritz's victory. Only then did the audience stop booing and start applauding. For just that moment, the applause overcame the booing.