Thursday, June 5, 2025
Home Tenis "It's really shocking and sad" - Naomi Osaka's coach Patrick Mouratoglou explains...

“It’s really shocking and sad” – Naomi Osaka’s coach Patrick Mouratoglou explains why French Open lacks crowd

Patrick Mouratoglou, who coaches Naomi Osaka, has given his views on the empty seats visible during big matches at Roland Garros. The tournament has long suffered from having sparse crowds when its Grand Slam counterparts in Australia, England and the US rarely have an empty seat for the matches at the business end of their events.

Ad

Mouratoglou is a well-known and highly respected figure in world tennis. The Frenchman is a tennis coach and commentator, and famously runs the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy situated in the South of France. Mouratoglou was Serena Williams’s coach from 2012 to 2022, and also looked after the likes of Grigor Dimitrov and Holger Rune.

Currently Naomi Osaka’s coach, Patrick Mouratoglou shared an Instagram slide show in which he talked at length about tennis issues and specifically about the lack of crowds in Paris.

Ad

Ad

First, Mouratoglou outlined the issues. He said that the attendance at some matches was eye-opening:

"The empty stands on the centre court at Roland Garros is a subject that we spoke about on air because it's really shocking and it's really sad to be on the center court of Roland-Garros Grand Slam with some of the best players in the world and seeing the stands, 75, 80, sometimes 90% empty. This is really shocking."

Ad

Mouratoglou went on to compare the Roland Garros experience to that at Wimbledon and the other Major tournaments around the world:

"Have you seen the center court of Wimbledon like that ever? Ever once? No. Thank you. I've been on the Grand Slams for 20 years, every single year. And I can tell you it's not the same in the other Grand Slams. I don't have the full explanation. What I can say is that this is something we really need to solve, even for the players. You know, you're in a Grand Slam."

Ad

Finally, the world-renowned coach gave the only explanation he could think of for why important matches in Paris are played in front of largely empty stadiums:

"On the center court you have some of the best players in the world, and it's completely empty and there are tickets. The tickets are sold. One explanation that I heard, I don't know if it's true, is that French people are too attached to lunch. From 12 to maybe 4 o'clock. It's empty. And that's a really big problem."

Ad

Mouratoglou's views were brought into sharp focus by the early matches ar Roland Garros on June 3. Those matches had many empty seats.


Patrick Mouratoglou's views were confirmed by Aryna Sabalenka's quarterfinal match against Zheng Qinwen

2025 French Open - Day Ten - Source: Getty
2025 French Open - Day Ten - Source: Getty

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka's quarterfinal victory over Zheng Qinwen was overshadowed by its poor attendance. Large sections of the 15,000-seater stadium were unoccupied for the morning match, prompting the Belarusian to blame the scheduling for the sparse crowd in her post-match interview:

Ad

“It was a big match and probably would make more sense to put us a little bit later just so more people could watch it. I definitely think that would make more sense to kind of like move our match for a little bit later.”

There are several solutions to the problems that Mouratoglou raises. The tournament organisers will need to take all views on board to try and resolve the situation and ensure the stadia are full for such important games.

Is Serena Williams a Jehovah's Witness? Why American legend doesn't celebrate birthdays or Christmas

Quick Links

Edited by Luke Koshi
RELATED ARTICLES

Despite French Open final loss, Taylor Townsend & partner Evan King already set to ‘run it back’ at Wimbledon

Taylor Townsend and Evan King might have lost out on the French Open mixed doubles trophy, but the duo are already set to resume their hunt for a Grand Slam trophy together at the end of the month. The American pair will partner once more at Wimbledon, the only Slam that takes place on grass.

“This means a lot personally”: Chicago-native Taylor Townsend gets emotional about her & partner Evan King’s French Open fairytale final run

Taylor Townsend reminisced about her Chicago roots after her and partner Evan King's fairytale run in the mixed doubles category of the 2025 French Open. The American duo's run was ended in the final by the Italian duo of Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori. Ad Townsend and King teamed up to form an all-Chicago pairing

“Novak Djokovic wants to beat your mom, too” – Andre Agassi makes feelings clear on why the Serb is the GOAT

Novak Djokovic is arguably the greatest tennis player of all time. Some would happily agree, some would disagree vehemently, but overall, Djokovic’s greatness is a fact. Legendary tennis player Andre Agassi falls in the former group. Ad In a conversation with fellow former player Andy Roddick, Agassi acknowledged that Djokovic is probably the greatest defensive

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

- Advertisment -

Most Popular

Lakers fans react as Luka Doncic’s fiancée Anamaria Goltes posts fruits and greens story – “Media turned Luka into a subsistence farmer”

Luka Doncic is one of the most entertaining players to watch in the NBA. He proved the doubters wrong right out of the gate by having one of the best rookie seasons of all-time. Ad Doncic has since taken his game to new heights, and led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals despite not

Gary Payton goes into detail on how to guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: “I’ll deny him and trap him”

NBA legend Gary Payton has enjoyed watching Shai Gilgeous-Alexander this season. Ahead of the finals between the OKC Thunder and Indiana Pacers, Payton visited India for the BUDX NBA House event in Mumbai, which begins Saturday. Ad He addressed the media, speaking on various topics, ranging from basketball culture, the game's current state and the

Despite French Open final loss, Taylor Townsend & partner Evan King already set to ‘run it back’ at Wimbledon

Taylor Townsend and Evan King might have lost out on the French Open mixed doubles trophy, but the duo are already set to resume their hunt for a Grand Slam trophy together at the end of the month. The American pair will partner once more at Wimbledon, the only Slam that takes place on grass.

“This means a lot personally”: Chicago-native Taylor Townsend gets emotional about her & partner Evan King’s French Open fairytale final run

Taylor Townsend reminisced about her Chicago roots after her and partner Evan King's fairytale run in the mixed doubles category of the 2025 French Open. The American duo's run was ended in the final by the Italian duo of Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori. Ad Townsend and King teamed up to form an all-Chicago pairing

Recent Comments