Naomi Osaka’s coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, weighed in on the sea of empty seats spotted during the French Open quarterfinal clash between defending champion Iga Świątek and 13th seed Elina Svitolina.
In a candid social media post, Mouratoglou called the sparse attendance “shocking” and “sad,” especially considering the level of talent on display at Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Iga Świątek Advanced to Her Fourth Consecutive Quarterfinals and Fifth Overall
The match, held in the early afternoon slot following Aryna Sabalenka’s quarterfinal against Zheng Qinwen, raised eyebrows as fans and journalists alike took to social media to highlight the noticeable lack of spectators in the opening set.
Tennis insiders Maciej Trąbsk and Adam Romer posted photos showing large patches of empty seats at the beginning of the Świątek-Svitolina contest.
Plenty of empty seats as Świątek – Svitolina gets underway.#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/RYSICSyIm3
— Maciej Trąbski (@MTrabski) June 3, 2025
Attendance improved gradually as the match progressed, with later images showing a nearly full stadium by the end of the second set.
Not do bad now… pic.twitter.com/Op1AFWsbPU
— Adam Romer (@AdamRomer13) June 3, 2025
Chatrier finally packed by the end of set two. Should’ve looked like this from the start.#RolandGarros https://t.co/GN1SRmRgze pic.twitter.com/vUILX0DZ9W
— Maciej Trąbski (@MTrabski) June 3, 2025
But the initial sight was enough to reignite an ongoing debate about Roland-Garros’ crowd behavior, particularly during marquee matches.
Mouratoglou, who has coached some of the sport’s biggest names, including Serena Williams and now Osaka, offered his perspective via Instagram.
“The empty stands on the center court at Roland-Garros is a subject that we spoke about on air because it’s really shocking and it’s really sad,” he began. “To be on the center court of a Grand Slam with some of the best players in the world and seeing the stands 75, 80, sometimes 90 percent empty? This is really shocking.”
The veteran coach contrasted the scene with what’s typically seen at other major tournaments.
“Have you seen the center court at Wimbledon like that? Ever? Even once? No. Thank you. I’ve been at the Grand Slams for 20 years. Every single year. And I can tell you, it’s not the same at the other Grand Slams,” he emphasized.
Mouratoglou Plays Blame Game over Empty Seats Outburst
Mouratoglou admitted he didn’t have a definitive explanation, but did point to several possible reasons.
“It’s something we really need to solve, even for the players. You’re in a Grand Slam, the history of tennis, one of the four most important tournaments in the world, you’re on the center court, but the court is empty,” he said.
He noted that other courts were buzzing with fans, citing long lines to get into smaller venues like the one where Brazil’s João Fonseca played. “On the center court, you have some of the best players in the world, and it’s completely empty. And the tickets are sold,” he added, clearly puzzled.
One explanation he floated was cultural. “One explanation that I heard, I don’t know if it’s true, but it is that French people are too attached to lunch. From 12 to maybe 4 o’clock, it’s empty. And that’s really a big problem,” he said. Mouratoglou pointed out that the US Open had addressed this issue effectively by adding catering services to the VIP seating areas, which are the most visible sections on television.
“In Roland-Garros, if you want to eat, you have to go to the village. So once you’re in the village and you have the TV, you’re having a good lunch, you stay,” he explained.
Mouratoglou’s comments were posted on his official Instagram account on June 3, just hours after the Świątek-Svitolina match concluded, with the Pole winning 6-1, 7-5. The four-time Roland-Garros champion advanced to her fifth semifinal in Paris, where she will take on the top seed Aryna Sabalenka on June 5.
AloJapan.com