When it comes to Grand Slams, Serena Williams had the least amount of success at the Roland Garros, winning just three titles (2002, 2013, 2015) out of her 23 major triumphs. However, apart from her little success at this tournament, Williams had been a victim of several boos and jeers several times when she stepped onto the court at this iconic venue. In 2003, she was even brought down to tears due to this when she was knocked out by Justine Henin. Reacting to that moment of getting booed by the spectators, she said, “I was really upset when they booed me. Once they got started, it was hard to make them stop.” Her mother, Oracene Price, stated that the crowd lacked “class and etiquette.” The hostile nature of the Parisian crowd, especially while playing against French players, has been the talk of the town in this tournament over the last few years as well. Williams’ compatriot, Coco Gauff, is all set to take on Lois Boisson in the SF in just a few hours. Is Gauff a bit worried about what she might face in this match from the spectators?

Well, during a recent press conference, she said, “I hope everyone will be respectful. If not, it’s cool… I can’t get irritated that someone is rooting for their hometown hero, because I would do the same.” Later on, she was also asked about how she keeps discipline for not reacting to the fact that the majority of the people in that stadium don’t want her to win.

In reply to that, Coco Gauff said, “There’s two ways I’ve done it in the past. Either A.) Pretend they’re cheering for you… or B.) Just using it and not letting that get to you. I’ve been in crowds where they’re 99% for me. So I don’t have an issue with it. I hope everyone will be respectful. If not, it’s cool. It makes sports exciting. I can’t get irritated that someone is rooting for their hometown hero, because I would do the same. It’s just something I’ll mentally prepare for, expect, and be ready for.” 

If we take a look at what happened with Serena Williams in 2003, the fans were seen cheering for her mistakes, booing her between the serves, and showing their full support towards her opponent. Players like Coco Gauff have grown up watching Williams, and she also claimed that Serena Williams is the “reason why I play tennis.” But the road to glory wasn’t always a bed full of roses for Williams, and this was just another prime example of it.

Furthermore, during the press conference, Williams had then revealed, “It’s a little difficult; all of my life I’ve had to fight. So it’s just another fight I’m going to have to learn how to win. That’s all. I think it’s bad when people start booing in between serves. You’re not serving well anyway, and then you miss your first serve. Everyone’s booing and screaming. The second serve, you really slow it down to get it in.” What do the other players have to say about their experiences with the French Open crowd?

Well, the French Open crowd is considered to be the most hostile among the four Grand Slam tournaments. Tennis star David Goffin once dubbed the Parisian crowd “totally disrespectful.” While the three-time champion, Novak Djokovic, has also been a victim of severe boos and jeers at this venue. Reacting to the atmosphere here, he once said, “I think the majority of the people come to enjoy tennis or support one or the other player. But there are people who love to boo every single thing you do. That’s something that I find disrespectful, and I frankly don’t understand that.”

This year, Jessica Pegula and Spanish player Jaume Munar also shared their thoughts on the same. Before facing Lois Boisson in the fourth round, Pegula said, “They’re going to have some crazy support for them. But I’m pretty good at kind of zoning out, and I’ve played in some pretty rowdy crowds.”

But Munar took a jibe at them, saying, “Look, I’m going to be very sincere. I find it perfect if they cheer for the other player; I’m very used to that, and it doesn’t bother me. What is an absolute lack of respect is not stopping singing, shouting nonsense, and constantly interrupting because it prevents the game from progressing and unfolding normally. They engage in a very entertaining show for the audience, but they don’t realize that we are doing our job. It’s the most annoying and fanatic crowd in the world; the flag weighs too much here.” He even drew a comparison with other Grand Slams and stated, “They can cheer a lot and have a sense of spectacle, but they never disrespect the players. In this tournament, it is necessary for people to calm down a bit because this is a real circus.”

However, keeping these things aside and re-shifting our focus back to the high-voltage SF clash, both Coco Gauff and Lois Boisson are entering this tournament following impressive victories in their previous matches. What did they say after securing their spot in the SF of the 2025 French Open?

Coco Gauff highlights her “competitive” spirit following a hard-fought victory against Madison Keys

Coco Gauff recently put an end to Madison Keys’ incredible 11-match winning streak at the Grand Slam tournaments. She defeated the 2025 AO champion by 6(6)-7, 6-4, 6-1. Following that victory, she has now reached her third SF at the French Open. Her best record here was reaching the final in 2022. But what did she say after defeating Keys in the QF?

When asked about her incredible fighting spirit throughout this battle, Gauff said, “I think just a love to win, the will to win – I have always had that in me, and not just in tennis but in everything. I’m a very competitive person. My philosophy is if I can just leave it all out there, then the loss will hurt a lot less than the regrets of maybe not giving it your all.” Coco Gauff has entered this tournament following two consecutive losses in the finals in Madrid and Rome. Can she make it count in Paris?

Well, her next opponent, Lois Boisson, recently defeated the teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva by 7-6(6), 6-3 in the QF. With this win, Boisson has now become the youngest French semi-finalist in a women’s singles Grand Slam event since Amelie Mauresmo at Wimbledon (1999). What was her reaction after this incredible win?

The crowd chanted, “Lois, Lois,” and celebrated each of her points in this epic battle. Reacting to all of these, she said, “It was incredible to play in front of this crowd and to feel support like that. It was amazing, thank you.” Further on, while talking about his next matchup against the world number 2, she added, “My routine won’t change; it’s been the same since the start of the tournament.” Who do you think has the edge in this match?