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What the hell is wrong with Italian tennis fans?
13 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Bios
Are Rome, Italy tennis just naturally rude, obnoxious and nasty people? Or is the tennis deep state planting and incentivizing hecklers to disrupt and distract matches for corrupt or draw manipulation purposes? Because true tennis fans do not buy tickets to abuse players. A true fan respects ALL players.
Yoshihito Nishioka: I saw those kind situations in Rome. Few years ago I played Sonego and Italian fans screamed, “Let’s go Sushi”… this year someone call me “Come on China” … both of between the game. I know this is only few people do but many times in Rome.
Jimmy Arias endured the Italian abuse back in 1984: I was defending champ of Rome (1984), I’m playing an Italian Claudio Panatta, 4-1 up in the third set for me, break point, so match basically over if I win that point. He hit a ball that’s out literally by six inches. I’m trying to argue with the umpire, the umpire keeps telling me, ‘I can’t overrule the call.’ Which was making me irate. Because the call was, ‘I don’t know.’ Trying to talk to the umpire, the crowd is going bananas. And eventually they all began chanting, “SHAMO, SHAMO!” which means roughly, ‘stupid’ in Italian. I end up losing the argument and the match (46 76 75). So I walk off the court and all the sudden all the people who were singing stupid to me, now want my autograph. So, obviously, my first reaction is, No. But then I go, ‘No, actually fine. What’s your name?’ (He signed), “To Paulo, F*** OFF, Jimmy Arias.” Literally stayed 45 minutes and signed to each person personally a rotation of “F*** OFF”, “SUCK MY” and “F*** YOU.” I think those were the three that I wrote. It was on the big tennis balls in those days.
Mensik, Medvedev and Shnaider have also had big problems and heated words with Italian fan abuse at this year’s Rome tournament.
How the ATP and Rome tournament organizers allow this nonsense to continue is disgusting. They could easily thwart it with aggressive instructions and threats of expulsion, but nothing is happening and the problem continues.
“For years the Italian (Open) was considered the most corrupt tournament in the game.” page 213, Rome Is Rome Chapter 13 in John Feinstein’s 1991 book “Hard Courts”
IBI25 · Rome · Rome Masters
Steve · May 14, 2025 at 4:32 pm
Wait…let me get this straight, Medvedev who literally gave the US Open crowd the middle finger is now a sensitive soul needing protection from a passionate crowd? 🙂
The Rome crowd is definiately vibrant but the plus is how they cheered every great shot Moutet made. It’s def. not Wimbledon. They like entertainers and they like to be part of the match it seems.
Steve · May 14, 2025 at 4:33 pm
Musetti just snatched the first set from Gold Chainz. He was deinitely being out-played but then started drop shoting like a lunatic.
Scoop Malinowski · May 14, 2025 at 6:25 pm
Good points Steve. There are a lot of great Italian fans. They make the matches better. Some are very bad though, just sitting in the front row and taunting and provoking players is not acceptable.
Scoop Malinowski · May 14, 2025 at 6:27 pm
It looks like Musetti’s breakout is finally here.
Steve · May 14, 2025 at 6:42 pm
Next Musetti must face Alcaraz should he win he might have to face Sinner. Hard to win a Masters 1000.
Yeah, I agree, no need for goons to taunt a player and call him names, that’s just wrong.
Scoop Malinowski · May 14, 2025 at 7:11 pm
It was really terrible to see those guys in row 1 taunting players like that. Should have been tossed out on the spot. That kind of behavior must be discouraged and condemned otherwise it could manifest again at other tournaments. Tennis does not need this. Given this is Rome there’s a funny feeling we are going to see a Musetti vs Sinner final 😉
catherine · May 15, 2025 at 12:33 pm
Italian tennis crowds have always been like this – obnoxious, loud, corrupt. And shots were rarely called out unless the result benefitted an Italian player.
Women were generally ignored. Steffi Graf was insulted about her looks, the womens event was once played before the mens (to get it out of the way) and another year was removed to a site in Perugia – to get it completely out of the way.
Scoop Malinowski · May 15, 2025 at 12:36 pm
I just saw Roscoe Tanner say Italian fans would throw Lira coins at players they wanted to lose. Djokovic is very lucky he only got a bottle dropped on his head, they could have done a lot worse. No doubt that was an inside job.
Scoop Malinowski · May 15, 2025 at 12:38 pm
Catherine I vaguely remember Steffi being called potato face or something. At least Sabatini and Capriati came along and filled a void.
catherine · May 17, 2025 at 2:24 pm
Crowd was appreciative but well behaved during Paolini’s victory over Gauff. Coco made fewer UEs than in her match v Zheng. That match was described by one fan as ‘so bad it was kind of interesting’.
PS the goon element in Italian crowds don’t turn up for women’s matches.
Scoop Malinowski · May 17, 2025 at 2:36 pm
Or Catherine, the hired hecklers were given the day off. Might see them tomorrow though.
Harry · May 18, 2025 at 11:40 am
So, to keep the conspiracy theorists busy, they let Paul win a 6-1 set, before Sinner rolled him
Crowds are a lot crazier the last few years, when you add worldwide gambling in the mix. People could be losing money, while having a couple of adult beverages and out come stupid, nasty comments
I’ve been to matches where people were betting point by point, and they didn’t even really know the players. I switched sides of the court, but I continued to watch them, later in the match, they were yelling stupid s***. Guessing they were losing big.
A few people shouldn’t stereotype an entire crowd. Italian crowds are loud. Tauson told a guy in the front rows to go “ F” himself
Another item on the WTA list should be, get seat fillers in the front rows behind the court, it’s embarrassing, that the best seats in the house are empty. 4 people sitting amongst 100 empty seats for Gauff semi
Scoop Malinowski · May 18, 2025 at 8:39 pm
Harry, Respect your defense of Italian fans, you may be right or partially right. Gambling influence is a major issue. But I have read books from the 90s Hard Courts by Feinstein and 70s Inside Tennis by Peter Bodo and both allude strongly that Italian fans are very disruptive and interfere with matches. Hopefully ATP will take measures to tone down the Italian fans. If not, on the bright side, seeing players argue with fans is good theater and good controversy sells.