At the Masters 1000 in Rome, the Brazilian crowd drew attention for all the wrong reasons. João Fonseca complained. His opponent, Hamad Medjedovic, also complained. The umpire complained too. Everyone was asking a particularly lively group of fans to keep quiet. But is cheering really forbidden in tennis?
Silence during points is considered essential because tennis demands extreme concentration for quick, precise actions. An unexpected noise during a serve or return can completely alter the execution of a shot and directly affect an athlete’s performance.
In professional tournaments, the silence protocol functions almost as an unwritten rule. The serve, for example, is a technical movement: the player calculates power, angle, and placement in fractions of a second. Any audible distraction can break the focus and impact the point.
Former Brazilian umpire Carlos Bernardes explained: “The main problem isn’t silence during points. There are moments when the crowd reacts because of an excellent play, and that’s a spontaneous reaction. What is not possible, and not acceptable, is when the crowd behaves as if it were a football or basketball match. In tennis, that’s not acceptable. On court, they forget that they end up disturbing not only the opponent but also the player they are cheering for.”
The umpire also highlighted how crowd behavior can directly interfere with match management. “On court, the game becomes complicated. One player complains about the crowd, and the other complains that the game is being stopped too long. The umpire ends up watching the stands more than the court. We have already removed some fans from the court and sent them home. I think in some cases it works, because it makes others think twice. Sending them home is the best thing. I have experience with that and it helps a lot. Imagine paying 50 euros, which is the cheapest ticket, and being expelled from the tournament.”
Bernardes further advocates for harsher penalties depending on the extent of the disruption. “Tickets are nominative. If a person is expelled from the tournament, they are automatically suspended for a year, unable to buy tickets to watch any tennis tournament around the world.”
