Tennis fans were left fuming on Thursday when Rafael Nadal and Richard Gasquet were forced to play their high-profile French Open clash in an empty stadium.
Bidding for a 14th French Open crown, Nadal celebrated his 35th birthday by defeating Gasquet – a player he first met when they were 12 years old.
Nadal stormed to a 6-0, 7-5, 6-2 win, however the match was played in an empty Court Philippe Chatrier because of Paris’ 9pm Covid-19 curfew.
It meant Nadal had to celebrate his birthday without any fans watching, who were also robbed of seeing the last Frenchman in the draw exit his home grand slam.
Fans flocked to social media to slam the scheduling decision, with some labelling the farcical scenes “ridiculous” and “trash”.
Genuinely whose idea was it to put Nadal and Gasquet in a slot that no French fans could attend?
— Thalia (@LadyBellatrix) June 3, 2021
Nadal deserved to have a crowd on his birthday to celebrate him and this win in his favorite tournament and court .. Not a good choice from the tournament #RolandGarros
— Faith.??? (@theemzz_) June 3, 2021
Gasquet won just nine points in the first set as he became the last of 18 Frenchmen eliminated from the draw before the second round – the home contingent’s worst result ever at Roland Garros.
