The French Open audience, though, occupy a category of mischief-making all their own. Even the most obdurate competitors have been worn down by the antagonism: take Serena Williams in the wake of losing her 2003 semi-final to Belgium’s Justine Henin, where she was so relentlessly booed that she ended up crying in the press conference. Maria Sharapova tried a different tack in 2008, when spectators kept distracting her on every point against Dinara Safina, turning to them after one winner and howling: “Up your f—— a–.”
Swiatek’s rebuke this week, telling fans they were creating an atmosphere where it was “hard to focus”, could hardly have been milder by comparison. And frankly, it was deserved. It is not just that there is sometimes a poisonous edge to their favouritism, but they are so fickle about when and when not to care.
One enduring annoyance is how many empty seats there are, even for duels as high-profile as Swiatek’s win over Naomi Osaka. If you thought Wembley was bad for deference to the corporate set, it is nothing compared to the segregation on Chatrier, where courtside boxes are reserved for one-percenters who can rarely be bothered to turn up unless the match is of the stature of Federer versus Nadal. With long, Veuve Clicquot-fuelled lunches prioritised over sport, it creates a dreadful look both on TV and on site. Haughty disdain as well as insults to players? Rarely a winning combination for any crowd. Mauresmo is quite within her rights to haul them into line.