“Didn't like those boos” – Lorenzo Musetti hits out at French crowd over their behavior during his 1R win over Gael Monfils at Paris Olympics 2024

Italy's Lorenzo Musetti has hit out at the French crowd over their behavior during his first-round match against Gael Monfils of France at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Musetti defeated Monfils in straight sets on Sunday, July 28, to advance.

Leading the Italian tennis contingent in Jannik Sinner's absence, Musetti thumped Monfils 6-1, 6-4 in his opener. He converted four break points and induced 38 unforced errors from Monfils in a match that lasted 92 minutes at Roland Garros.

The French crowd in attendance did not celebrate Musetti's win as the local favorite Monfils crashed out. After the match, however, Musetti suggested that the Parisians were disrespectful towards him from the get-go.

"I didn't like all those boos when I entered the pitch, these are things I don't like because I like healthy values such as respect. I understand the cheering, but the boos at the entrance to the pitch seemed exaggerated to me," Lorenzo Musetti told the Italian media (translated; as quoted by Ubitennis).

He continued:

"After the victory then, I pointed to the emblem of Italy to make it clear that we are also there and want to win. Today, I won on the field, which is the most important thing."

Musetti will next face Argentina's Mariano Navone, who defeated an in-form Nuno Borges of Portugal 6-2, 6-2 in the first round. He hasn't played against Navone on the ATP Tour yet but the two recently met on the challenger's circuit in the Cagliari final. Navone defeated the Italian 7-5, 6-1 to win the title.

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Lorenzo Musetti: "I was not only playing against Gael but also against many, many fans"

Lorenzo Musetti (Getty)

In the same press interaction at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Lorenzo Musetti reflected on the match against Gael Monfils on Sunday, especially as the French crowd grew louder during the second set.

"I was very good at managing the situation in a more hard-fought second set and in which the French crowd began to make itself heard more: I was not only playing against Gael but also against many, many fans," Musetti said.

The World No. 17 arrived in Paris after a loss to Francisco Cerundolo in the final of the 2024 Croatia Open. Hence, the win against Monfils brought his confidence back as he said:

"It was certainly a really important challenge for me to reconfirm the good moment I am experiencing and above all, to go beyond the many obstacles I have had to face in these hours: the fatigue of last night, of a game however lost bitterly."

Lorenzo Musetti's next goal at the Paris Games is to pair up with compatriot Luciano Darderi and beat the Chilean pair of Alejandro Tabilo and Nicolas Jarry in the first round of the doubles event.