It’s funny how things turn out sometimes. Rain has been a real pain the last two weeks in Paris but the mayhem in the schedule meant that both men’s and women’s semi-finals were played on Friday – which is usually not the case – and they were split on two stadiums, Philippe Chatrier and Suzanne Lenglen.
It drove organisers to sell new tickets for Lenglen for a measly €20 which meant fans got to see Novak Djokovic take on Dominic Thiem, and Garbine Muguruza take on Sam Stosur for less than what I would pay for a sandwich and two juices in the media cafeteria here.
The ground pass holders were given free access to Lenglen as well. It’s a tennis fan’s dream come true really. Yet somehow the stadium was virtually empty during the first semi-final on Lenglen between Muguruza and Stosur.
Even more bizarre was the sight of the bare seats on Chatrier for Williams and Bertens.
Attendance has taken a hit this fortnight and all things considered, it’s quite understandable.
Star power: Leonardo diCaprio
Cold, wet weather, floods around the Seine, big-name withdrawals… all factors that do not bode well for any tournament. But still, watching a Serena Williams semi-final, in 12-degree weather, in front of empty stands was a real dreary situation.
It didn’t help that the start of the match coincided with the holy French lunch time, which is something not to be messed with. The stands did fill up for the men’s matches though, as Djokovic took on Thiem on Lenglen and Andy Murray played Stan Wawrinka on Chatrier.
Chatrier even had some famous faces in the stands with repeat visitor Leonardo Di Caprio in attendance, as well as Manchester United legend Eric Cantona.
Murray was asked if he ever notices when there are celebrities in the stands for his matches.
“I met Eric Cantona afterwards. But, no, not always that aware of what’s going on in the crowd. You know, more kind of focused on my team and the court, what’s going on on there. Yeah, I don’t often see what’s going on off the court,” said the Scot.
And is he fan of Cantona?
“I don’t think many people aren’t. Incredibly talented guy. Fun to watch. Yeah, it was nice to meet him. He’s a legend in British football. So, yeah, it was very, very nice to meet him,” added Murray.