Roland-Garros: this year again, alcohol will be banned in the stands

We suspected it, but Amélie Mauresmo, the head of the Roland-Garros tournament, confirmed it this Tuesday to the newspaper Ouest-France : there will still be no alcohol in the stands to watch the clay-court matches. The incivility of a few is worth the ban for everyone.

There's nothing new under the Porte d'Auteuil sun. The ban on alcohol in the stands was already in effect in 2024. And even the year before. "It's going to be fully renewed this year," confirmed Amélie Mauresmo. "You can obviously consume in the aisles. But once you're on the pitch, it's over. And if we notice any excesses, we don't hesitate to evacuate the spectators."

The Grand Slam tournament boss nevertheless points out that the events of the 2024 edition remained "isolated acts" and that it would be too simple "to put everything back on alcohol": "I also think that the post-Covid period has given people the desire to express themselves differently and more fully, to let go. And not just at sporting events."

Let's remember that even without alcohol, excesses exist. And that an outright ban is not a panacea. In 2024, Belgian David Goffin was notably the victim of chewing gum spat out by a spectator after his match against Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.