Moments after scoring one of the biggest wins of her career at the Madrid Open on Sunday Karolina Muchova said she was even more delighted to achieve the accolade in front of people.
The world No.20 credited the crowd for ‘giving her energy’ during her three set win over Naomi Osaka on the Manolo Santana Stadium. After being cancelled in 2020, this year’s Madrid Open is taking place but with a somewhat reduced attendance. In an agreement with local officials, they are allowed to hold up to 40% of their usual capacity in relation to restrictions linked to COVID-19.
“I am happy people are allowed to come and cheer,” said Muchova. “It was very nice and I definitely missed this a lot. I’m really glad this is happening again and people can support us (in person).“
The 2021 tennis calendar has been as much adapted around the ongoing pandemic as the players. Travelling on the Tour, players experience different rules in different countries depending on national laws. For example, two prestigious clay events in Monte Carlo and Stuttgart took place behind closed doors.
Tournament director Feliciano Lopez describes holding the Madrid Open as a ‘daily battle’ as he and his team aim to lead the way for fans returning to sports events in Spain. On April 30th the country reported a week-on-week fall in the number of people being hospitalised with the virus, as well as a new record for issuing a vaccination to people within a 24-hour period.
“It’s tough to play without fans. Obviously we have had to do it. We have had no option,” Denis Shapovalov said following his first round win.
“It does feel like a tournament environment when you’re playing in front of people, in front of fans. I always say we’re (the players) are showmen, so we’re able to put on a show again this week in front of a live audience. For sure it’s something special and something just super positive.”
Of course not everybody is the same and some would react better to playing in front of fans than others. Benoit Paire has been open about his displeasure of playing in empty tennis venues and ever described Monte Carlo like a ‘cemetery.’ Dominic Thiem is another player to speak openly about his struggles with bubble life, as well as many others on the Tour.
But how vital are fans for those who have already achieved so much in the sport and are in the later stages of their career? A prime example is Rafael Nadal who has 20 major titles to his name.
“I think it’s important for everyone, but of course for the players who already probably achieved almost everything, the crowd is an important, even more important than for the others,” the world No.2 acknowledged.
As for others, such as Greece’s Maria Sakkari, the sound of cheers from the sidelines provide a sense of normality following what has been a 18-month roller-coaster on the Tour. Which was briefly suspended for a few months last year.
“Even though it’s not a packed court, at least you feel like we are slowly getting back to reality,” said Sakkari.
“For fans, the players and everyone involved in the tournament, you feel like, God, we’re slowly, slowly getting there. Having people supporting you is why you’re playing tennis, to be on the big stage and getting that support from everyone.”
Two-time champion Simona Halep shares a view similar to that of Sakkari. The Romanian has already had a COVID-19 vaccination but did contract the virus beforehand. She defeated Zheng Saisai in her opening match.
“The atmosphere was really good even if it’s not packed. We have many fans, and it’s really nice. I miss them so much,” Halep commented.
“Hopefully after this week we have confidence that it’s gonna be back to normal soon. I always really like playing with the fans and having their support because everywhere I go I feel like they share with me the positive thoughts and they are supporting me.”
Although the full feeling of normality on the Tour is still a while away. At the Italian Open, which takes places straight after Madrid, it is reported that the tournament could welcome 25% of its capacity. However, this will only be from Thursday onwards of that week which is when the third round matches are scheduled to be played. Although a final decision is yet to be made.
