Uncivilized fans and betting, the case breaks out in Rome

The last one to pay the price a few weeks ago was the brother of Matthew Berrettini, Jacob, who in Naples lost his head and the match in a Challenger 125 which is not new to hosting such scenes. But the suspicion that what is happening these days to the International of Rome both son of the same matrix is strong. And a post by confirms it Paolo Bertolucci on X: “The incivility of the betting fans ruins the image of the tournament”.

In these two days the problem, on the stands of the Foro Italico, particularly affected two players, Alex De Minaur and Jakub Mensik, who were quite incredulous at hearing a dissenting cheering that went beyond the boundaries of support for their favourites, the opponents of the moment. Mensik after beating Maroszan he went to celebrate under the few fans who during the match had addressed him with harsh words, disturbing him on several occasions. De Minaur at some point in the match against the Italian Nardi he stopped, asking the umpire to intervene because some spectators had gone too far with the insults, and went to personally confront the man who had exceeded the limits. Those present in the stands tell, even on social media, of small groups of people easily identifiable and recognizable by their smartphones open on various betting sites.

At the end of March Jacopo Berrettini in Naples he had blown up after the match he lost against John Fonio in the Challenger 125 held in the city of Naples and which in the past has already been the scene of scenes of over-the-top cheering, even in matches in which the targets were Italian tennis players facing foreigners, a detail that makes it clear that the 'fans' were actually interested in something completely different. Throughout the match, some of the spectators had insulted Berrettini Jr. to make him lose the match, which then also happened.

Tennis fandom has certainly undergone an evolution: historically, from the 'sanctuary' of Wimbledon onwards, in the tournaments there is a code of conduct also for the public that has become a little less rigid over the years, but has always maintained a level of respect (so silence during the exchanges and cheering 'for', never against). Only in Davis Cup, where the competition is for nations and the 'curves' are historically more legitimate to make themselves heard, some transgression has always been accepted, however within the limits of respect. Now that bets can be made online and in real time, there are several cases in tournaments around the world in which people who have no sporting interest have shown up on the sidelines, annoying in order to influence the result towards their bet.

The sooner certain phenomena are cleaned up, the better it will be for everyone.