Tennis fans' unruly behavior

I was in a crowd cheering for the Japanese team in the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group I tie on Sunday, Feb. 8, the final day of a three-day series of matches against Indonesia.

As a Japanese national temporarily resident in Jakarta, I have a mixed reaction to the results of the matches. I would like to say, "Congratulations, Japan," as well as, "Thank you for some exciting games. Well done, Indonesia."

What I would like to comment on is, however, the manner in which Indonesian fans cheered at Bung Karno Stadium, Senayan, South Jakarta.

They brought in drums, bells, bugles, etc., which are very unusual and not customary -- at least in international tennis matches. The noisy horns and tambourines did not stop until the judge had said "please" or "thank you" many times, when it was Japan's serve.

Indecent hooting was also heard during the interval between the first and second serves, and when a Japanese player asked for a break to treat a mid-match injury on his wrist, Indonesian fans counted aloud from one to ten, as if for a technical knockout in boxing.

This unrefined manner was perhaps due to the fact that some of the Indonesian supporters were not tennis fans, but had merely dropped by the stadium attracted by the cheering and shouts, or were just passersby, like my driver, pulled into the stadium by someone -- without buying tickets -- in a show of support for the national team.

Tennis is a very elegant sport and the behavior of spectators is completely different from that in soccer or boxing.

Are Indonesian fans not yet mature enough to enjoy watching tennis games or cheering tennis players in a proper manner? I'm afraid the answer is "yes".

I hope the way Japanese fans cheered on that day was able to provide a good example as to the appropriate behavior at a tennis match.

MOGI MASAMICHI Jakarta