From Player to Director 🎬 🇫🇷 Amelie Mauresmo discusses the evolution to #RolandGarros over the years and changes that are coming soon for the 2024 olympics.
"Some high-profile women's players are not really keen to go at night": Mauresmo responds to criticism surrounding Roland Garros Night Session
WTAMonday, 12 June 2023 at 09:30
Amelie
Mauresmo explained why male matches have been prioritized in the Night Sessions
of the French Open.
Former
world No.1 is the director of Roland Garros since 2021, when she replaced Guy
Forget. Mauresmo responded to the criticisms that the tournament has received
regarding the Night Sessions, as this year the majority of the days favored
men's matches.
During the
first seven days, it was men's matches that occupied the Philippe Chatrier
court in the main session of the day, a streak of days that ended with Aryna
Sabalenka's victory over Sloane Stephens on Sunday, June 4. Several fans and
players have criticized the decision, including Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula,
with the latter stating that women's matches are "undervalued."
"Definitely
this, in my opinion, and we have numbers to support that, apart from the night
sessions, that the prime slots were this time rebalancing also on what happened
last year much more balanced between men and women, so that is something for us
that is important definitely,” Mauresmo said.
"I
hear that she's disappointed with that. I just also want to say that some of
the high-profile players, that are women's players I'm talking about, that
would be our choices to put in the night matches are not really keen to go at
night and are having different requests," 2-time Grand slam champion said.
"We're
not always listening to the requests, that's not what I'm saying, but we also
try to arrange overall, whether they're men or woman player, we try to arrange
everyone if we can. So just, I mean, I think you know that, because I saw some
players also commenting on this matter. So this doesn't make also our life
easier," Mauresmo added.
The former
world No.1 argued that, except for the night sessions, there were more women's
matches scheduled in prime time, representing progress compared to previous
years. She also stated that scheduling two matches at night, considering the
potential duration of men's matches, is not very feasible.
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"My
point is this year that we put definitely way more woman matches on the prime
slots in 2023. It doesn't make it perfect yet, because of these night matches that
are unique, that are only one matches, and that's where I come to the lens, and
we talked about it last year also.”
"Because
when you look at it, a men's match that goes in straight sets, it's still
around probably between one hour 45, two hours, maybe a bit more, depends, and
I think when you have only one match, it makes it difficult to, yeah, to
schedule something else, in fact," she concluded.
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