French Open chief asks to ‘change subject’ as | Sports News

French Open match director Amelie Mauresmo discovered herself within the scorching seat when questioned about her extensively criticized scheduling decisions in Paris, which notably didn’t function any girls’s matches within the coveted primetime night time session slot since 2023. The ex-world No. 1 was embroiled in an intense debate during a press convention on Friday morning and ultimately remarked, “I would like to change the subject.”

The omission of girls from the single-match 8.15 p.m. night time session over the previous two years has sparked intense conversations, with tennis stars like Ons Jabeur, a two-time grand slam finalist, brazenly chastising the occasion organizers. Mauresmo stood by her determination and strongly dismissed allegations that her strategy conveyed a sentiment of inequality between female and male gamers.

“That’s not what we are saying. I have you stop you right there,” the French Open chief asserted as she confronted the insinuation. “For me, the message that I always said and I will repeat: as I said, the conditions did not change from having one unique match in the evening.

“For me, the message is just not altering and it has by no means been that ladies are usually not worthy to play at night time. It’s by no means been this and I cannot settle for that you simply carry this message, that is actually clear to me.

“What I’m saying is I’m talking and we are talking – because I’m not the only one to make the decisions – about potential match length. In this perspective, it is hard to say that the two sets can go really fast when [if it’s a men’s match] you have three sets minimum so it’s one hour and a half, two hours maybe, I don’t know.

“For me, that is the size of the matches. It’s not how they play, it isn’t the extent they attain proper now. I’m not speaking about this. That’s what you suppose the message is. That’s your interpretation.”

One idea Coco Gauff tossed out was the possibility of kicking off the night session earlier with a lineup featuring both a women’s and a men’s match. Presently, the schedule consists of three daytime matches, and Mauresmo isn’t inclined to alter this aspect, which rules out adding a second evening game.

In France, Amazon Prime Video holds the exclusive broadcasting rights for all night sessions at Roland Garros, under a contract extending until 2027. Yet, Mauresmo stressed she doesn’t single-handedly ink these deals. “In my opinion, if we do not need to end too late, we can’t have the 5 matches within the day,” she explained. “As I stated, for people right here in Paris, they arrive out of work, they often come right here, Roland Garros, 7.30, 8. To hope to attempt to have a full home within the night is 8, 8.30, starting of the night time periods.

“If we have two matches in the night sessions, it doesn’t work in terms of how late the players are going to finish. That’s my opinions. But if we start earlier, it’s going to work in terms of… The stands are going to be empty in most of the first match. In my opinion, that’s what we think. So we keep this one match in the evening.

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“It’s not ideally suited. We can’t verify each box as a result of now we have many, many issues to suppose after we are doing these decisions.” The two-time Grand Slam champion and former coach of Andy Murray, when questioned about the routine of scheduling a women’s match first on Chatrier to often sparse stands, expressed her fatigue with the recurring inquiry.

She pointed out that Chatrier typically maintains an equal split, hosting two women’s and two men’s matches each day. After consistently justifying her tournament’s timetable, Mauresmo was probed on her personal stance regarding the pattern of women playing early while men nearly always occupy the night slots, to which she responded: “I would love to change the subject. I feel I’ve answered all of it.”

However, there remains a hint of possibility that a women’s match might secure the coveted evening spot before the current French Open concludes. “Maybe we discuss it on the final Sunday,” Mauresmo hinted. In 2023, Aryna Sabalenka’s fourth-round bout towards previous finalist Sloane Stephens was allotted the night time session, the place she triumphed in a close two-set match 7-6, 6-4. Subsequent to this, all 20 night video games have been completely for male rivals.

Since the introduction of night time periods in 2021, girls have solely headlined 4 occasions, leaving it unsure if this yr will see any alteration.