Latest news with #FrenchTennisFederation
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
French Open night session snub not about quality of women's tennis, says Amélie Mauresmo
Amélie Mauresmo, the former world No. 1 who is the tournament director for the French Open, has rejected suggestions that the lack of women's matches in the Roland Garros night session tells WTA Tour players that they are not worthy of the event's primetime slot. In a confrontational news conference, Mauresmo insisted that scheduling four women's matches out of 44 on Court Philippe-Chatrier since 2021 was not a judgment about the value and quality of women's tennis. Advertisement 'It has never been that the girls are not worthy to play at night,' Mauresmo said. 'It's never been this, and I will not accept that you carry this message.' Mauresmo said that the French territory television contract with Amazon Prime stipulates there being only one match in the night session. She then repeated another message of the past few years: that the potential length of the match is what matters. A three-set match could be over in two; a five-set match guarantees at least three. 'It's the length of the matches, not the level they reach,' Mauresmo said. Earlier in the week, French Tennis Federation (FFT) president Gilles Moretton said that scheduling decisions are based on 'what is better for spectators.' Advertisement Mauresmo said no female player has raised the issue directly with her, but her comments followed Coco Gauff, the world No. 2, and Ons Jabeur, the three-time Grand Slam finalist, discussing the importance of giving women the chance to showcase their talents in front of the widest possible audience. 'It's still sad that we are still seeing this,' Jabeur said in a news conference. 'I keep standing by my words. In Europe, in general, it's unfortunate for women's sports. Not for tennis but for in general. I hope whoever is making the decision, I don't think they have daughters, because I don't think they want to treat their daughters like this.' 'I do think that women's matches are worthy of a night spot,' said Gauff, who often plays at night at the U.S. Open in front of some 24,000 people at Arthur Ashe Stadium. She said French Open organizers could solve the problem by starting earlier and having two matches at night rather than one, as both the U.S. and Australian Opens do, as well as other top mixed tournaments. Advertisement 'From my experience playing at US Open, night match at 7 p.m. with Novak (Djokovic) following me, and he's the greatest player of all time, people were almost just as excited to see me play as him,' Gauff said. Jabeur also noted the circularity and the self-fulfilling outcome of having limited women's matches in the best slots. 'They don't show women's sport, they don't show women's tennis. Of course they watch men more because you show men more. Everything goes together. It's a shame from the Federation, a shame from the Prime,' she said. She noted how Naomi Osaka and Paula Badosa had played an epic three-set match that lasted nearly two and half hours in the first round, a duel between two high-profile players that could have carried a night session. Osaka played a similar match in the second round last year against Iga Świątek. Both matches took place in the day session, but Osaka's encounter with the four-time champion went on so long that it was getting dark when they were done. Advertisement 'A lot of great matches, they should have been there,' Jabeur said. Mauresmo told reporters to 'ask her on Sunday' about the topic, and a French reporter suggested putting the all-French encounter between wild cards Lois Boisson and Elsa Jacquemot in the slot Saturday, during the Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter. She said that the night sessions are sold out to Chatrier's capacity of 15,000, with the seats filled from early in the first set. She suggested that would not be the case if the session started earlier with a women's match, partly because of French work schedules. That is rarely an issue in Melbourne and New York, with spectators who have paid serious money for prime tickets not wanting to miss out. Ken Solomon, the former chief executive of the Tennis Channel, which used to be the U.S. broadcaster of the tournament, said he had raised the issue during his tenure. In part, that was to see if high-profile Americans like Gauff might play at night because it is the afternoon in the U.S., even if that meant scheduling two women's matches for the night session. Solomon said that there was no interest in doing that from either the WTA Tour or the tournament. Advertisement Like every other broadcaster, TNT, the current U.S. broadcaster makes suggestions and expresses preferences but ultimately the French Tennis Federation (FFT) makes the final call. The last time women played at night on Philippe-Chatrier was in 2023, when current world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka played Sloane Stephens in the quarterfinals. Asked whether she personally had an issue with the decision to schedule exclusively men at night since then, Mauresmo declined to answer. 'I would like to change the subject,' she said. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Sports Business, Tennis, Women's Tennis 2025 The Athletic Media Company
Rhyl Journal
4 days ago
- Sport
- Rhyl Journal
Ons Jabeur criticises French Open chiefs as women's prime time snub continues
The French Open introduced night-session matches in 2021 but they have almost exclusively featured a men's singles match. Last year all 11 prime-time TV slot matches featured men and the three so far this year have followed suit, while Wednesday night's is Danish 12th seed Holger Rune against American world number 137 Emilio Nava. Gilles Moretton, the president of the French Tennis Federation, caused controversy this week when he said the schedule is dictated by what will be 'better for spectators'. Former Wimbledon runner-up Jabeur said: 'It's still sad that we are still seeing this. 'In Europe it's unfortunate for women's sports in general. Whoever is making the decision, I don't think they have daughters, because I don't think they want to treat their daughters like this. 'It's a bit ironic. They don't show women's sport, they don't show women's tennis, and then they ask the question, 'yeah, but mostly they watch men'. Of course they watch men more because you show men more. Everything goes together. 'It's a shame from the Federation, a shame from (Amazon) Prime, that they made such a contract like this. A lot of great players, they deserve to be there. 'One of the matches was Naomi (Osaka) and Paula (Badosa). Such an unbelievable match. They were supposed to be there. Like last year, Iga (Swiatek) and Naomi was supposed to be there. A lot of great matches, they should have been there. 'I'm not sure what kind of fans he's talking about. I know I'm a fan. I will watch that match.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Rafael Nadal tribute shirts explode on secondary market
Rafael Nadal, the 14-time French Open champion, was honored Sunday in a ceremony at Roland Garros. (Credit: Getty Images) Merci Rafa. For the tournaments, the memories ... and the $500 T-shirts? Rafael Nadal, owner of a record 14 French Open championships, was honored at Roland Garros on Sunday, the first day of the calendar's second Grand Slam. Advertisement The tournament honored its greatest champion in a number of ways, including an everlasting footprint on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Roland Garros' center court, a trophy that says "Roland Garros Legend" with his signature and in-person tributes from Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, the other members of the "Big Four." But perhaps the most notable was the T-shirt that everyone in the crowd wore, which said "Merci Rafa", as a variety of shades of red littered Chatrier. The "Merci Rafa" shirt became a coveted collectible from the first day of the 2025 French Open. (Credit: Getty Images) The color of the shit was meant to mimic the clay, and the varying shades spread throughout the audience formed a giant mosaic that spelled out "Rafa" and "RG14", celebrating his 14 titles in Paris. Advertisement Nadal left such a legacy in Paris, he even — despite being Spanish — was an official torchbearer at the 2024 Olympic Games in the City of Lights. It's an honor that almost always is exclusively set aside for athletes of the host country. In addition to the shirts' messages, they also displayed the date of the tribute, "25.05.2025." And within minutes of the conclusion of Sunday's tribute, the floodgates opened on the secondary market. The most notable and expensive listings came via Vinted, a Lithuanian online marketplace. Some shirts were listed for as much as 561 Euros, equivalent to $633 USD. Advertisement French Tennis Federation president Gilles Moretton told the Associated Press he was stunned by the prices. "Some of the prices I saw scared me," he said Monday. "It's a bit sad to see people profit off the 'Merci Rafa' shirts. We weren't going to collect them after the ceremony. We created something unique — and maybe that uniqueness explains why this is happening." Moretton told the AP he did not receive a shirt himself, though he is looking for one. "But I'm not about to go on Vinted," he said. Matt Liberman is a reporter and video producer for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Letters to The Editor — May 29, 2025
The Trump steamroller The Trump administration appears to be on a war spree in trying to tame students (Page 1, May 28). Many foreign students secure huge loans to fund their tuition fees charged by universities in the United States and their interests normally lie in completing their studies — and, if possible, finding employment in the U.S. Could they be really interested in politically-linked activities? Will not a shrinking foreign student intake affect the numerous U.S. universities? P.R. Ravinder, Hyderabad The Trump administration is in a mighty hurry to make several sweeping changes to its internal and external policies. In the process it is adversely affecting hitherto normal campus life and putting the entire student community on tenterhooks. The maverick politician of the U.S. appears to be in a state of total chaos, dabbling in several issues at the same time. The U.S. needs to take care of its economy without creating global chaos. Govardhana Myneedu, Vijayawada While there is no gainsaying the fact that some of the imperious decisions of the Trump administration have earned him much deprecation, it does not mean that all his decisions taken to pursue his cherished ambition to 'Make America Great Again' are worthless. Prestigious higher education institutions have changed and student activities need to come under the scanner. Mr. Trump has taken a bold and prudent decision to revamp the education ecosystem — a decision that deserves to be hailed in the larger interests of his nation. Ravi Mathur, Noida, Uttar Pradesh Elusive peace There seems to be a game of hide and seek between the two superpowers when it comes to the Ukraine war. Russia is conveniently continuing its aggressive attacks on a weak country. The situation continues to be grave without any iota of relief and rehabilitation. Mani Nataraajan, Chennai Nadal honoured I am ecstatic to learn that the French Tennis Federation preferred a novel way to recognise tennis legend Rafael Nadal. What a thoughtful step to honour Nadal who has mesmerised us. The legend will motivate future greats to follow in his footprints. Tharcius S. Fernando, Chennai It was like Nadal had guarded Roland Garros like a demesne, repelling one generation after the next. Playing against him on clay was akin to scaling Mont Blanc without ropes. It was all the more fitting that Nadal's contemporary greats, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray were present. R. Sivakumar, Chennai
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
French Open night session debate reignites
When Britain's Jack Draper faces Gael Monfils at the French Open on Thursday, it will once again highlight an eye-opening statistic. It's one that raises the question of whether the clay-court Grand Slam should do more to promote the women's game. Not since 2023 has a women's singles match occupied the primetime night session slot on Court Philippe Chatrier - a run stretching to 19 successive matches. In fact, since the tournament introduced night sessions in 2021, only four matches have been from the women's draw. It is a striking imbalance that hits the headlines year after year, and one which former world number two Ons Jabeur believes affects women's sport as a whole. "It's unfortunate for women's sports in general. Not for tennis, but in general," said three-time Grand Slam finalist Jabeur following her first-round exit on Tuesday. "I hope whoever is making the decision, I don't think they have daughters, because I don't think they want to treat their daughters like this. "It's a bit ironic. They don't show women's sport, they don't show women's tennis, and then they ask the question, yeah, but mostly they [viewers] watch men. Of course they watch men more because you show men more. Everything goes together." The last women's singles match to be played in the evening at Roland Garros was Aryna Sabalenka's fourth-round win over Sloane Stephens two years ago. When asked for a comment in response to Jabeur's comments, the French Tennis Federation (FFT) did not provide one. Instead it said tournament director Amelie Mauresmo would "talk about this topic shortly" with the former world number one expected to hold a news conference later this week. FFT president Gilles Moretton defended the tournament's scheduling on Monday. "Sometimes for the night session, we need to put the better match, we think could be for the spectators," said Moretton. "Maybe we will have a few, I have no idea, a few female matches on the night sessions. We'll see. Depends on the schedule, who is playing who, which will be the best match." In Wednesday's night session at Roland Garros, Danish men's 12th seed Holger Rune takes on American world number 137 Emilio Nava. Earlier in the day, Poland's four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek beat Britain's Emma Raducanu - a US Open champion in 2021 - before Belarusian top seed Sabalenka's match against Jil Teichmann. Since 2021, of the 44 matches to take place under the lights of Court Philippe Chatrier, only four have been women's singles encounters: 2021 - Serena Williams' first-round win over Irina-Camelia Begu and Swiatek's fourth-round victory against Marta Kostyuk 2022 - Alize Cornet's second-round win over Jelena Ostapenko 2023 - Sabalenka's fourth-round win against Stephens The WTA said: "The WTA encourages all combined tournaments to provide a balanced match schedule that showcases the best of both women's and men's tennis - and in premium scheduling slots. "The current generation and depth of talent in women's tennis is extraordinary, and fans deserve and also expect the opportunity to witness the elite performance, athleticism and excitement of these top-tier match-ups on the sport's biggest stages." On Tuesday, Swiatek emphasised her preference for playing during the day. "Every year we talk about it. My position didn't change. I like playing days, so I'm happy that I'm done and I can have a longer rest," she said. American second seed Coco Gauff suggested the evening session could be contested by more women, but echoed Swiatek's position of not wanting to play too late. "I think if there is only going to be one match at 8:15pm, maybe there could be a women's match," said Gauff. "But if they want to start the night session at 8:15pm, I'm sure most girls on tour would rather not play after a men's match and have to go on at 11pm or 12am." Discussion about the gender imbalance in the French Open night sessions has been an annual theme over the past few years. So why has nothing changed? Because, despite the pressure, Roland Garros organisers don't want it to. There is only one match in the primetime slot, which is shown across France on Amazon Prime. The strategy differs to the Australian Open and US Open, which both put on two night matches - but then run the risk of stretching play late into the early hours of the following morning. Having just one match is the chief factor highlighted by tournament director Amelie Mauresmo - a former women's world number one - when defending her choices. She fears the shorter three-set format of the women's game could lead to fans not getting enough value for money. Live scores, results and order of play Get tennis news sent straight to your phone
