Latest news with #Mauresmo
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First Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- First Post
Police secure perimeter around Roland Garros for French Open and Champions League final clash
The Champions League final is taking place in Germany, but with Paris-based PSG involved and the match clashing with the French Open, security has been heightened around the tennis tournament. read more Novak Djokovic will be in action on Saturday when Champions League final involving PSG clashes with French Open. Images: Reuters Roland Garros is bracing for a surreal Saturday evening when the biggest noise around the French Open might come not from the courts, but from the nearby Parc des Princes, where tens of thousands of Paris St Germain fans will gather to watch their team contest the Champions League final against Inter Milan. Some 40,000 PSG supporters are expected to watch a screening at their home stadium, 750 metres from the French Open grounds, where around 15,000 tennis fans will fill Court Philippe-Chatrier for the night session starting at 2000 local time STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Police teams secure perimeter around Court Philippe-Chatrier With the Champions League final kicking off at 2100, authorities are bracing for both sets of spectators to spill out onto the streets of western Paris around the same time — a potential flashpoint in a city still on edge after PSG's semi-final victory over Arsenal earlier this month sparked looting and clashes with police. French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo said organisers were in close coordination with police to ensure the evening runs smoothly. 'Metro line 9 was supposed to be closed, but it will stay open all weekend, which means people can arrive and leave in good conditions,' Mauresmo told reporters on Friday. 'Everything around the stadium grounds is being managed by the police teams. They've secured the perimeter and are handling what needs to be done. On our side, we're managing operations inside and immediately around the stadium, while the police prefecture is in charge of everything beyond that perimeter.' Paris police chief Laurent Nunez confirmed 5,400 officers would be deployed across the capital on Saturday, with the Champs-Elysees and streets around the Arc de Triomphe closed from midday as a precaution, in light of a recent incident in Liverpool where a car ploughed into a crowd of football fans. French Open ready with 'security measures in place' As for whether the football frenzy might distract from the tennis, Mauresmo was relaxed. 'I'm not sure you can stop someone from checking the score on their phone,' she smiled. 'We're obviously vigilant and have security measures in place. But it's like the Olympics — people follow other events. 'If there's a couple of disturbances, we'll live with it. And on paper, it's not like there's going to be 10 or 20 goals.'
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Swiatek demands equal treatment as French Open schedule sparks debate
Amid criticism of the French Open's scheduling decisions, Iga Swiatek pointed to the Mexican waves rippling around Court Suzanne Lenglen during her compelling match against Jaqueline Cristian as evidence of women's tennis's entertainment value. The claycourt major features only one match daily during the primetime evening session that begins after 8.15 p.m. local time (18.15 GMT), but has so far not featured a women's match in that slot in the opening six days of action. The last time a women's singles match was played under the lights of Court Philippe Chatrier was the fourth-round meeting between Aryna Sabalenka and Sloane Stephens on June 4, 2023. Defending women's champion Swiatek, who overcame Cristian of Romania 6-2, 7-5, said she usually adjusts to the schedule she is given but added that it should be 'equal'. 'Women's matches can be entertainment the same way (as men's matches). As you could see today on my match, they (fans) were doing the Mexican waves and everything. So people like it,' Swiatek told reporters. 'We can put on a nice show. That's why I think it should be equal. That's it.' ALSO READ | Coco Gauff says women's matches 'worthy' of French Open night session Women's governing body the WTA told Reuters via email it encourages all combined tournaments to provide a balanced match schedule that showcases the best of both women's and men's tennis in premium scheduling slots. Three-times Grand Slam runner-up Ons Jabeur reignited a debate that has raged since night sessions were introduced at Roland Garros four years ago, saying this week that women's matches were being sidelined. The Tunisian added in a post on X on Friday that 'honouring one side of the sport shouldn't mean ignoring the other'. Night sessions are exclusively broadcast by Amazon's Prime service in France. French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo said that women's matches, played over a maximum of three sets as opposed to the five on the men's side, could finish 'really fast' and having an extra match in that slot was unfeasible. ALSO READ | What's behind the French Open's lack of women's night matches? 'If we have two matches in the night session it doesn't work in terms of how late players are going to finish,' said Mauresmo in a press conference on Friday, explaining that earlier starts would not work as well. 'The stands are going to be empty in most of the first match. That's what we think. So we keep this one match in the evening. It's not ideal. 'We cannot check every box because we have many things to think when we're making these choices.' Mauresmo, who won two Grand Slam singles titles, said that the French Open scheduling was not a reflection of its attitude towards women's players. 'For me, the message is not changing, and it has never been that the girls are not worthy to play at night,' she said. 'It's never been this. I'll not accept that you carry this message. That's clear to me.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ons Jabeur, Coco Gauff criticize French Open for not scheduling women's matches in prime-time slots
French Open tournament director Amélie Mauresmo disputed the notion the event doesn't view women's matches as worthy of a prime-time showcase during a news conference Friday. The French Open has not scheduled any women's matches for the night sessions during the opening rounds of the 2025 tournament. None was scheduled in 2024, either. Only two women's matches have been scheduled for the night session at Court Philippe-Chatrier since Mauresmo became tournament director in 2022, according to the Associated Press. Advertisement 'The funny thing is that it's the same questions, year after year," Mauresmo said when asked about women's matches being scheduled for the noon slot at Roland-Garros, which typically has the lowest attendance. 'It has never been that the girls are not worthy to play at night,' she added. 'It's never been this, and I will not accept that you carry this message.' The issue of women's matches not getting prime-time slots received renewed attention from comments by Ons Jabeur and Coco Gauff in recent days. "It's still sad that we are still seeing this,' Jabeur said at a press conference, via The Athletic. "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." Jabeur continued her thoughts on social media, pointing out a double standard in how women's and men's sports are discussed. "A lot of amazing athletes have been told the same things over and over," Jabeur wrote. "That no one watches. That no one cares. That women's sport doesn't 'move people.' "Honoring one side of the sport shouldn't mean ignoring the other," she added. "The women's game has been writing its own legacy loudly, brilliantly, and for far too long without recognition." Coco Gauff has spoken out against the French Open scheduling women's matches for lesser seen and attended times during the day, rather than prime-time slots at night. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) Gauff supported Jabeur's remarks, saying the French Open needed to "improve" its scheduling. "When you feel, like, what's best for the fans ... I feel like we produce some high-quality tennis and we have some great stars on the women's sides that fans would love to see," Gauff said following her second-round victory over Tereza Valentova, via Forbes. "From my experience playing at U.S. Open, night match at 7 pm, 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," she added. "And same as other places I've played like Australia, night match, people were excited to see us, too." Advertisement During her Friday presser, Mauresmo said no women's player has raised the scheduling issue with her directly. But the comments from Jabeur and Gauff have gotten the attention of media, compelling reporters to bring up the issue with Mauresmo and forcing the tournament director to defend not giving women's matches the largest possible audience. The last women's singles match scheduled in prime time on Philippe-Chatrier occurred in 2023 with then No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka facing Sloane Stephens in a fourth-round contest.
The Hill
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Hill
French Open: Only 2 women's matches have been scheduled at night with Amélie Mauresmo in charge
PARIS (AP) — For the fourth French Open in a row, tournament director Amélie Mauresmo was asked about a lack of women's matches during the tournament's night sessions — there was one in 2022, one in 2023, zero in 2024 and, so far, zero in 2025. And for the fourth French Open in a row, Mauresmo dismissed the issue, saying at a news conference Friday, when she also was pressed about placing women's matches in the noon slot at Court Philippe-Chatrier, when attendance tends to be sparse: 'The funny thing is that it's the same questions, year after year.' At the other Grand Slam tennis tournaments that sell separate tickets for night sessions, the U.S. Open and Australian Open, the main stadiums tend to feature two singles matches for that part of the daily schedule, one involving women and one involving men. Wimbledon has an 11 p.m. cutoff for competition and doesn't sells tickets for a night session. Roland-Garros added night sessions starting three years ago and the French federation has a contract with a streaming service for viewers in the home country that calls for one daily match in European primetime for the first 1 1/2 weeks of the event. With Novak Djokovic set to play Filip Milosic on Saturday, only two of the 37 contests at night will have been women's matches. Mauresmo, a former player who was ranked No. 1 and won two Grand Slam titles, took over as tournament director ahead of the 2022 tournament. She repeatedly has offered similar explanations for why the night match has almost always been a men's match, including that their best-of-five-set format is likely to offer more time on court for ticket-buyers than the best-of-three setup for women. In recent years, some female players have argued that's a mistake and hurts the growth of their sport, although Mauresmo said Friday that no current or former athletes have complained to her about it or offered their thoughts. Ons Jabeur, a three-time Grand Slam runner-up, was asked about the topic this week and called the current setup 'a shame.' 'It's still sad that we are still seeing this,' Jabeur said. 'In Europe, in general, it's unfortunate for women's sports. … Not for tennis, but 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,' Jabeur added. 'They don't show women's sport, they don't show women's tennis, and then they (say), 'Mostly, (fans) watch men.' Of course they watch men more, because you show men more.' Iga Swiatek, the three-time defending champion in Paris, said earlier in the week that the situation doesn't bother her — in part because she prefers to play earlier in the day — but when asked again Friday, after Mauresmo spoke, the owner of a total of five major titles explained that she thinks the division should be more equitable. 'Personally, it's not like I have big feelings about it, because I just do my job. I adjust to the schedule that I'm given,' Swiatek said. 'But I think it should be equal, because the women's matches can be an entertainment the same way. … We can put on a nice show.' Mauresmo said that having just one night match hasn't changed, 'So for me, the message is not changing, and has never been that the girls are not worthy to play at night.' When a reporter tried to return to matters such as night matches and scheduling women first in Chatrier, asking Mauresmo how big a deal she considers those matters, she replied: 'You know what? I would like to change the subject.' ___ Howard Fendrich has been the AP's tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: More AP tennis:
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Ons Jabeur, Coco Gauff criticize French Open for not scheduling women's matches in prime-time slots
French Open tournament director Amélie Mauresmo disputed the notion the event doesn't view women's matches as worthy of a prime-time showcase during a news conference Friday. The French Open has not scheduled any women's matches for the night sessions during the opening rounds of the 2025 tournament. None was scheduled in 2024, either. Only two women's matches have been scheduled for the night session at Court Philippe-Chatrier since Mauresmo became tournament director in 2022, according to the Associated Press. Advertisement 'The funny thing is that it's the same questions, year after year," Mauresmo said when asked about women's matches being scheduled for the noon slot at Roland-Garros, which typically has the lowest attendance. 'It has never been that the girls are not worthy to play at night,' she added. 'It's never been this, and I will not accept that you carry this message.' The issue of women's matches not getting prime-time slots received renewed attention from comments by Ons Jabeur and Coco Gauff in recent days. "It's still sad that we are still seeing this,' Jabeur said at a press conference, via The Athletic. "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." Jabeur continued her thoughts on social media, pointing out a double standard in how women's and men's sports are discussed. "A lot of amazing athletes have been told the same things over and over," Jabeur wrote. "That no one watches. That no one cares. That women's sport doesn't 'move people.' "Honoring one side of the sport shouldn't mean ignoring the other," she added. "The women's game has been writing its own legacy loudly, brilliantly, and for far too long without recognition." Coco Gauff has spoken out against the French Open scheduling women's matches for lesser seen and attended times during the day, rather than prime-time slots at night. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) (ASSOCIATED PRESS) Gauff supported Jabeur's remarks, saying the French Open needed to "improve" its scheduling. "When you feel, like, what's best for the fans ... I feel like we produce some high-quality tennis and we have some great stars on the women's sides that fans would love to see," Gauff said following her second-round victory over Tereza Valentova, via Forbes. "From my experience playing at U.S. Open, night match at 7 pm, 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," she added. "And same as other places I've played like Australia, night match, people were excited to see us, too." Advertisement During her Friday presser, Mauresmo said no women's player has raised the scheduling issue with her directly. But the comments from Jabeur and Gauff have gotten the attention of media, compelling reporters to bring up the issue with Mauresmo and forcing the tournament director to defend not giving women's matches the largest possible audience. The last women's singles match scheduled in prime time on Philippe-Chatrier occurred in 2023 with then No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka facing Sloane Stephens in a fourth-round contest.
