Latest news with #OnsJabeur
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Scheduling pleas 'like hitting head against wall'
French Open 2025Dates: 25 May-8 June Venue: Roland GarrosCoverage: Live radio commentaries across 5 Live Sport and BBC Sounds, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website and app Jessica Pegula says she feels like she is "hitting her head against the wall" over the annual discussion around the lack of women's night matches at the French of the night sessions during the first eight days of this year's Roland Garros have featured a women's singles has led to accusations that not scheduling women's matches there implies female players are not "worthy" of the slot - something strongly rejected by French Open tournament director Amelie Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur said "honouring one side of the sport shouldn't mean ignoring the other" in an impassioned social media post on about the scheduling, American third seed Pegula said: "Every year it's the same thing. It's never equal."We are an event that is supposed to be equal. Why not give us some more chances to be?"It feels like just hitting my head against the wall because I feel like we have been talking about this for two, three, four [years] - probably forever, to be honest, because it's never been equal." Sunday will be the 22nd successive evening in Paris where a women's singles match is not featured - a run stretching back to 2023, when Aryna Sabalenka beat Sloane a news conference on Friday, Mauresmo said no women's players have complained directly to her about the former women's world number one added: "the message has never been the girls are not worthy of playing at night". Saturday's evening match - the slot most coveted for television audiences - sees men's Serb sixth seed Novak Djokovic face Austria's Filip Misolic, while Sunday night will see Holger Rune face Lorenzo Musetti."The women's game has been writing its own legacy loudly, brilliantly, and for far too long without too much recognition," Jabeur wrote on social media."The game is not asking to be seen. It is already shining."Pegula, who plays Frenchwoman Lois Boisson in the fourth round on Monday, said she supports Jabeur's message."I'm happy that she's able to speak up, and she's always been really good at wanting everything to be equal and fighting for not just where she's from, but also for women in general," Pegula added."I'm with her and I think we have proven that we deserve the same amount of opportunity."
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Flagrant sexism is spoiling the French Open
Ons Jabeur summed it up magnificently. 'Honouring one side of the sport shouldn't mean ignoring the other,' she wrote, holding nothing back as she weighed in on the sexist-scheduling debate that has reignited at the French Open. As one of the most well-respected players on the women's tour, Jabeur must have felt an excruciating sense of deja vu as she punched every last word into social media. This is not the first time the vociferous Tunisian has stuck her head above the parapet in calling for greater visibility in women's tennis, even if at times she has been something of a lone voice. But with this being the fourth year since night sessions were introduced at Roland Garros, others are joining her camp. Coco Gauff, whose quarter-final with Jabeur on the red dirt last year drew heavy criticism when it was condemned to an 11am graveyard slot, addressed the continued sidelining of women's tennis at Roland Garros earlier this week by saying it needed to 'improve'. Even four-time winner Iga Swiatek, who has previously been nonchalant about playing during the day, suggested the schedule should be 'equal'. 'Women's matches can be entertainment the same way [as men's matches],' said Swiatek following her 6-2, 7-5 third-round victory over Jaqueline Cristian. 'As you could see today on my match, they [the 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.' Amelie Mauresmo, the French Open director, is beginning to sound like a broken record. Under her watch, just two women's matches have been scheduled for the night session at Court Philippe-Chatrier since she became tournament director in 2022. Not a single women's match has been scheduled for the night session this year, while none were scheduled in 2024 either. This flagrant sexism is based on the flawed rationale that women's matches – by virtue of being played over three sets rather than five – lack quality, which risks broadcasters being left unsatisfied and fans not getting as much bang for their buck. It is staggering that this metric is still being applied to a sport that masquerades as being one of the most gender-equal. As Jabeur ruefully pointed out in her impassioned monologue: 'When a woman wins 6-0, 6-0 it's called boring. Too easy. When a man does it? That's 'dominance'. 'Strength.' 'Unstoppable.'.' Here is the entire back and forth between RG Tournament Director Amelie Mauresmo and Matt Futterman of the Athletic about not putting women's matches in the night sessions on Philippe Chatrier court. The exchange got very tense here & Mauresmo got very defensive. 🎥: FFT — TennisONE App (@TennisONEApp) May 31, 2025 Mauresmo was so frustrated by the persistent line of questioning by reporters over the subject on Friday that she cut an exasperated figure by the end of her press conference. 'That's not what we're saying,' she retorted, when it was put to her that women were not 'worthy' of prime-time evening slots. 'I have to stop you right there. For me, the message is not changing, and it has never been that the girls are not worthy to play at night. It's never been this.' But it is exactly this – and to dupe anyone into believing otherwise is to do a disservice to women's tennis. With organisers' penchant for scheduling men's matches at night, the message that women are not deserving of one of the biggest stages in sport is abundantly clear. The notion is that women's tennis does not carry the same entertainment value as men's. When this dangerous rhetoric trickles down through the sporting pyramid to grass-roots level, it is little wonder almost two thirds of girls drop out of sport by their late teens. Aryna Sabelenka's forehand was exceeding speeds of some men's players at last year's US Open, while the gripping unpredictability of the women's game and its constant merry-go-round of grand-slam champions in recent years is one of the sport's greatest appeals. From the rise of Gauff – last year crowned the best-paid female athlete in the world – to Jabeur's pluckiness on and off the court, Elena Rybakina's destructive shot-making and Swiatek's calm and calculated precision, women's tennis boasts a rich treasure trove of stories that make it more than worthy of the spotlight. By rejecting accusations that women's tennis is not deserving of playing under the lights on the main show court, Mauresmo is complicit in stifling its growth.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
French Open sexism scheduling row erupts as Ons Jabeur blasts lack of visibility given to women's tennis - as organisers defend men dominating prime-time night slot
The French Open has once again been gripped by a sexist scheduling row as Ons Jabeur hit out at the lack of visibility given to women's tennis at the event. Last year, every match chosen for the prime-time night session slot was a men's match - and the same again every day this year so far. Roland Garros tournament director Amelie Mauresmo - ironically a former WTA star herself - remain utterly unapologetic about the lopsided scheduling. There is limited outcry among the players themselves, mostly because the night session is generally seen as an inconvenient time to compete. Four-time champion Iga Swiatek likes to play early in the day, so her attitude to the whole thing can be summed up as: I'm alright Jack. But Jabeur is one of the few to see the bigger picture: that women's tennis has to fight for greater visibility. You don't have to agree , just read with an open heart❤️ — Ons Jabeur (@Ons_Jabeur) May 30, 2025 '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,' said the Tunisian earlier in the week. 'It's a bit ironic. They don't show women's sport, they don't show women's tennis, and then they say, 'Yeah, but mostly they watch men." 'Of course they watch men more because you show men more. Everything goes together.' And on Friday she posted a long message on X: 'The women's game has been writing its own legacy loudly, brilliantly, and for far too long without full recognition.' In her mid-tournament press conference, Mauresmo was repeatedly taken to task over the lopsided scheduling. To sum up her position: when there is only one match in the night session, we will always go for a men's match because that guarantees the punters a minimum of three sets, rather than two. Why can't you have two matches, a men's and a women's? Because then the night session would finish too late. Why can't you start it earlier? Because people wouldn't be able to get there in time after leaving work, so the stands would be empty for the first match. It is not easy to argue with any of her reasoning, but that does not make the end result any less palatable.
CNA
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNA
Swiatek wants equal treatment for women as French Open schedule remains in focus
PARIS :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 (1815 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." 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. "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.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Swiatek wants equal treatment for women as French Open schedule remains in focus
PARIS, May 30 (Reuters) - 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 (1815 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." 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. "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."
