The controversy of the night sessions: Is there sexism at Roland Garros?

Carlos Navarro | 31 May 2025 | 06.21

Is There Sexism at Roland Garros?

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In each Grand Slam, there are different focal points that color and complete the events that take place on the court. In one like Roland Garros 2025, with a night session consisting of only one match, unlike the other Majors that use it (both in Australia and New York, there are two matches), the choice of duels for the 'prime time' has sparked a wave of comments, a widespread uproar that has shaken the tournament director Amelie Mauresmo, creating a debate in which several players have wanted to give their opinion.

Beyond the journalists' questions, the one who primarily ignited the flame was Ons Jabeur. The Tunisian, always very vocal in advocating for equality between both circuits, was the first to openly speak out against what she sees as a clear bias: not a single women's match in the night session so far in the tournament. Ons was so frank, in fact, that she went as far as to state that she wishes the tournament directors and organizers had no daughters to set such an example, pointing out the double standard that many fans exhibit: we complain that women's tennis does not generate revenue, but we do not give women's tennis the chance to showcase itself to the world and thus generate income.

An interesting counterpoint was provided by Iga Swiatek, who delved deeper into her statements from last year and defended a surprising position for many. The Polish player was not wrong in looking at this matter from a personal perspective: she was completely free to assert and defend that the daytime session is much better for her and her colleagues, providing more rest time and making it easier for her to progress throughout the tournament without days ending at two in the morning. Does that diminish visibility for the women's circuit? Her answer was clear: no.

MAURESMO DEFENDS HERSELF... AND ROLAND GARROS SEEKS LOGIC

The reality is overwhelming: since the implementation of night sessions at Roland Garros in 2021, one of the major innovations of the tournament in the last decade, only four women's matches have been scheduled for this slot, with the last one taking place in 2023. We're on track for two complete editions without women's matches in the last turn of the day, which is an affront to many and logical to others. How does the tournament defend all of this?

Mauresmo faced the press today and wanted to be very clear regarding a topic that practically dominated her entire intervention. She dismissed the notion that not scheduling a women's match there is due to a lack of quality in the women's circuit, defended equal opportunities in her tournament, and simply revealed the logic the organization follows: a men's match guarantees, at minimum, a three-set length, while a women's match could end in just two sets and provide little over an hour of entertainment.

Is this a sufficient reason to deny women the opportunity and justify the absence of WTA matches since 2023? This is something we extensively debated in our latest YouTube video, especially exploring the ticket prices for the night session: the difference compared to the daytime session ranges from 15-30 euros, and there are two fewer matches between one session and the other, somewhat justifying the tournament in seeking a sort of Solomon's solution to please its viewers and buyers with men's matches that, hopefully, will go to the fourth and fifth set and more strongly justify the exorbitant prices they can offer. We delved further into this in our video, so be sure to share your opinion after watching it here: