Mauresmo is self-critical: "Not everything was perfect in this tournament"

Andrés Tomás Rico | 9 Jun 2025 | 13.21

Mauresmo is self-critical: "Not everything was perfect in this tournament". Photo: Gettyimages.

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Hours before the start of the Roland Garros 2025 final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, Amelie Mauresmo, former tennis player and tournament director, entered the press room to provide a summary of the two weeks of the Parisian grand event. Despite this Grand Slam being remembered for the highly anticipated final between the Spaniard and the Italian, as well as the women's final between Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka, controversies over scheduling and the absence of women's matches in the night session have cast a shadow over the last couple of weeks in the French capital.

Mauresmo did not shy away from any questions during this press conference, showcasing a different attitude from the tense and defensive tone she exhibited a week earlier. She engaged in self-criticism, highlighted positive aspects of this edition like the tribute to Rafa Nadal, potential collaboration with him in the future, the emergence of Lois Boisson, and areas for improvement in the upcoming edition of the most prestigious clay court tournament.

Aiming for continuous collaboration with Nadal

"As we've mentioned, it is our shared desire, both from the tournament's perspective and Rafa's, to establish a form of collaboration. While our focus has primarily been on the events of this year, including the communication campaign and the tribute, we will resume discussions for this longstanding relationship that the tournament has shared with Rafa over the past 20 years to continue in one way or another. So, yes, there is a mutual desire, and we will find a way to make it happen. I am very confident about it."

Considering advancing the night session schedule

"Well, in most cases, it was an experimental learning experience for specific matches. So, you know, everything remains open. We always strive to learn from our experiences and the new initiatives we undertake for the future. I'd also like to point out that the night sessions at 8:30 and 9:00 were successful, with full attendance from the beginning of the matches until their conclusion. Therefore, we will see. We are open to possibilities, that's for certain."

Main reason for the absence of women's matches in the night session

"I always bring up the match durations, comparing men's and women's games. I have always stated that entertainment value exists in both cases. I think we wouldn't be having this conversation if we had the same format for both matches because, in my opinion, it's the duration or potential duration of the matches that complicates the scheduling for us."

Considering night sessions at Suzanne Lenglen

"After each edition, we contemplate the match scheduling. Our post-tournament seminar takes place shortly after the conclusion because we want to reflect on the event promptly and ask the right questions. So, this is one of our inquiries. We decided to set it aside due to the stadium's capacity. But these are recurring questions each year. We also analyze the audience's and spectators' consumption, what changes we can make, what can evolve. Two weeks from now, we will hold our seminar and revisit these questions. I recall that the first time we discussed this, the stadium's capacity and flow were the issues. Could we organize things differently? Well, undoubtedly, we will examine this matter."

Leaving room for the retention of line judges next year

"It has gone very well. Overall, we have maintained a high standard, which is a great satisfaction for us because, as you know, we are somewhat the last holdouts concerning line judges. So, we will revisit this issue again. We raised it last year, and we will reconsider it this year, examining potential vacancies, the pros and cons, you know, whether there will be no line judges next year. I don't have the answer, but we will explore it. Last year, when we discussed this, the idea was to introduce electronic monitoring on clay courts, something we hadn't implemented thus far. The analysis of previous tournaments' experiences was quite inconsistent, and the system's reliability was questionable. So, we opted to retain the option of keeping our line judges. This is a discussion we will have with the teams to decide where we want to go next year, or not. The matter remains open."

Transitioning Boisson's success on clay to her first grass court experience

"Has she never played on grass? Historically, it's a surface that demands some experience from players. That is certain. So let's see... However, you know, grass has also undergone changes in recent years. It has been slowing down on many occasions. There are specific aspects regarding bounce height. You can witness lengthy rallies on grass. I believe this may possibly help her. There's also the excitement of exploring something new. That's how it goes. You need to have an open mind and say: Okay, it's not starting from scratch. Not at all. But you're adapting. The idea is to make these adaptations as swiftly as possible so that the gameplay aligns with the surface. I think this adjustment, compared to that of 20 years ago or more, is somewhat less demanding."

Self-critique after these two weeks

"As I've mentioned, not everything was perfect in this tournament. We are aware of this and will certainly work on finding solutions for the future. There's not much more to it. I've said in French that in two weeks, we will have our collective debriefing and definitively discuss these topics, figuring out how we can make things work better."

A new era with Alcaraz and Sinner

"Certainly, because they're both in today's final, and it's not a coincidence. They are there based on their rankings. Given their age, we can imagine they will continue to progress, and the men's tennis game will also keep evolving because I believe men's tennis will continue to progress. We wonder how it's possible after the era of the big three or big four, but yes, we can envision these players being around for a long time. They already have a very high level considering their ages, with some incredible wins for their age. It's inevitable to foresee them staying around for a long time."

Exploring options to fill Philippe Chatrier

"In terms of filling the stadium, it's something we continue to think about and work on. It's not easy. The way spectators attend matches or consume them has changed. They spend seven or eight hours in the stadium. Many things happen, so they opt for different experiences. There are various aspects to try and experiment with. This is also the flip side of what we offer externally; therefore, we need to strike the right balance."

The tribute to Nadal, the standout memory of this edition

"The most historic moment is Rafa on the central court, at Chatrier, receiving the affection from everyone, the audience, the organization, and the other great players of his time, and how moving that moment was. I believe those images, the stadium, the colors, the harmony in all this will likely endure and remain so. This has been the most significant," expressed a Mauresmo who experienced two weeks at Roland Garros filled with tennis and controversies.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Mauresmo tira de autocrítica: "No todo fue perfecto en este torneo"