“I guess for TV, that’s the prime spot,” says Coco Gauff on how men monopolize the nighttime French Open sessions

Coco Gauff dismissed the idea that males were dominating the night sessions at the French Open and said that it wasn’t a “hotspot” for female players.

Only one of Roland Garros’ ten night sessions in 2022 included a women’s singles match.

The first six nights of this year’s tournament likewise featured solely men’s singles matches, with Sunday’s match between Sloane Stephens and Aryna Sabalenka in the round of 16 scheduled to be the first women’s match in the seventh attempt.

To be really honest, I don’t know whether the players’ night session is a popular gathering place, remarked American world number six Gauff.

“Perhaps sure, it does stink in that sense for the TV and that’s the main position, I think. However, based on the players and the chats I’ve had, I doubt many people are interested in that area just because it is late at night.

“I don’t know if Sloane or Aryna wanted to play at that time, but I know the ones I spoke to, none of them really want the night session,” the 19-year-old said.

“We were pleased that the men got it.”

Amelie Mauresmo, a former world number one and two-time Grand Slam champion, made headlines last year when she said that men’s matches were more appealing.

She argued nonetheless that her words had been misinterpreted.

There were rumors of people selling their Sunday night session tickets back on Saturday.

On Sunday, the top-ranked male player in the world, Carlos Alcaraz, and 22-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic will both compete throughout the day.

They are a part of a three-match afternoon session on Court Philippe Chatrier, with the most expensive ticket costing 245 euros, or slightly over 80 euros each match, according to the tournament’s official website.

However, the highest price for the one game on Sunday night is 180 euros.

Ons Jabeur, the seventh-ranked player in the world, thinks scheduling a men’s and a women’s match side by side in the evening sessions is the wisest course of action.

This would need a start time earlier than the present 2030 (1830 GMT) time slot or run the danger of finishing very early the next morning.

The match from Saturday night, in which Alexander Zverev defeated Frances Tiafoe in four sets, was over at 00:15 local time (22:15 GMT) on Sunday.

“Putting a night session with a female match was long overdue. It’s a little odd that we didn’t have the men’s and women’s matches, player Jabeur of Tunisia stated.

The 2022 Wimbledon and US Open runner-up thinks there has to be a significant shift in how the general public views women’s tennis.

“People just assume that it will be a bad match. But this is untrue. Many remarkable pairings exist, she noted.

When I ask someone whether they saw a female match, they often respond, “Well, the female matches, blah, blah, blah. They rejected it. Without seeing a female match, how can you assess it?

“I’m hoping tomorrow will see a full stadium.”