SHARE
COPY LINK

SPORT

‘Happy for men to take French Open night sessions,’ says Gauff

Coco Gauff shrugged off French Open night sessions being monopolised by men, claiming it's a not a "hotspot" for women players.

'Happy for men to take French Open night sessions,' says Gauff
US Coco Gauff reacts during her match against Russia's Mirra Andreeva. Photo: Emmanuel DUNAND/AFP.

In 2022, only one of 10 night sessions at Roland Garros featured a women’s singles match.

This year saw the first six nights also feature only men’s singles with Sunday’s last-16 clash between Aryna Sabalenka and Sloane Stephens set to be the first women’s match at the seventh time of asking.

“I don’t know if the night session amongst the players is a popular hotspot, to be honest,” said American world number six Gauff.

“I guess for the TV and that’s the prime spot, maybe yes, it does suck in that sense. But amongst the players and from my conversations, I don’t think a lot of people want that spot just because it is a late night.”

The 19-year-old added: “I don’t know if Sloane or Aryna wanted to play at that time, but I know the ones I spoke to, no one really wants the night session.

“We we were happy with the men taking it.”

Last year, tournament director Amelie Mauresmo, a former world number one and two-time Grand Slam title winner, caused a stir by saying men’s matches were more attractive. However, she insisted her remarks were taken out of context.

On Saturday, there were reports that fans were offering their Sunday night session tickets back for resale.

Men’s world number one Carlos Alcaraz and 22-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic are both playing in the day time on Sunday.

They form part of a three-match daytime session on Court Philippe Chatrier with the most expensive ticket, according to the tournament’s own website, priced at €245 — an average of just over €80 per match.

The one match on Sunday evening, however, comes with a top price of €180.

World number seven Ons Jabeur believes the best way forward is to follow the lead of the Australian and US Opens and schedule a men’s and a women’s match side-by-side in the night sessions.

That would mean an earlier start than the current 2030 (1830GMT) slot or run the risk of ending deep in the early hours of the following morning.

Saturday night’s match, which saw Alexander Zverev defeat Frances Tiafoe in four sets, finished at 0015 local time on Sunday (2215GMT).

“It was high time to put a night session with a female match. It’s a bit strange that we didn’t have the two matches, man and woman,” said Tunisian player Jabeur.

The Wimbledon and US Open runner-up in 2022 believes public perceptions of women’s tennis need to drastically change.

“People just judge that it’s gonna be a crappy match. But it’s not the case. There are a lot of extraordinary matches,” she said.

“I met many people who say, Well, the female matches, blah, blah, blah, and I ask them, Did you watch a female match? They said no. How can you judge a female match without watching it?”

“I hope that the stadium will be full tomorrow.”

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

SPORT

How to follow the Tour de France on French TV (and why you might want to)

The Tour de France is starting earlier than usual this year - here's how to follow the race on TV, and why the coverage is of interest even if you're not a cycling fan.

How to follow the Tour de France on French TV (and why you might want to)

For the first time since the Tour de France began in 1903, it will not finish in or near Paris, but instead in Nice, in order to accommodate the Paris 2024 Olympics. 

The event will also start earlier than usual, with the grand départ scheduled for June 29th. Cyclists will cross the finish line on July 21st.

This 2024 race will begin in Florence, Italy.

According to the race website, there “will be eight flat stages, as well as four hilly, seven mountain (with four summit finishes at Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla d’Adet, Plateau de Beille, Isola 2000, Col de la Couillole), two time trials and two rest days.”

This year, participants will climb a total vertical gain of 52,230 meters, crossing a distance of 3,492 kilometres.

Credit: Tour de France official website

How can I watch the race?

If you are in France, then you can enjoy rolling coverage on the free-to-view TV channels of France 2 and France 3. 

It’s not just footage of men on bikes, the TV coverage is famed for its highlighting of the more unknown corners of France so it’s a great way to discover new places to visit. 

For those outside of France, you can go onto the official race website (HERE) to see a listing of all ‘live’ broadcasters in several different countries. 

As much of the race takes place during the day when many are working, you can enjoy recaps each evening at 8.45pm on France 3 via the ‘TLS Tour de France’ show. This looks back on the best moments of the day, giving a summary of that stage and the results, as well as reactions from teams and rider, plus analysis from experts. 

Later on, the Tour de France Femmes, scheduled for August 12th to 18th, will also be broadcast on the France Télévisions website. This is free to watch but you will first need to create an account on the site, you will need a 5-digit French postal code to make an account (eg 75004 if you’re in central Paris).

Why watch the Tour de France?

Each year between 10 and 12 million spectators watch the race widely considered to be the most famous and most difficult cycle challenge, according to Le Figaro.

The Tour de France route changes every year, so viewers not only witness the impressive athleticism of participants, but they also explore France’s different regions. The towns that stage the départs (start of each race day) usually put on a festival often incorporating local traditions, food and drink (for the spectators, not the cyclists).

This year, the Tour de France will go through beautiful landscapes in the Occitanie region, as well as the Alps and across central France.

The race has a fascinating history, and every now and again there are spectacular crashes which will keep you wincing.

There is also a hit Netflix docu-series called ‘Tour de France: Unchained’ that may be a good place to start for the uninitiated.

French vocab

Le maillot jaune – yellow jersey (worn by the winner)

Le grand départ – the race start

Le départ – the start of each stage 

Le peloton – the group of cyclises (literally translated as ‘the pack’)

SHOW COMMENTS