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

• Every 2024 prime-time match at Roland Garros featured the men’s competition
• So far in 2025, no women’s match has been given the top television billing 
• Some players are happy with the imbalance due to inconvenience of playing late 

By MATTHEW LAMBWELL

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.

Ons Jabeur took aim at French Open organisers as men dominate the prime time night slot

Carlos Alcaraz featured in the night session on Friday, with only men’s matches having featured in the slot during the 2024 tournament and opening stages of the 2025 edition

Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo has defended the scheduling at Roland Garros 

‘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.

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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

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