French Open scheduling pleas 'like hitting head against wall'

French Open 2025

Dates: 25 May-8 June Venue: Roland Garros

Coverage: Live power commentaries crossed 5 Live Sport and BBC Sounds, positive unrecorded matter commentaries connected nan BBC Sport website and app

Jessica Pegula says she feels for illustration she is "hitting her caput against nan wall" complete nan yearly chat astir nan deficiency of women's nighttime matches astatine nan French Open.

None of nan nighttime sessions during nan first 8 days of this year's Roland Garros person featured a women's singles match.

It has led to accusations that not scheduling women's matches location implies female players are not "worthy" of nan slot - thing strongly rejected by French Open tourney head Amelie Mauresmo.

Two-time Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur said "honouring 1 broadside of nan athletics shouldn't mean ignoring nan other" successful an impassioned societal media station connected Friday.

Asked astir nan scheduling, American 3rd seed Pegula said: "Every twelvemonth it's nan aforesaid thing. It's ne'er equal.

"We are an arena that is expected to beryllium equal. Why not springiness america immoderate much chances to be?

"It feels for illustration conscionable hitting my caput against nan wall because I consciousness for illustration we person been talking astir this for two, three, 4 [years] - astir apt forever, to beryllium honest, because it's ne'er been equal."

Sunday will beryllium nan 22nd successive evening successful Paris wherever a women's singles lucifer is not featured - a tally stretching backmost to 2023, erstwhile Aryna Sabalenka hit Sloane Stephens.

In a news convention connected Friday, Mauresmo said nary women's players person complained straight to her astir nan situation.

The erstwhile women's world number 1 added: "The connection has ne'er been nan girls are not worthy of playing astatine night".

Saturday's evening lucifer - nan slot astir coveted for tv audiences - sees men's Serb sixth seed Novak Djokovic look Austria's Filip Misolic, while Sunday nighttime will spot Denmark's Holger Rune look Italian Lorenzo Musetti.

"The women's crippled has been penning its ain bequest loudly, brilliantly, and for acold excessively agelong without excessively overmuch recognition," Jabeur wrote connected societal media.

"The crippled is not asking to beryllium seen. It is already shining."

Pegula, who plays Frenchwoman Lois Boisson successful nan 4th information connected Monday, said she supports Jabeur's message.

"I'm happy that she's capable to speak up, and she's ever been really bully astatine wanting everything to beryllium adjacent and fighting for not conscionable wherever she's from, but besides for women successful general," Pegula added.

"I'm pinch her and I deliberation we person proven that we merit nan aforesaid magnitude of opportunity."