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How match scheduling at Roland-Garros is keeping women’s tennis out of the spotlight 

Women’s matches commenced at 11am every morning at Roland-Garros this year with the Court Philippe-Chatrier noticeably empty.

Even during Aryna Sabalenka’s quarter-final match on centre court against Zheng Qinwen  — both top ten players — the number of unoccupied seats in the morning session was obvious. 

The timing of women’s matches during the tournament undoubtedly played a role in the poor turnout. The morning session is the most unpopular time for the television watching public and fans —  the evening session being the primetime slot. The tournament’s broadcast deal with Amazon meant that only one night match was to be televised. 

No women’s singles match has been scheduled in the latter slot since 2023 when Sabalenka defeated Sloane Stephens, but why is this the case? 

TV broadcasters argue that men’s matches attract a greater audience and therefore revenue also plays a role — he who pays the piper calls the tune. However, this is not the only factor at play. 

Gilles Moretton, president of the French Tennis Federation, defended the scheduling format: “Sometimes for the night session, we need to put the better match, we think could be for the spectators.” 

Would extending women’s matches to five sets like in men’s matches at Grand slams make it more interesting for spectators to watch? 

As women play fewer sets at Grand Slams — three compared to five in the men’s competition — the chances of a dramatic comeback are far smaller. The iconic final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s singles would have been done and dusted in two sets under the women’s format and the audience starved of an epic comeback by Alcaraz in a five-and-a-half hour final — the longest in the history of Roland-Garros.

If continuously denied a primetime scheduling spot, the women’s game is denied the chance to prove that it can attract the same audiences as the men’s game. 

Julian Shenoy, a BUCS tennis player, drew attention to the unique appeal of the women’s game: “the serve doesn’t play as big a role as in the men’s game. I’d rather watch a shorter match filled with a greater variation in shots, slices, and rallies than a men’s match dominated by serving.” 

Referring to Alcaraz’s three set victory over Tommy Paul in the semi-finals, Shenoy added, “you can’t say women’s tennis is less entertaining because matches are shorter. Men’s matches can be over very quickly too.”

Several WTA players have spoken out against the controversial match scheduling at Roland-Garros. 

Ons Jabeur, a two-time Wimbledon finalist, has criticised the lack of visibility in women’s tennis: “They don't show women's sport, they don't show women's tennis, and then they ask the question, yeah, but mostly they [viewers] watch men. Of course they watch men more because you show men more.”

The tournament director and former number one Amelie Mauresmo has addressed much of the criticism over the scheduling of women’s matches. Mauresmo shared how the scheduling of the matches does not reflect the value of women’s sport: “It has never been that girls are not worthy to play at night, but rather it is about the length of the matches.”

Sabalenka pointed out: “There were a lot of great battles, a lot of great matches [on the women’s side] which would be cool to see as a night session, just more people in the stands watching these incredible battles.”

From the clay courts at Roland-Garros in Paris to the hard courts in St Andrews, the question of how we promote women’s sport is just as important a question at university level.

Claire Scotland, lead volunteer for the Tennis for Girls initiative, described how the programme, run entirely by female coaches, encourages girls of different ages to play tennis. The focus of the scheme is on taking part, building confidence, and giving it a go.

The importance of televising the professional game is also apparent in St Andrews. Hazel Whitworth, player for the women’s second team, shared her thoughts on Emma Raducanu’s win at the 2021 US Open at the age of 18: “She was around our age. You could relate to her. When I watched her play, I felt inspired.” 

Showing more professional women’s tennis matches during prime time might help to shine a light on the systemic structures driving inequality between the men’s and women’s game. Is it time women play five sets to increase engagement in women’s tennis, or is the issue rather a wider lack of recognition in women’s tennis compared to the men’s game?

Image from Wikimedia Commons