Naomi Osaka’s coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, has come under scrutiny for his candid remarks about the lack of women’s matches during the French Open night sessions. The 54-year-old suggested that current WTA stars like Iga Świątek and Coco Gauff need to attain the superstar status Serena Williams once held to be featured in prime-time Grand Slam slots.
Consequently, the Frenchman faced significant backlash from fans online. However, he stood by his remarks, directly addressing the criticism. Concerns over gender bias in match scheduling have increased at the French Open. Even this year, the night slot, generally starting at 8:15 p.m., featured only men’s matches, prompting critics to question the lack of exposure for women’s tennis.
Patrick Mouratoglou Responds to Backlash Over Scheduling Remarks
Mouratoglou recently addressed the issue in an Instagram video titled ‘Are Night Sessions Really Gender-Biased?’ He defended the tournament’s approach, arguing that daytime slots give female players broader exposure than evening matches, which often air on paywalled platforms.
The 54-year-old explained that tournaments schedule just one match per night session to ensure a complete experience for viewers, as a shorter women’s match alone might not meet their expectations. But his remarks about stars like Aryna Sabalenka, Gauff, and Świątek later proved divisive.
The Frenchman stated that the audience of the WTA players like Sabalenka and Świątek, who lack the ‘superstar’ status, can’t yet be compared to that of stars like Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, or even Williams. He noted that players like Gauff have yet to reach the status of the 23-time Major champion, who was the only woman to be scheduled for a night match at the 2021 French Open.
Numerous fans pushed back against Mouratoglou’s remarks that Gauff, Sabalenka, and Świątek have yet to reach the “superstar” status. While some stressed the importance of night matches for greater visibility for women, others urged the French Open to prioritize equality over profit. Some even suggested scheduling two women’s matches at night to ensure prime-time value if one proved too short.
Osaka’s coach later addressed many of the counterarguments, reaffirming his stance from the Instagram clip. He noted that tournaments often prioritize economics over gender equality and argued that scheduling two three-set matches featuring women at night could run too late to be practical.
“To become a superstar, you need exposure, of course, but it is not enough. Serena, Venus, and Sharapova were superstars. Coco is on the way,” he responded to one of the fans.
In one of his counterarguments, Mouratoglou said:
“Equality is treating people equally, regardless of their gender and origins. The logic of the tournaments is economical. They are not activists.”
Here are a few of his comments:
“Actually, women’s matches have more exposure because during the day they are broadcasted on national tv and at night only on digital. There are two women’s matches and only one man’s match during the day,” he said.
“Yes putting two women matches could be an option but if they both play 3 sets match, the last match could end at 2am. I guess that is the reason why they did not choose that option,” he replied.
Iga Świątek and Coco Gauff Opened Up On The Scheduling Debate
After their first-round wins, Gauff and Świątek were asked about the absence of women’s matches in the French Open night sessions. The Pole acknowledged the issue but chose not to elaborate.
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Gauff, meanwhile, noted that most female players wouldn’t prefer the late-night matches. “There’s only one 8:15 p.m. slot, and I don’t think any girl wants to play after that,” she said.
Both Gauff and Świątek have reached the French Open semifinals, with the American set to face French wildcard Boisson, while the Pole faces the top seed, Aryna Sabalenka in a blockbuster encounter.