French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo said her comments from Wednesday were taken out of context and she definitely meant no harm to the WTA players. On Wednesday, the reporters wanted to know why just women’s match was scheduled for the night session in the first 10 days of the tournament.
Mauresmo responded by seemingly suggesting the men’s matches were more appealing. “In this era we are in right now – and as a woman, a former woman’s player, I don’t feel bad or unfair saying this – you have more attraction and appeal, in general, for the men’s matches,” Mauresmo said.
When top-ranked Iga Swiatek was asked about the Mauresmo comments, she said she was disappointed and surprised.
Mauresmo defends herself: My comments were taken out of context
On Wednesday, Swiatek defeated Jessica Pegula in the French Open quarterfinal.
After the match, both Swiatek and Pegula said it was disappointing to hear a former player make such comments about the women’s game. “First of all the comments that I made were taken out of the wider picture, out of the context.
And I want to say sorry to the players that really felt bad about what I said,” Mauresmo explained, per James Gray. “Again, I think the people who know me, who’ve known me on and off the court, throughout my career, throughout everything that I’ve done, know that I’m a big fighter for equal rights and women’s tennis, women in general.”
Mauresmo: “First of all the comments that I made were taken out of the wider picture, out of the context. And I want to say sorry to the players that really felt bad about what I said.” (1/x) — James Gray (@jamesgraysport) June 2, 2022
Mauresmo: “Again, I think the people who know me, who’ve known me on and off the court, throughout my career, throughout everything that I’ve done, know that I’m a big fighter for equal rights and women’s tennis, women in general.”
(2/x) — James Gray (@jamesgraysport) June 2, 2022
Also, Mauresmo explained that the men’s matches at the Grand Slams (best-of-five-sets), usually last longer than the women’s matches (best-of-three-sets).
“Concerning the scheduling, specifically for the night matches, my say was that because we have one match only, the ticket holders, I feel that it’s really tougher to schedule a woman’s match because we have to take into consideration the length, I feel,” Mauresmo added.
Mauresmo: “Concerning the scheduling, specifically for the night matches, my say was that because we have one match only, the ticket holders, I feel that it’s really tougher to schedule a woman’s match because we have to take into consideration the length, I feel.”
(3/x) — James Gray (@jamesgraysport) June 2, 2022
Source: Tennis World USA