With Coco Gauff and Iga Świątek sharing their thoughts on the French Open’s night match scheduling, fans have stepped in with plenty of opinions.
Both top WTA stars made it clear they’re not too bothered by what some see as an unfair schedule, and their honesty has sparked a mix of praise, criticism, and debate across the tennis world.
Gauff and Świątek Share Honest Takes on Scheduling
The French Open’s prime-time night sessions on Court Philippe-Chatrier have faced criticism again this year. The first three days of the tournament featured only men’s singles matches in the 8:15 p.m. slot. Critics say this approach keeps women’s tennis out of the spotlight during prime viewing hours.
In 2022 and 2023, only one women’s match was played in the first 10 night sessions. With the issue back in focus in 2025, reporters turned to Świątek and Gauff for their views, but neither gave the fiery responses some were expecting.
Świątek, the defending women’s singles champion, was asked directly whether it bothered her that men’s matches were always on the big stage. After her win over Rebecca Šramková on Day 2, Świątek didn’t hold back.
“I understand, but I’m not making the schedule,” she said. When pushed further, she added: “No.” Her simple response led to split opinions online, with some praising her maturity and others saying she avoided the question.
Coco Gauff was asked about the lack of female matches being scheduled for the night session at Roland Garros, ‘To be honest, prove me wrong, but I don’t think any girl wants to play after the 8:15 match’
“You’re one of the leaders of female tennis. I want to ask your opinion on… pic.twitter.com/AUrBG01dHl — The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 27, 2025
On Tuesday, it was Gauff’s turn to speak. After her 6-2, 6-2 victory over Olivia Gadecki, the 21-year-old American was asked about the lack of women’s matches in the night sessions. Gauff gave a thoughtful answer, pointing out that most female players would rather avoid late starts if they only have one night match per day.
“I think here is a unique topic because there is only one slot at 8:15 p.m. To be honest, I don’t think any girl — I mean, prove me wrong — but I don’t think anyone wants to play after the 8:15 p.m. match,” Gauff said. “I don’t know what the other girls would think, but I think most people would rather play before that. Maybe there’s a chance to put someone at 6:30 p.m. or 7:00 p.m.”
She explained that while a women’s match could be scheduled at 8:15 p.m., following a long best-of-five men’s match wouldn’t be appealing to most.
“I think if there is only gonna be one match at 8:15 p.m., maybe there could be a women’s match. But if they wanna start the night session at 8:15 p.m., I’m sure most girls on tour would rather not play after a men’s match and have to go on at 11:00 p.m. or midnight. I think it’s just tournament to tournament,” she added.
Gauff also said she wasn’t blaming the tournament’s organizers.
“This tournament, this seems to me what they want. But most tournaments do have the two matches, one starting at 7:00 p.m. and one afterwards. I can’t really complain. I think it’s just up to the tournament, honestly.”
Fans Weigh In Online
Reactions online came quickly. Some fans backed Gauff’s practical view, while others criticized the reporters for trying to create drama.
One user posted: “I love that Coco and Iga are squashing the extreme liberal media narrative of women being oppressed. They are both like ‘nope, speak for yourself.’ We’d rather not be playing matches until midnight. Let the men have all that smoke. LOVE IT!!”
I love that Coco and Iga are squashing the extreme liberal media narrative of women being oppressed. They are both like fuck nah speak for yourself. We’d rather not be playing matches until midnight let the men have all that smoke 😂 LOVE IT!! https://t.co/y0dUrp9Dni
— Joe (@AmericanMan89) May 27, 2025
Another fan said, “People wanted to hear Coco’s opinion on this same issue thinking ‘ohh she will have a better answer than Iga’ but yeah she said the same thing Iga said and they are both correct!”
People wanted to hear coco’s opinion on this same issue thinking ‘ohh she will have a better answer than Iga’ but yeah she said the same thing Iga said and they are both correct!😂🙂↕️🤭 https://t.co/StchA8nfrb
— Jennifer🇳🇬🩺❤️ (@iam_jenny_) May 27, 2025
A third user stated, “I don’t know why folks were dragging Iga for saying the same thing when the majority of the women don’t want to play that night match. Honestly the men shouldn’t either because it’s terrible for recovery if it’s not a straight-sets match.”
Criticism also turned toward the press. One fan remarked, “Reporters were pushing so hard to get a specific soundbite out of Coco. And what’s wrong with wanting to rest early at night?”
Another fan added, “Good for her. She’s entitled to her opinion. The journalist trying to lecture her about her responsibilities as a woman is so gross.”
One user mocked the media’s approach: “The press: Oh my god aren’t you upset????? The players: Not at all, we actually prefer it. The press: WHY WON’T YOU BE MAD!!!!!!??????”
Pointing to the repetitive nature of the questions, a fan asked, “OMG, is this the same ‘journalist’ that asked Iga the same question yesterday? Is he going to keep asking every female player until he gets his headline? My god!”
Another fan stated, “These reporters asking every woman the same question, almost like they’re not happy with the answers of the women being okay with it.”
And one user summed it up simply: “What’s with the media trying to create some sort of male vs female drama?”
Next Up for Świątek and Gauff
After her first-round win, fifth seed Świątek advanced to the third round with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Emma Raducanu. She will face either Sára Bejlek or Jaqueline Cristian on May 30.
Meanwhile, Gauff will take on Czech qualifier Tereza Valentová in the second round, with the winner moving on to face either Marie Bouzková or Sonay Kartal in the third round.