PARIS – Perhaps 10 years ago, at a late dinner at La Porte d’Auteuil, after a long day of Roland Garros, I remember agreeing with Philip Boven, the great French tennis writer L’Équipe, that if the French Open were once you’ve been to join other Grand Slam tournaments and host night sessions, this would be a good time to move on to other activities rather than writing stories long after midnight and missing out on any opportunity for your last bistro meal.
There are certainly bigger problems in tennis, but Bovens has kept his promise to some extent, quitting long before the French Open in 2021. But I kept driving, and I was almost there. The court turned on Tuesday. until Wednesday and from May to June, where Raphael Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals at 1:15.
I was there too, leaving Roland Garros two hours later – without access to public transport – watching some French fans still trying in vain to call a taxi or book a trip.
There are undoubtedly a positive aspect to nightly tennis sessions: the electrical atmosphere, the best time coverage (depending on the individual’s time zone) and the opportunity to be attended by fans who work during the day.
But the new Roland Garros night sessions, which were primarily designed to increase profits from the event that followed the other Grand Slam events on local television revenue, also had a lot of downsides. This is largely because the French decided to do it their own way, scheduling only one match in this slot, instead of the usual two other Grand Slam tournaments.
Guy Forgets, the former manager of the French Open, who was part of the decision, said it was “not to end the match at 3:00”.
Wimbledon still doubts the night sessions (the hall gets slippery after sunset). However, the US Open and Australian Open, where night sessions have taken place for decades, usually distinguish between men’s singles and women’s singles, and there have been a few nights, including Leyton Hewitt’s victory over Marcus Baghdat at the 2008 Australian Open. which ended at 4:34 (it was sunrise on the way back to the hotel).
It was a problem in terms of price-quality ratio – is one explosion in the cold, like Marina Chili’s defeat of Daniil Medvedev, worth more than € 100 a ticket?
It was also a gender equality issue. Roland Garros had only one women’s match in 10 evening sessions this year: Frenchwoman Alize Corne’s victory over Latvian Jelena Ostapenko. That was the same percentage as last year, when the tournament debuted in the night sessions, and due to the coronavirus pandemic, there were no fans for nine nights out of 10.
The differences remain, although Amelia Mauresmo, the former 1st WTA player from France, is the leader of the new French Open. Pressing the question on Wednesday morning after Nadal and Djokovic’s duel, Mauresmo demonstrated awkward leg movements, saying that as a woman and a “former athlete”, she “doesn’t feel bad or dishonest,” she said. The game was generally more attractive and attractive than the women’s game.
Mauresmo said her goal after the draw was to try to find women’s games in which she could take part that evening. But she said it was hard for her to find the amazing contrasts and stellar power she was looking for. Women’s matches are usually shorter in the best three-set format compared to the men’s best five-set format.
“I admit it was hard,” she said. “It was hard to find the match of the day for more than one night, as I said,” she said, apologizing a little.
21-year-old Polish star Iga Sviateka did not get a night job, despite the fact that she was the new sown and former champion of the French Open.
“It’s disappointing and a little surprising,” Sviateks said of Mauresmo’s comments. She added that it was more appropriate for most players to compete during the day, “but I definitely want to keep me entertained, and I want to show my tennis at its best in every match.”
WTA President Steve Simon expressed in a text message his disagreement with the evening’s schedule and the fact that women’s games are usually chosen as opening games at two main viewing venues during daytime sessions: during the crowd gathering period. The number of viewers is often lower.
“The generation and depth of talent we see in the sport today is incredible,” he said. “Our fans want to see the passion of women’s tennis on the biggest stages and at certain times. Of course, there is room for improvement, and if we want to increase the value of our combined product, a balanced gaming schedule is very important to ensure that. road.”
The WTA lacked star power in the Roland Garros tournament due to the sudden resignation of Ashley Barthy in March, the defeat of Naomi Osaka and French Open Championship Barbora Krejsikova in the first round, as well as the continuation of Serena and Venus Williams. who have not yet started this year.
However, the game of one game of the night also made it difficult for Swiatek to emerge, who at the moment wins most of the matches in a hurry. “Game time is definitely a factor,” Mauresmo said in a text message.
Why not schedule two or two women’s matches in one night to provide adequate entertainment? Because, according to Mauresmo, contracts for the broadcasting of the night session from 2021 to 2023 provide for only one match.
“It can’t be changed,” Mauresmo said. “But we’re still talking to our partners to think of other options that could satisfy ticket holders.”
Sounds like a great idea, just like before 8:45 p.m., even with a single game, if the idea was to save a lot of players late at night and avoid the fuss of neighbors in the green and quiet suburb of Boulogne, which it was. Another reason for the concept of one game.
The biggest problem in France is accessibility. Amazon Prime Video, the Internet broadcaster that bought the rights to the night session here, has a small footprint compared to traditional public service broadcasting. However, you have to get a high-level match, even if the contract, according to L’Équipe, allows the organizers of the French Open to have the final say.
However, there was no doubt about Tuesday’s final, and although Amazon Prime exceptionally agreed to allow viewers in France free access to its service, the decision to schedule a quarter-final for Nadal and Djokovic caused controversy and outrage.
“I was really shocked by the decisions of the French Tennis Federation,” Delfin Ernot, president of French television, told Le Figaro. “It’s a low blow to our partnership after we’ve been broadcasting and posting the event for years.”
The final game of the tournament at 1:15 a.m. this week was definitely not great for spectators in France. And although the atmosphere in the main stadium was still sublime after midnight, there was a charge for going home.
The organizers of the French Open have not yet reached an agreement with the Paris authorities to continue public transport after a very late end.
The subway was closed, and as we had long feared Bowen, there was a bistro.
