Iga Swiatek revealed that she was unbothered by the men seemingly getting the “bigger stage” due to the French Open scheduling. On the Center Court at the Roland Garros, better known as the Court Philippe-Chatrier, only men’s singles matches have been scheduled in the night session for the first three days.
On Day 1 of the French Open, after Rafael Nadal’s emotional tribute on the court, Ben Shelton took on Lorenzo Sonego for the night session match. On Day 2, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is scheduled to begin his campaign against Arthur Rinderknech on the Center Court.
Women’s singles defending champion, Iga Swiatek, played the first match of Day 2 on the Center Court and defeated Rebecca Sramkova 6-3, 6-3. During her post-match press conference, she was asked whether it bothered her that men’s matches receive “much bigger stage” and “bigger audiences” because of the French Open’s night session schedule.
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"I understand, but I’m not making the schedule," Iga Swiatek said.
Pressed further on whether the disparity in platform bothers her, the World No. 5 replied:
"No."
The French Open’s night session scheduling has drawn criticism for sidelining women’s matches. In both 2022 and 2023, only one of the first ten night sessions featured a women’s singles match. Players like Ons Jabeur have voiced frustration, calling early match slots unfair.
Iga Swiatek prefers playing during the day at French Open
Last year, Iga Swiatek expressed her preference for playing during the day session at the French Open.
"I like playing during the day, so it's comfortable for me that I can be scheduled that way," she said last year (via Reuters).
Further, she acknowledged the complexities behind French Open scheduling decisions, especially regarding night sessions.
"Probably there are many factors, a lot of requests... I understand some decisions, like me and Naomi being in the day when Richard Gasquet played during the night... It's obvious that a French player might have priority in terms of night sessions," she added.
Swiatek won the French Open title last year but has not reached a final since. The Pole, who has dropped to World No. 5 from the top ranking since then, hopes to regain her championship form in Paris.
After bagging an impressive first-round win over Rebecca Sramkova, the defending champion will take on Emma Raducanu in the second round. The Brit got the better of Xinyu Wang to set up a tie against the Pole.
