Coco Gauff has had her say on the ongoing controversy surrounding the French Open, wherein there is a public sentiment that the tournament is prioritizing men’s matches for the prime night-time slot. Earlier yesterday, former World No. 1 Iga Swiatek was also asked about the subject, and the Pole responded with a blunt “no” that left fans divided.
On Tuesday, Gauff sailed through her opener in Paris, beating Australia’s Olivia Gadecki 6-2, 6-2. She was scheduled in the second match on Court Philippe-Chartrier, starting around mid-day. After that, there was one men’s match (Novak Djokovic vs Mackenzie McDonald), followed by the night-time match at 8:15 pm local time — Gael Monfils vs Hugo Dellien.
At her press conference, Gauff was asked about the situation, and whether she thought there was a “lack” of women’s matches in the night schedule. The American pointed out that there was only one night match, and added that she personally preferred to get her matches done before the late hours.
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"I think here is a unique topic because there is only one slot at 8:15 pm. 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 pm match. 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 pm or 7:00 pm," Coco Gauff said.
The World No. 2 further noted that while some of the 8:15 pm matches could go to women, she was of the opinion that most women would not want to follow up on a best-of-five match that could see their own clash starting past midnight at times.
"I think if there is only gonna be one match at 8:15 pm, maybe there could be a women’s match. But if they wanna start the night session at 8:15 pm, I’m sure most girls on tour would rather not play after a men’s match and have to go on at 11:00 pm or 12:00 am. I think it’s just tournament to tournament," she added.
To finish the conversation, Coco Gauff emphasized that she did not feel like complaining about the decision of Roland Garros at the end of the day either.
"This tournament, this seems to me what they want. But most tournaments do have the two matches, one starting at 7:00 pm and one afterwards. I can’t really complain. I think it’s just up to the tournament honestly,” Gauff said.
Coco Gauff is next set to take on Tereza Valentova in the second round of the French Open, with court assignment being announced tomorrow.
Coco Gauff's draw at French Open 2025
Coco Gauff, the No. 2 seed, has a fairly easy draw at the 2025 French Open. Based on the projected draw, the American is set to face No. 30 seed Anna Kalinskaya in the third round and No. 15 seed Barbora Krejcikova in the fourth round.
After that, she is expected to face seventh seed Madison Keys in the quarterfinals, No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula in the third round and No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka in the final. The three-time defending champion, Iga Swiatek, is in the other half of the draw, and can meet Gauff only in the final.
