Women's Tennis Is Driving Record Viewership: So Why Is Roland-Garros Still Scheduling Around Men?
The women’s competition at the 2025 French Open had (almost) everything that fans could ask for: a marquee final between No. 2 Coco Gauff and No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, a breakout run from French underdog Lois Boisson, and all-around incredible tennis at every stage of the tournament. What was missing was women playing in prime-time slots, as the tournament’s organizers chose to reserve every nighttime match-up on Court Philippe-Chatrier for the men.
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This wasn’t an oversight by French Open organizers — it’s part of a larger pattern. In the past four years, only 4 of 52 women’s singles matches have been scheduled in the Grand Slam’s marquee evening slot, and this is the second year in a row with zero women’s night matches.
Throughout the tournament, the leaders in the women’s field boldly vocalized their disapproval of the disparity. Four time French Open Champion, Iga Świątek put it plainly: “We can put on a nice show. That’s why I think it should be equal.” Aryna Sabalenka added, “We deserve to be put on a bigger stage, better timing, more people watching.” Ons Jabeur said, “They don’t show women’s sport, they don’t show women’s tennis, and then they ask the question, ‘yeah, but mostly they watch men.’ Of course, they watch men more because you show men more.” And 2025 French Open Champion Coco Gauff added, "I feel like we produce some high-quality tennis, and we have some great stars on the women's side who fans, I'm sure, would love to see.”
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Despite the outcry from players and fans alike, Roland-Garros tournament director Amélie Mauresmo has defended the scheduling decisions. Mauresmo insisted that the scheduling is determined by the length of the matches since men play a best-of-five format while the women play best-of-three. She reiterated that these slots are reserved for men to accommodate the longer nature of their matches.
It’s worth mentioning that other Grand Slams have found a way to balance night matches among men and women. Last year, 11 of the 23 night matches at the U.S. Open featured women’s match-ups, and 13 of the 26 night match-ups at the Australian Open were reserved for women. Wimbledon doesn’t have night matches.
From a business standpoint, The French Open’s decision is difficult to justify. Fans are clearly showing up for women’s tennis. The women’s final between Sabalenka and Gauff attracted 1.5M viewers in the U.S., which was a 94% increase over 2024, making it the most-watched women’s final at Roland-Garros since 2016. In France, 3.1M viewers tuned in for the final, while the women’s semifinals drew a cumulative 13.6M viewers, including a peak audience of 5.4M for the Gauff vs. Boisson match-up.
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These figures demonstrate strong consumer demand, plus an increasingly compelling commercial case for investing in and elevating women’s sports. Media rights, sponsorships, merchandise sales, and fan engagement around women’s sports has never been higher, and Roland-Garros is failing to recognize that equitable scheduling is not just a matter of fairness — it’s a missed business opportunity. At the end of the day, failing to put women’s tennis on the biggest stage isn’t just a missed opportunity for equity; it’s a missed opportunity for growth.
MEET CAROLINE FITZGERALD
Caroline Fitzgerald is a contributing writer for TOGETHXR.com and a leading expert in women’s sports business and gender equity. A Sports Business Journal "2024 Power Player in Women's Sports," she covers the forces shaping the industry’s next era of growth.
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