Jessica Pegula sounds off over controversial French Open issue and complains 'every year it is the same thing'

Jessica Pegula has become the latest to sound her complaints about the French Open, frustrated that nothing ever seems to progress in one key area.

After all, it is a long-held problem that only really seems to be gaining traction this year, with Ons Jabeur one of the more vocal supporters of the change they seek.

Earlier this week, she took to X to pen her anger with the scheduling, bringing to light a very real issue that has yet to be solved even after her lobbying.

It seems that Roland Garros simply have not felt comfortable putting the women on the showpiece nighttime slot on Philippe Chatrier.

Jessica Pegula complains about French Open scheduling

Asked her thoughts about Jabeur’s comments, Jessica Pegula did not hold back in her assessment of the outstanding problem the French Open is facing this year.

She claimed: ‘Every year it’s the same thing. It’s never equal. They don’t seem to care or want to do anything different about it.

‘I agree with her [Ons Jabeur]. It should be more fair. We are in an event which is supposed to be equal, the Slams are supposed to be equal so why not give us some more chances to be?

‘But it feels like just hitting my head against the wall because I feel like we have been talking about this for two, three, four – probably forever to be honest. It has never been equal.

More Tennis News

‘I am happy that she is able to speak up and she has been really good at wanting everything to be equal and fighting for not just where she is from but also for women in general.

‘I am with her and I think we have proven that we deserve the same amount of opportunity.’

Then asked if she felt powerless about it, Pegula continued: ‘I don’t feel powerless. I just feel like they don’t listen. I don’t know. We can keep saying it, it seems like that is what keeps happening but if they don’t really want to respond or do anything about it then there’s nothing… we can keep talking about it and maybe that will eventually change it.

‘I don’t think I feel powerless, but it’s just it kind of is what it is until they want to make a change.’

More pressure heaped on Roland Garros

Amelie Mauresmo, the tournament director, has of course defended her position on the matter.

She stated just yesterday: ‘We have one single match per night session. It hasn’t changed. Accordingly, we won’t change everything again.

‘The play time also is taken into consideration, potential play time, obviously because we can’t plan ahead, be it for women’s tennis or men’s tennis.

Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images

‘But we have to take it into consideration as to the 15,000 spectators coming in for the night session.

‘Since men’s tennis is played at the best-of-five sets, three sets will be played at a minimum. It’s complicated for us to do otherwise.’

It seems that, by her standards, the French Open are seeking quantity over quality, prioritising the length of matches over a higher-quality women’s match.

Tonight marks an outstanding example. Iga Swiatek, the four-time defending champion at this event will face Elena Rybakina, a former Wimbledon winner.

This marked the perfect opportunity to put two titans of the sport against one another on the biggest stage they have to offer, and yet they have opted for Novak Djokovic’s match against Filip Misolic, the world number 153.

Mauresmo and her team cannot keep snubbing the women’s matches based purely on time alone, as this is an issue that will not be silenced anytime soon.

Click here to read article