Coco Gauff has been on fire on and off the court since the French Open began. Amid some other lighthearted and hilarious moments, the World No. 2 criticized the decision French Tennis Federation president Gilles Moretton and Roland Garros organizers made to only place men's matches in the primetime slot.

“I don't think that a woman should play after the men at 8:15,” Gauff said. “I just think that's unfair.” She went on the justify her position through her own experiences as a tennis pro.

“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,” Gauff said. “From my experience, playing at the US Open night match at 7 p.m. with Novak [Djokovic] following me, and he's the greatest player of all time, people were almost just as excited to see me play as [they were to see] him.

“Same with other places I play, like Australia. Night match, people were excited to see [me] too,” Gauff elaborated. “I definitely think there is opportunity to improve that in the future with this tournament.”

Since the French Open's night spots were introduced in 2022, 32 of the 34 matches have been given to men, while the women were assigned all four of 2025's openers, which is the time slot that usually draws the smallest crowds. Gauff used this disparity to further explain her point.

“If they're going to put two slots and the first match is starting at 8:15, I don't think a women's match should be played after a men's match,” Gauff said. “I just don't think people should be going on at 11 [p.m.] or 12 [a.m.] to be honest.

Article Continues Below
More Tennis News
image thumbnail
Coco Gauff joins Venus Williams in history books with latest French Open winJess Koffie ·
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates winning his match against Fabian Marozsan of Hungary on day four at Roland Garros Stadium.
Deion Sanders shouts out Carlos Alcaraz for Roland Garros masteryTroy Finnegan ·
Iga Swiatek of Poland celebrates winning her match against Emma Raducanu of Great Britain on day four at Roland Garros Stadium.
Iga Swiatek bursts out laughing at thought of Jelena Ostapenko rematchTroy Finnegan ·
Aryna Sabalenka reacts to a point during her match against Olga Danilovic of Serbia on day six at Roland Garros Stadium.
Aryna Sabalenka shuts down Novak Djokovic retirement question: ‘Leave him alone’Troy Finnegan ·
Featured image Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka overcomes early woes to reach 3rd roundDylan Fine ·
Tommy Paul of the United States celebrates winning his match against Marton Fucsovics of Hungary on day four at Roland Garros Stadium.
Matthew McConaughey shouts out Tommy Paul for epic 2-0 French Open comebackTroy Finnegan ·

“If they are going to put one match at 8:15, for sure there could be an opportunity to put a woman there,” Gauff concluded.

Gauff's comments double down on the statement fellow French Open competitor Ons Jabeur made earlier the same week, calling for better scheduling.

“It's still sad that we are still seeing this. I keep standing by my words,” Jabeur said. “In Europe, in general, it's unfortunate for women's sports in general.

“You know, it's a bit ironic. They don't show women's sport, they don't show women's tennis, and then they [say], ‘Yeah, but mostly they watch men.' Of course they watch men more because you show men more,” Jabeur explained. “Everything goes together.”

Gauff is in action at the French Open next when she takes on Czechia's Marie Bouzková at 8:50 a.m. ET.