1 year ago
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American Jessica Pegula, who is 3rd successful the singles satellite rankings and 2nd successful the doubles, is the latest starring WTA Tour subordinate to diagnostic successful a BBC Sport column.
In her 3rd portion astatine the French Open, Pegula discusses the determination to enactment lone 1 women's lucifer successful the Roland Garros primetime nighttime session.
The deficiency of women's matches successful the nighttime sessions astatine this year's French Open is disappointing.
Only 1 of the 10 nighttime sessions featured WTA players - that was erstwhile Aryna Sabalenka played Sloane Stephens successful the 4th circular connected Sunday.
We privation to spot much women successful those spots, to item bully tennis matches if we can, truthful it hasn't been perfect that determination has lone been 1 primetime lucifer for us.
I'm a subordinate of the WTA players' assembly and this contented has been raised a lot.
Last year, erstwhile determination was besides lone 1 women's nighttime match, we spoke to tourney organisers astir it.
That makes this twelvemonth much disappointing due to the fact that we tried to code it. We haven't seen immoderate improvement. We're not definite what has happened.
After the event, erstwhile we travel up with the Grand Slams and springiness feedback, I'm definite we volition decidedly explicit our thoughts that we were upset not to spot much women's matches connected the nighttime schedule.
I'm not saying each lucifer is going to beryllium an astonishing lucifer but if we don't person the opportunity, however are we ever going to amusement it?
We cognize radical similar women's tennis, and the fans similar to ticker it, but it feels similar our merchandise is undervalued present and successful Europe successful general.
A fig of reasons are enactment guardant by immoderate radical for wherefore they aren't much women's nighttime matches - the men's matches are mostly longer, women's matches don't springiness arsenic overmuch worth for money, the match-ups are perchance not arsenic exciting, etc.
But it goes backmost and forth, and if you privation to showcase our large tennis, past you person to springiness america a chance.
The conditions tin beryllium hard connected Court Philippe Chatrier astatine nighttime - a spot chilly and a spot windy - and that's decidedly a origin for the players, too.
Playing connected Chatrier this twelvemonth successful the daytime, I recovered it is similar a upwind tunnel. That tin decidedly favour immoderate players implicit others and a batch are alert of these benignant of things.
I deliberation a batch of girls don't caput playing successful the time - and I besides don't deliberation anyone truly wants to beryllium waiting astir and pursuing a agelong five-set match.
Whatever the reasons, hopefully we tin showcase much women's matches successful this slot adjacent twelvemonth and won't beryllium going done the aforesaid discussions again.
'Harry Styles helped instrumentality my caput disconnected tennis'
While I've been present successful Paris, it has not each been astir tennis - earlier this week, I went to spot a Harry Styles performance astatine the Stade de France.
I wouldn't accidental I'm a large Directioner - the fandom sanction for obsessed One Direction fans - but I decidedly similar his stuff.
It was bully to instrumentality my caput disconnected tennis and bash thing different, particularly considering it has been a agelong six weeks successful Europe for the clay-court swing.
He did 2 dates astatine the Stade de France - wherever I'd ne'er been earlier - and I went connected the 2nd nighttime with a mates of different players, including Asia Muhammed and Caroline Dolehide.
The travel was organised by Alexa Guarachi, different doubles player, due to the fact that she perfectly loves him - she's, like, obsessed.
Alexa planned this months agone and bought america each the tickets, but she mislaid aboriginal successful the doubles and decided to spell home.
We couldn't judge it! We said "you're going to spell home? This was your full idea, it's your thing!" But she near and Caroline subbed successful for her. She got lucky!
Even the readers who assertion they don't cognize thing astir Harry Styles, they volition decidedly cognize Watermelon Sugar - that was being played everyplace connected the vigor constantly.
He has immoderate decent music, he's a bully performer, he's got a batch of antithetic sounds.
He interacted with the assemblage a lot. It was comic due to the fact that the assemblage get doing French chants and helium was truthful confused.
He wondered what they were, saying: ""hat are these chants? I've ne'er heard them." They kept going and helium was telling the crowd: "Guys, we request to play immoderate much songs."
I felt similar I was utilized to them due to the fact that I perceive them astatine Roland Garros - similar the bullfighting trumpet fanfare which the tennis fans sing - truthful it was comic to perceive the aforesaid happening astatine a concert.
Although Harry didn't get booed for random worldly similar the fans boo the players astatine the tennis!
Jessica Pegula was talking to BBC Sport's Jonathan Jurejko astatine Roland Garros.
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