Mauresmo apologetic after women’s night sessions controversy

Amelie Mauresmo’s hints that women’s matches were not attractive or appealing enough to schedule in the Roland-Garros night session caused surprise and anger in various quarters.

World No 1 Iga Swiatek spoke for many when she said: “It is a little bit disappointing and surprising because she was also in the WTA.”

And now the French Open tournament director has apologised, saying her comments were taken out of context.

She told Tennis Channel: “I want to say sorry to the players that really felt bad about what I said.

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“The comments I made were taken out of context. The people who know me, who’ve known me on and off the court, throughout my career, throughout everything that I’ve done, know I’m a big fighter for equal rights and women’s tennis, women in general.”

Mauresmo had initially said in a press conference: “In this era that we are in right now, I don’t feel, and as a woman, former woman’s player, I don’t feel bad or unfair saying that right now you have more attraction, more attractivity — can you say that? Appeal? That’s the general — for the men’s matches.

“My goal was when I was doing the schedule every day to try and see, and from the first rounds, from the first round, when the draw came out, to try and see what match in the woman’s draw can I put there, honestly, the confrontation or the star that I could put there. You know, you have all those parameters.”

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