女子の試合は男子より魅力薄　全仏ＯＰトップが発言、現女王は反論

【パリＡＦＰ＝時事】全仏オープンテニスの大会ディレクターを務めるアメリー・モウレズモ氏が１日、女子の試合は男子の試合より魅力を感じないと発言した。これに女子世界ランキング１位のイガ・シフィオンテク（ポーランド）は「がっかりしたし驚いた」と反論した。（資料写真）
　今年の全仏オープンでは１０のナイトセッションが組まれたが、そのうち女子の試合は地元のアリーゼ・コルネがエレナ・オスタペンコ（ラトビア）と対戦した２回戦の１試合のみだった。
　元世界１位で四大大会（グランドスラム）通算２勝のモウレズモ氏は「今のこの時代に、女性として、また元女子選手として、男子の方が集客力や魅力があると言うことを悪くも不公平だとも思わない」と話した。
　「毎日スケジュールを組む時、そこ（ナイトセッション）に入れられる女子の試合を探すことを目指した」
　「だが正直に言って厳しかった。（女子の中から）その日を飾る試合を見つけるのは１晩分が限界だった」
　この発言を受け、２０２０年の全仏女王であるシフィオンテクは、女子の試合にはポジティブな要素が多くあると主張し、モウレズモ氏に反論。「ちょっとがっかりしたし驚いた」と不満を漏らし、「私は自分のテニスがエンターテインメントになってほしいし、人のためにプレーすることを意識している」とコメントした。
　「女子は予想ができなくて安定感がないと言う人がいるかもしれないが、逆にそれが魅力になるかもしれないし、より多くの人を魅了するかもしれない」
　また、女子テニス協会（ＷＴＡ）は「現在このスポーツでわれわれが目撃している才能の奥行きは途方もない」とし、バランスの取れた試合スケジュールを要求。ＡＦＰに対するコメントで、「ファンは女子テニスの興奮とスリルを最大のステージで、一番いい時間に見たいと思っている。間違いなく改善の余地はある」と述べた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/06/02-21:34）

French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo said Wednesday that women's matches had less appeal than men's at Roland Garros, an opinion dismissed as surprising and disappointing by world number one Iga Swiatek.
Of the 10 night sessions at this year's tournament, only one has featured a women's tie when home player Alize Cornet faced Jelena Ostapenko in the second round.
In this era that we are in right now, and as a woman, a former woman's player, I don't feel bad or unfair saying you have more attraction, more attractivity -- can you say that? Appeal? -- for the men's matches, said Mauresmo, a former world number one and a two-time Grand Slam champion.
My goal when I was doing the schedule every day was to try and see a match in the women's draw that I can put there.
Honestly, it was tough. It was tough for more than one night to find the match of the day.
Swiatek, the 2020 champion in Paris, who has played all her matches in the day this year, took Mauresmo to task, saying that the women's game has plenty of positives.
It is a little bit disappointing and surprising, said the 21-year-Pole after making the semi-finals on Wednesday.
I want my tennis to be entertainment and I remember that I also play for people. Women's tennis has a lot of advantages.
Some may say that it's unpredictable and girls are not consistent. But on the other hand it may also be something that is really appealing and it may really attract more people.
The WTA said the depth of talent we are currently witnessing in the sport is incredible and called for a balanced match schedule.
- 'Room for improvement' -
Our fans want to see the excitement and thrill of women's tennis on the biggest stages and in the premium time slots. There is certainly room for improvement, the WTA said in a statement to AFP.
Mauresmo, in her first year as French Open tournament director, was responding to questions over the suitability of Roland Garros night sessions which were introduced last year as part of a new broadcast deal.
Rafael Nadal's epic quarter-final victory over Novak Djokovic, one of the nine late matches selected, finished at 1:15am on Wednesday under the lights of Court Philippe Chatrier.
Meanwhile 18 out of 20 singles matches scheduled first on Court Philippe Chatrier and Court Suzanne Lenglen have been women's ties.
First up on Wednesday at noon was the quarter-final between Daria Kasatkina and fellow Russian Veronika Kudermetova, played out in front of rows and rows of empty seats.
Well it's Wednesday, 12 o'clock. I'm not expecting everyone to come and the stadium to be full the first match of the day. So, I mean that's fine, said Kasatkina after her straight sets win.
The status of women's tennis in Paris also became a hot topic in 2019 when the semi-finals were played on Court Suzanne Lenglen and Court Simonne-Mathieu.
The men's semis, however, between Roger Federer and Nadal and Djokovic's clash with Dominic Thiem, took place on the showpiece 15,000-seat Court Philippe Chatrier.
We are extremely disappointed by the scheduling of both women's semi-finals on outside courts, said WTA chief executive Steve Simon at the time.