Born in 2021, these matches are broadcast in the evening (9:00 p.m.) by Amazon in France.

In addition to boosting revenue with an additional broadcaster, this recent creation in Paris -- but an old tradition at the US Open and the Australian Open -- boosts ticketing revenue for the French Tennis Federation (FFT), only delighted with these nights.

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Not cheerful players

Their 59th duel was scheduled "too late" criticized in unison Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic after scrapping for four hours and twelve minutes in temperatures down to 10 degrees Celsius.

"The evening match schedule can raise questions" about the comfort of the players, agreed tournament director Amélie Mauresmo.

"The option we could have and which we can think about is to bring forward the first match from noon: to 11:00 a.m., would that already make more sense?" Asks the ex- N.1 worldwide.

With a similarly advanced night.

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Spectators at no time

In addition to the partition of the TV rights batches, the central court ticket office is also split between daytime sessions and evening matches, which require different tickets.

A system for maximizing revenue that worked well with a large infill.

However, the question of transport arises, recognized Amélie Mauresmo, a "key point in the future": the end of the Nadal-Djokovic shock prevented spectators in the stands from using the metro.

"We do not have the means today to organize something for 15,000 people who go out (i.e. the capacity of the Philippe-Chatrier court, editor's note)", she noted, opening the way to a dialogue "with the city of Paris to perhaps push the metro or bus system further".

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Scrambled media

"These are two sacred monsters of tennis, everyone is waiting for it. The fact that we cannot offer it to all French people is very disappointing to us", was moved to AFP by the sports director of France Télévisions. Laurent-Eric Le Lay.

In fact, since 2021 and until 2023, the tournament organizer FFT has a contractual obligation to program "THE big match of the day" at night and exclusively for the Amazon platform, explained to AFP last year. former tournament director Guy Forget.

From a regulatory point of view, only the finals of the tournament are referenced by decree on the list of 21 protected sporting events that must be broadcast unencrypted.

Former French tennis player Amélie Mauresmo attends the doubles between France and Ecuador during the Davis Cup qualifiers at the Palais des Sports in Pau on March 5, 2022 GAIZKA IROZ AFP/Archives

With paid streaming, the problem of the exclusion of part of the public and that of the digital divide appears.

Even if Nadal-Djokovic was offered exceptionally without a subscription by Amazon, his audience, not communicated by the American firm, was probably much lower than the peak of 5.1 million viewers on France 3 for Nadal's match against Félix Auger- Aliassime in quarters.

"I hear" these criticisms, "we tried to move forward together towards precisely this accessibility and this free access", defended Amélie Mauresmo.

Another unexpected effect, the impossibility for the newspapers, and in particular L'Equipe, to complete its Wednesday edition on time: "When we see the front page of this morning, we realize that (this schedule) is a real problem" , regrets to AFP the deputy editorial director of the sports daily Jean-Philippe Leclaire.

"We put Zverev on the front page because we couldn't hang the Nadal-Djokovic", he explained, pointing out that the last closing could have been "exceptionally" postponed to 1:00 a.m., but not beyond .

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Women's tennis absent

Among the ten posters selected for the +night sessions+ and therefore considered as the event of the day, only one concerned the women's draw, Alizé Cornet's victory in the second round over Jelena Ostapenko.

"It's not a regret given the confrontations we had and what we wanted to present to spectators who come with a ticket for a single match", assumes Mauresmo.

"As a woman and a former player, I don't find it wrong or unfair to say that at the moment men's tennis offers more appeal," she added.

This position was little appreciated by the WTA which manages the women's professional circuit.

"The generation and number of current talents is incredible. Our fans want to see the spectacle and the thrill of women's tennis on the biggest courts and at the best times, indicated the WTA to AFP. If we want to increase the value of our combined product (a tournament where men's and women's draws take place simultaneously, editor's note), then it is essential to have a balanced program".

The French Alizé Cornet serving during her match in the second round of the ladies' singles against the Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, at the Roland-Garros tournament, in Paris, on May 26, 2022 Thomas SAMSON AFP / Archives

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