I don't think it's unfair to say that men's matches have more appeal than women's matches right now: French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo

French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo caused a stir after revealing that nine of the 10 night session matches at Roland Garros this year involved men because women’s tennis currently lacks appeal.

In a press conference on Wednesday, the Frenchwoman said she didn't think it was unfair to say that men's tennis had more appeal than women's matches, considering the era of tennis we are in, possibly referring to the Big 3.

"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 (factor), for the men’s matches," Mauresmo stated.

The former World No. 1 said that she tried her best to find a women’s match on a daily basis that had the star power to be highlighted in a night session on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

“My goal was, when I was doing the schedule every day, to try and see, from the first round, when the draw came out, 'what match in the woman’s draw can I put there?’ honestly,” Mauresmo said.

Mauresmo is quite an accomplished player, having won the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2006. She retired in 2009 and subsequently moved into coaching, working with Andy Murray and the French Davis Cup team among others.

An overview of night sessions at French Open

As part of a deal with Amazon Prime Video, the French Open is conducting night sessions on the revamped Court Philippe-Chatrier. Amazon has acquired exclusive broadcasting rights for 10 night sessions in France.

The only women’s match to have taken place during the night session at the French Open this year was the one between France’s Alize Cornet and former champion Jelena Ostapenko.

When asked about his thoughts on night sessions, Rafael Nadal stated that he was not a fan of playing best-of-five-set matches on clay at night due to the conditions.

"I don't like to play on clay during the night because the humidity is higher, the ball is slower, and there can be very heavy conditions, especially when it's cold," said Nadal.