The tennis world has long championed equality—equal pay, equal representation, and equal opportunities for players, regardless of gender. But let’s be honest: not all battles have been won just yet. One lingering issue? Match scheduling. For years, female players have often found themselves sidelined from the coveted night sessions, a prime-time stage for showcasing their talent. Now, with the Australian Open in full swing, this debate has flared up once again. And guess who’s stepping into the spotlight to reignite the conversation? None other than tennis legend and outspoken advocate Pam Shriver.

The Super Sunday of the first Grand Slam of the year will feature iconic stars like Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Paula Badosa, Carlos Alcaraz, and Alexander Zverev. But notably, the initial list for the matches highlights that all WTA encounters are scheduled in the morning. While Sabalenka will face Mirra Andreeva at the Rod Laver Arena at 11 AM, Gauff will battle against Belinda Bencic at 1 PM. As against their ATP counterparts, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are scheduled to play at 3:30 PM and 7 PM, respectively. The situation in other courts is no different. 

While Badosa has been scheduled to face Olga Danilovic at 1 PM at the Margaret Court Arena, Tommy Paul will take on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at 3 PM. Similarly, Donna Vekic will play her match at the John Cain Arena at 12:30 PM as against Zverev, who will step on the court at 6 PM. Now, this scheduling has not gone well with Shriver. Taking on her X, she expressed her disappointment and wrote, “What is going on with AO scheduling? Is it a race to get women’s matches out of the way as early as possible on all courts?” Remember, Shriver has always been an advocate for women’s tennis and has always shared honest opinions about alleged biases.

This year, the tennis legend, who mentors Croatian star Donna Vekic, could not travel to the event as she decided to stay back in LA and help her family fight the challenges caused by the devastating wildfires. But she has continued to remain hooked to the sport and her latest tweet is clearly highlighting the same. However, this is not the first time when such concerns about scheduling have been voiced. 

During the French Open last year, many athletes voiced disappointment for not getting prime-time slots, and one of them was Ons Jabeur.  The Tunisian had to play her heavyweight quarterfinal clash against Coco Gauff at 11 AM at Court Philippe Chatrier, and it did not go well with her. “I have a lot to say on that topic (scheduling). Ten (eventually 11) night matches without any women playing. I really hope that I can see the contract negotiated with Prime. Frankly, playing a quarter-final at 11am is really such a chore. We deserve to be here. Playing in the afternoon is better. There is going to be more people watching us and the stadiums are crowded,” she said. And it seems like the situation hasn’t changed much. 

Coming back to Shriver’s statement, this is not the first time she has expressed her disappointment over alleged inequality, and a similar statement came at the US Open last year. 

When Pam Shriver demanded the rehauling of rules in Grand Slams

The US Open witnessed Qinwen Zheng and Donna Vekic competing in the fourth round till 2:15 AM, which was the latest finish for a women’s match in US Open history. This seemingly angered Shriver, who demanded that the rules should be overhauled and both men and women players should be made to play a similar format of tennis, even at the grand slams. 

In her letter to USTA, Shriver wrote, “It’s an unacceptable situation that’s not humane for world-class athletes. The men playing five sets is the main culprit plus starting Ashe Stadium at 12pm, especially once matches get more competitive in the third round.” Remember, while ATP players play best-of-five setter matches, the women’s matches are limited to the best of three. But Shriver believes that there should be consistency, with both genders being made to play only three sets. 

“If US Open really wants to be champion of equality, then having [the] same format for both men and women is [the] only way to be truly equal starting in 2025,” she added. Now, with the Australian Open yet again finding itself in controversy, it will be interesting to see how the drama unfolds. Will there be more voices joining Shriver? Or will the organizers come out to defend the move? Well, only time will tell.