June 1 (UPI) — Paraguayan Adolfo Daniel Vallejo was fined nearly $76,000 for directing a sexist slight at an umpire at the 2026 French Open, the French Tennis Federation announced Monday.
Vallejo made the remark during an interview with Clay. The No. 71 player in the ATP singles rankings told the tennis website that it was “very difficult for a woman” to umpire the “sort of match” he played against No. 318 Moise Kouame of France, which Vallejo lost Thursday in Paris.
“This is clearly something that is unacceptable for our tournaments, for the federation, even beyond the tournament,” Roland Garros director Amelie Mauresmo told reporters Monday. “Once again, this kind of talk has no place here.”
Kouame edged Vallejo 67-60 in winners in his 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 3-6, 7-6(8) victory. The Frenchman trailed 10-6 in aces. He also committed 61 unforced errors, compared to Vallejo’s 54. Vallejo converted 7 of 15 break point opportunities, compared to Kouame’s 6 of 13 clip.
“This sort of match needs to be umpired by a man; it’s very difficult for a woman to do it,” Vallejo said after the second-round match, which lasted nearly five hours.
Brazilian Ana Carvalho was the chair umpire for the match. Vallejo criticized her for not being in control of spectators.
“It has to be refereed by a man, because it’s a very demanding crowd and you need a lot of strength to go against the crowd,” Vallejo told Clay.
“The crowd was very out of line, but I understand they’re supporting their compatriot. It’s quite an intense crowd and that’s why I was prepared; I already knew it would be like that and, to be honest, it didn’t harm me, but rather strengthened him.”
Vallejo apologized for the slight Friday on Instagram. He also said he didn’t “blame the loss” on Carvalho.
“I have respect for the umpire and for the job they do, after a 5-hour battle I was very heated and with a lot of emotions, I apologize,” he wrote on the social media platform.
Vallejo earned $151,000 for his run to the second round, which means he will lose about half of his prize money because of the fine.
Kouame lost his third-round match to No. 36 Alejandro Tabilo of Chile on Saturday. Tabilo will face No. 6 Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada in a fourth-round match Monday at Roland Garros.
The winner of that match will take on No. 14 Flavio Cobolli of Italy in a quarterfinal.
About the Author
