Tennis Player Vallejo Fined for Remarks at French Open

Adolfo Daniel Vallejo faced a $65,000 fine at the French Open. He made controversial comments regarding a female umpire after his second-round match. Vallejo suggested that intense matches should be overseen by male officials.

Vallejo lost to Moise Kouame in a five-set, nearly five-hour match. Post-match, he said, “this sort of match needs to be umpired by a man.” Vallejo’s match ended with scores of 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (8).

Players who advance to the second round at the French Open earn 130,000 euros, approximately $151,000. Roland Garros director Amelie Mauresmo explained the fine was equivalently half of Vallejo’s prize. Clarification was later given, noting the fine was in dollars, not euros.

This is clearly unacceptable. Once again, such remarks have no place here, remarked Mauresmo.

Vallejo, hailing from Paraguay, criticized the umpire, Ana Carvalho from Brazil, alleging she failed to manage the crowd. He argued, “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.”

The crowd supported Kouame, Vallejo’s opponent, which he foresaw. He stated it didn’t harm him but boosted Kouame. Vallejo accused Kouame of stalling and claimed the crowd’s conduct affected match conditions.

The match’s nature demanded strict crowd control. Vallejo believed extended delays in play benefitted his opponent, challenging for officials to handle.