Photo: Burak Akbulut/Anadolu via Getty Images
Competitive tennis has once again proved to be a breeding ground for sexism. On Monday, French Open organizers announced that Paraguayan player Adolfo Daniel Vallejo had been fined $65,000 for insisting that his match should not have been officiated by a woman.
The fine comes after Vallejo lost to French player Moise Kouame last week in a tense five-hour battle. After the defeat, Vallejo gave an interview to tennis website Clay, where he claimed that “this sort of match needs to be umpired by a man.” Vallejo added, “It’s very difficult for a woman to do it.”
Vallejo seemingly blamed Brazilian umpire Ana Carvalho for her inability to control the crowd. “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,” he said. “It’s not normal for the crowd to be shouting for a full minute without any play. In a match where the physical aspect matters so much, if you give a player a lot of time, he’s obviously going to take advantage of it.”
On Friday, the French Tennis Federation (FFT) and organizers of the Roland-Garros tournament announced that they found Vallejo’s comments “unacceptable” and promised a “significant sanction.” Vallejo also posted an apology to his Instagram Story on Friday — after, of course, the FFT said he would be fined. “I want to clarify that my comments were not made with the intention with which they have been interpreted,” he wrote. “I have respect for the judge and for the work she did. After a 5-hour battle, I was very heated and full of emotions. I apologize.”
“I also want to clarify that I did not blame her for the defeat,” Vallejo added. “She did a good job throughout the match. I will learn from this and improve.”
El descargo de Vallejo:
“Quiero aclarar que mis comentarios no fueron hechos con la intención con la que han sido interpretados.
Tengo respeto por la jueza y por el trabajo que hizo. Después de una batalla de 5 horas estaba muy acalorado y con muchas emociones. Me disculpo.… https://t.co/Hf2GNGpbJi pic.twitter.com/dCyD3LjpjB
— Gonzalo Ferreyra (@gonzaloferreyr) May 29, 2026
The amount of the fine, which the FFT shared Monday, is one of the biggest in Grand Slam history — nearly half of the €130,000 ($151,000) in prize money that Vallejo earned for reaching the second round. “The competence of an umpire is not determined by their gender, but by their professionalism and ability to officiate at the highest level,” the FFT said in its statement. “The outcome of a sporting event, whether positive or negative, can never justify or excuse such remarks.”
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