The French Open has handed Paraguayan player Adolfo Vallejo a hefty 65,000-euro (Rs 71 lakh) fine after he made sexist remarks about chair umpire Ana Carvalho following his dramatic second-round defeat at Roland Garros.
Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo confirmed on Monday that Vallejo had been fined half of his tournament prize money after suggesting that his five-set match against French teenager Moise Kouame should have been officiated by a man.
“This is clearly unacceptable,” Mauresmo told reporters at Roland Garros. “Once again, such remarks have no place here.”
The sanction represents roughly half of the 130,000 euros awarded to players who reach the second round of the French Open.
FRENCH OPEN: WHAT’S THE CONTROVERSY?
The controversy stems from one of the most dramatic matches of the tournament so far. Vallejo appeared to be cruising into the third round after taking a two-set lead against 17-year-old French wildcard Kouame. However, the teenager mounted a remarkable comeback to win 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (8) in a marathon contest that lasted nearly five hours on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
The atmosphere throughout the match was electric, with French fans passionately backing the home favourite. As the momentum shifted in Kouame’s favour, Vallejo grew increasingly frustrated with both the crowd and what he perceived to be a lack of control from the chair umpire.
Speaking to tennis website Clay after the defeat, the 22-year-old Paraguayan questioned Carvalho’s ability to handle the occasion and suggested the match required a male official.
“This sort of match needs to be umpired by a man,” Vallejo said.
“It’s very difficult for a woman to do it.”
He further added: “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 argued that the Paris spectators repeatedly crossed the line during the contest and believed the Brazilian umpire failed to manage the situation effectively.
“The crowd was very out of line, but I understand they’re supporting their compatriot,” he said. “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.”
The Paraguayan also complained about the amount of time Kouame was allowed between points and games as the French teenager fought his way back into the match.
“He’s taking a lot of time on many occasions, lying on the floor or stalling,” Vallejo said.
“And 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.”
VALLEJO SLAMMED FOR SEXIST REMARKS
While Vallejo attempted to frame his criticism around crowd management, his remarks immediately sparked criticism across the tennis world and on social media, where many fans and observers described the comments as sexist and outdated.
Several supporters pointed out that crowd control and player management are routine responsibilities for chair umpires regardless of gender. Others argued that both male and female officials regularly face criticism from players, making Vallejo’s focus on Carvalho’s gender particularly problematic.
The French Open responded swiftly, with Mauresmo making it clear that the tournament viewed the comments as unacceptable.
The controversy has somewhat overshadowed what was otherwise a breakthrough moment for one of the most exciting young players at Roland Garros this year.
Kouame has emerged as one of the breakout stars of the 2026 tournament. The French teenager announced himself on the Grand Slam stage by defeating former US Open champion Marin Cilic 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-1 in the opening round.
That victory made him the youngest male player to win a Grand Slam main-draw match since 2009 and one of the youngest Frenchmen to achieve the feat at Roland Garros in the modern era.
His comeback against Vallejo was even more remarkable. Not only did he recover from two sets down, but he also found himself trailing 5-2 in the deciding set before producing another surge, feeding off the energy of the home crowd to force a super tie-break.
Kouame eventually prevailed in the deciding breaker to seal one of the biggest wins of his young career and continue a dream run in Paris.
The teenager will next face Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo as he attempts to extend his fairytale campaign.
– Ends
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