French Open slapped a hefty fine of Rs 71 crore on a player for making a sexist remark to an umpire

The French Open has fined Paraguayan player Adolfo Vallejo a hefty €65,000 (Rs 71 crore) after he made sexist remarks about head 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,” Mauresma told reporters at Roland Garros. “Again, such remarks have no place here.

The penalty represents roughly half of the €130,000 awarded to players who reach the second round of the French Open.

FRENCH OPEN: WHAT’S THE CONVERSATION ABOUT?

The controversy stems from one of the most dramatic matches of the tournament so far. Vallejo appeared to be cruising to the third round after taking a two-set lead against 17-year-old French wild card Kouame. However, the teenager staged 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 electrifying and the French fans passionately supported the home favourites. As the momentum shifted in Kouame’s favor, Vallejo grew increasingly frustrated with both the crowd and what he perceived as a lack of control from the head referee.

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 kind of match has to be decided by a man,” Vallejo said.

“It is very difficult for a woman.

He further added, “It has to be decided by a man because it’s a very tough crowd and you need a lot of strength to go against the crowd.”

Vallejo claimed that the Parisian crowd repeatedly crossed the line during the match and believed that the Brazilian referee failed to manage the situation effectively.

“The crowd was very precise, but I understand that they are supporting their countryman,” he said. “It’s a pretty intense crowd and that’s why I was prepared. I already knew it was going to be like that and to be honest it didn’t hurt me, it made him stronger.”

The Paraguayan also complained about the amount of time Kouame had between points and games as the French teenager fought his way back into the match.

“On a lot of occasions, he’s taking up a lot of time, laying on the floor or stopping,” Vallejo said.

“And it’s not normal for the crowd to scream for a whole minute without any play. In a game where so much is physical, if you give a player a lot of time, he’s obviously going to take advantage of that.”

VALLEJO FIRED FOR SEXIST COMMENTS

While Vallejo tried to frame his criticism around crowd management, his remarks immediately drew criticism across the tennis world and on social media, where many fans and observers called the comments sexist and outdated.

Several supporters have pointed out that crowd control and player management are routine duties for presiding referees, regardless of gender. Others have 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 was quick to respond, with Mauresma making it clear the tournament found the comments unacceptable.

The controversy somewhat overshadowed what was otherwise a breakthrough moment for one of the most exciting young players at this year’s Roland Garros.

Kouame has emerged as one of the breakout stars of the 2026 tournament. The French teenager made his mark on the Grand Slam scene by defeating former US Open champion Marin Cilic 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-1 in the opening round.

The win made him the youngest player to win a Grand Slam main since 2009 and one of the youngest Frenchmen to do so at Roland Garros in the modern era.

His comeback against Vallejo was even more remarkable. Not only did he recover from two sets down, he also found himself trailing 5-2 in the deciding set before unleashing another surge, energizing 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 his dream run in Paris.

The teenager will next face Chile’s Alejandro Tabil, who is looking to extend his fairytale campaign.

– The end

Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

1 Jun 2026 19:08 IST