Written by Megan Taylor, sports reporter covering international sports since 2020
Adolfo Daniel Vallejo has been fined 65,000 euros at the French Open after saying his second-round match against Moise Kouame should not have been umpired by a woman.
The Paraguayan player lost 6-3 7-5 3-6 2-6 7-6 (8) to French teenager Moise Kouame last week in a five-set match that lasted nearly five hours at Roland Garros.
The incident comes during a wider French Open fortnight in which Naomi Osaka and Taylor Townsend's French Open Dinner Celebrates Unity Among Black Tennis Players, showing how player voices have shaped discussion around the tournament. Source used: provided article text.
Roland Garros acts after Vallejo comments
Roland Garros director Amelie Mauresmo confirmed the punishment, saying the fine represented roughly half of Vallejo’s French Open prize money.
"This is clearly unacceptable," Mauresmo said. "Once again, such remarks have no place here."
Players who reach the second round at the 2026 French Open receive 130,000 euros, according to the official ATP prize-money breakdown.
Vallejo made the comments after claiming Brazilian chair umpire Ana Carvalho had not controlled the crowd during his defeat.
He told Clay that "this sort of match needs to be umpired by a man."
"It's very difficult for a woman to do it."
Crowd control complaint follows five-set loss
Vallejo said the home crowd played a major role in the match atmosphere, with Kouame receiving strong support as a French player.
"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.
"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 also accused Kouame of slowing the match down at key moments.
"And it's not normal for the crowd to be shouting for a full minute without any play," he said.
Fans can follow official tournament results and player updates through the Roland Garros official website.