French Open 2026: Why Was Adolfo Daniel Vallejo Penalised By Authorities In Round 2?

Adolfo Daniel Vallejo has been fined half his French Open prize money after saying his second-round match should not have been umpired by a woman. Roland Garros director Amelie Mauresmo confirmed the sanction on Monday, calling the comments unacceptable during a media briefing.

The Paraguayan player lost to French teenager Moise Kouame last week in Paris after a tense five-set battle of nearly five hours. Vallejo later told tennis website Clay that “this sort of match needs to be umpired by a man,” criticising the chair umpire’s handling.

Vallejo was defeated 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (8) in the second round. He said after the match, “It's very difficult for a woman to do it.” The comments drew strong reaction from tournament officials at Roland Garros, including Mauresmo.

Mauresmo said Vallejo received a fine of 65,000 euros, about 76,000 dollars. She added this amount represented roughly half of his prize money. “This is clearly unacceptable,” Mauresmo said. “Once again, such remarks have no place here,” she told reporters at the French Open.

Players reaching the second round at the French Open receive 130,000 euros. Vallejo’s fine and prize money can be set out as follows.

The match was umpired by Ana Carvalho from Brazil. Vallejo said she did not control the spectators during the long contest. “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.

He described the support for Kouame inside the stadium as intense. “The crowd was very out of line, but I understand they're supporting their compatriot,” Vallejo said. He added that he had expected such an atmosphere and that it strengthened his opponent.

Vallejo also accused Kouame of using delays during key moments. He said Kouame “took up a lot of time on many occasions, lying on the floor or stalling.” He argued that long pauses helped Kouame in a match with heavy physical demands.

He criticised the time taken between points when the crowd was loud. “And it's not normal for the crowd to be shouting for a full minute without any play,” Vallejo said. He noted the difficulty for an umpire in such conditions and said, “The truth is it's also difficult for a referee to manage this situation.”