Celebrity

Tennis Pro Loses Big After Sexist Rant About Female Umpire

TAKE IT LIKE A MAN

After losing to a 17-year-old last Thursday, the aggrieved player went on the offensive against the umpire.

France's Moise Kouame (not seen) competes against Paraguay's Adolfo Daniel Vallejo during their men's singles match on day 5 of the French Open tennis tournament on Court Suzanne-Lenglen at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris, France on May 28, 2026.
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Paraguayan tennis player Adolfo Daniel Vallejo has been fined $65,000 at the French Open after making crude insults against a female umpire. After losing to 17-year-old Moise Kouame last Thursday, the aggrieved Vallejo went on the offensive against the chair umpire in an interview with the tennis outlet Clay. “This sort of match needs to be umpired by a man; it’s very difficult for a woman to do it,” the 22-year-old said. “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 was quickly reprimanded by tournament director Amelie Mauresmo, who labeled his comments “unacceptable” and went on to take back half of his prize earnings. Those who reach the second round at the French Open, as Vallejo did before losing to Kouame, receive $151,000 in prize money. The $65,000 fine imposed on Vallejo is nearly half of that amount.

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