“Unacceptable”
Sexism scandal: French Open punishes tennis professional
May 30, 2026 – 12:29 p.mReading time: 1 min.
After his exit from the French Open, Adolfo Daniel Vallejo made disparaging comments about the referee. This now has consequences.
Tennis professional Adolfo Daniel Vallejo’s derogatory statement about referee Ana Carvalho will have consequences for the Paraguayan. The French Open would strongly condemn “any sexist statements,” the organizers wrote in a statement and announced “a hefty fine” for Vallejo.
After his dramatic five-set defeat against Frenchman Moïse Kouamé (17), the 22-year-old told the tennis magazine “Clay”: “Such a match has to be led by a man, it is very difficult for a woman.”
Statements “unacceptable”
In the almost five-hour match on the Suzanne Lenglen Court, the atmosphere was heated, many French people in the stands were really in the mood for their young star Kouamé. In these conditions you need “a lot of strength to compete with the spectators,” said Vallejo.
These statements are “unacceptable” and will be condemned by the organizers and the French Tennis Federation, the statement said. “The competence of a referee does not depend on his gender, but on his professionalism and his ability to officiate matches at the highest level.”
