Paraguayan tennis player Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, ranked 71st in the world, lost to French teenager Moïse Kouamé in the second round of the 2026 French Open on May 28. The match on Court Suzanne Lenglen lasted nearly five hours, ending 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6, with the final tiebreak reported as either 10-8 or 8-6 depending on the source [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
After his loss, Vallejo made sexist remarks about Brazilian umpire Ana Carvalho, criticizing her for lacking the courage to control the "annoying" and "disrespectful" home crowd supporting Kouamé. Vallejo stated, "I think this sort of matches should be umpired by a man. It's very difficult for a woman to do it because the crowd is very annoying and you need to have a lot of courage to go against the crowd" [1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 5].
He also complained about how Carvalho handled the time taken between points by his opponent, saying it was excessive and poorly managed by the umpire [1, 3, 5]. Vallejo defended himself on social media, clarifying that his remarks were about the referee’s handling of the crowd, not about women in general. He wrote, "I never spoke about women in general, I was referring specifically to the referee, who failed to manage the crowd at any point during the match" [1, 2, 4, 6].
The French Tennis Federation (FFT) condemned Vallejo's comments as "unacceptable" sexist remarks and issued a significant fine. The FFT emphasized that umpire competence depends on professionalism, not gender, and offered full support to Carvalho and all officials at the tournament. The federation said, "The competence of an umpire is not determined by their gender, but by their professionalism and ability to officiate at the highest level. The outcome of a sporting event, whether positive or negative, can never justify or excuse such remarks" [2, 4, 6, 5].
Vallejo’s match was widely noted for its intensity and length, lasting approximately 4 hours and 56 minutes. Despite the crowd’s strong support for Kouamé, Vallejo said the atmosphere "didn't harm me, it only strengthened him" [5].
The FFT announced the fine on May 29, following the public release of Vallejo’s interview with Clay magazine where his remarks were first reported [1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 5]. Vallejo posted his social media defense between May 29 and 30 [1, 2, 4, 6]. The fine and condemnation mark the latest official response to the incident at this year’s tournament.
