French Open fines Vallejo $65,000 for sexist remarks about female umpire

Roland Garros and the French Tennis Federation fined Paraguayan player Adolfo Daniel Vallejo $65,000 on Monday after he made sexist remarks about the female umpire who officiated his second-round defeat at the French Open. Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo described the comments as unacceptable and confirmed the fine represented roughly half of Vallejo's prize money.

What did Vallejo say about the French Open umpire?

After losing to French 17-year-old Moise Kouame in a fifth-set tiebreak, Vallejo told tennis website Clay that Brazilian umpire Ana Carvalho had not been strong enough to handle the crowd's support for the home player.

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"This sort of match needs to be umpired by a man," 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."

How much was Vallejo fined at the French Open?

Vallejo was fined $65,000, roughly half of the prize money received by players eliminated in the second round of the men's singles. Players at that stage receive 130,000 euros ($151,000). Mauresmo announced the fine at a press briefing on Monday, saying the language had no place at the tournament or within the French Tennis Federation.

How did Vallejo respond to the fine and backlash?

After organisers announced on Friday they would fine Vallejo, the world number 71 apologised on Instagram. "I have respect for the umpires and for the job they do, after a five-hour battle I was very heated and felt a lot of emotions, I apologize," he wrote. He also said his comments had been misinterpreted and insisted he had not blamed his defeat on the umpire. "She did a good job throughout the whole match," he added. "I will learn and get better with this."