French Open star stripped of prize money after ‘sexist’ umpire rant | Tennis | Sport

Daniel Vallejo has been fined £56,000 for his comments about the female umpire during his second-round defeat to Moise Kouame at the French Open last week. Vallejo had told the tennis website Clay that “this sort of match needs to be umpired by a man,” and was criticised for the remark.

The issues related to crowd control, with the home favourite Kouame attracting considerable attention from the supporters. Vallejo accused Ana Carvalho of allowing things to spiral out of control and suggested a male counterpart would’ve managed the job better.

Roland-Garros director Amelie Mauresmo confirmed that Vallejo would be fined for his comments at the French Open on Monday. The $65,000 (£56k) fine was handed down to the player, “representing roughly half of his prize money.”

Mauresmo said: “This is clearly unacceptable. Once again, such remarks have no place here.” Players reaching the second round at the French Open receive around £112k, with the maximum fine for unsportsmanlike conduct being £74k.

The tournament organisers had previously said: “The competence of an umpire is not determined by their gender, but by their professionalism and ability to officiate at the highest level,” added the French Tennis Federation (FFT). The outcome of a sporting event, whether positive or negative, can never justify or excuse such remarks.”

In the original interview with Clay, Vallejo said: “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. I knew it [the crowd] was going to be like that. It didn’t harm me, it only strengthened him.”

When pushed on the claim, Vallejo added: “Yes, yes, absolutely. The crowd was really disrespectful, but I understand it because they are supporting their home player.”

Vallejo had originally tried to claim the comments were taken “out of context” and had been misreported, however, the Paraguayan did go on to issue an apology. Posting on Instagram, he said: “I want to clarify that my comments were not meant in the way they have been understood.

“I have respect for the umpire and for the job they do, after a 5hrs battle I was very heated and with a lot of emotions, I apologise. I also want to clarify that I didn’t blame the loss on her [the umpire], she did a good job throughout the whole match.

“I will learn and get better with this. I also have great respect for Roland-Garros, the French Tennis Federation, and everyone involved in tennis.”