"It should have been a man" — French Open player fined 100 million won for demeaning female umpire, loses 40% of prize money

*This content was translated by AI.

Adolfo Daniel Vallejo (22, Paraguay), who demeaned the female umpire after being eliminated from the prestigious French Open tennis tournament, has been handed a massive fine. The amount reaches 100 million won.

On the 1st (Korean time), the UK's Reuters reported that "Paraguay's Adolfo Daniel Vallejo received a fine of 65,000 dollars, approximately 100 million won, for making sexist remarks directed at the French Open umpire."

According to reports, French Open director Amelie Mauresmo took issue with Vallejo's comments suggesting that the female umpire struggled to control the rowdy crowd after his defeat. The tournament organizers ultimately deemed the remarks sexist and imposed a substantial fine.

UK's TalkSport also explained that "Vallejo was fined 65,000 dollars for making inappropriate remarks stating that his match should have been officiated by a male umpire rather than a female one."

Earlier, on the 28th of last month, Vallejo faced French prospect Moise Keita (17, France) in the second round of the French Open men's singles held at Roland Garros in Paris, France, but lost with a set score of 2-3 (3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-7<8-10>). Vallejo became a victim of an upset after being outplayed by the teenage prospect.

However, the controversy sparked by his post-match remarks was even greater than his defeat. Vallejo directed comments at Ana Carvalho, the Brazilian female umpire who officiated his match, saying, "Matches of this kind should be officiated by men. It is very difficult for women." He added, "The crowd is very difficult, and it takes a lot of strength to stand up to them."

Vallejo also claimed that his opponent, Keita, delayed the match on multiple occasions. He stated, "Keita lay on the ground or delayed play," and added, "It is not normal for the crowd to be shouting for a full minute when no play is taking place."

He further raised his voice, saying, "In a match where physicality is important, if a player is given a lot of time, he will surely take advantage of it," and "It was also difficult for the female umpire to manage this situation."

However, the French Open organizing committee immediately issued an official statement condemning Vallejo's remarks as "unacceptable." The tournament organizers warned that severe sanctions would be imposed on Vallejo and took a firm stance, stating, "We strongly condemn all sexist remarks." Ultimately, a substantial fine was levied against Vallejo.

As a result, Vallejo had to pay a fine amounting to approximately 40% of the French Open prize money. Players eliminated in the second round of this tournament receive a prize of 151,000 dollars (approximately 220 million won). Of this amount, Vallejo must pay about 100 million won as a fine. TalkSport reported that "Vallejo paid a heavy price for his words."

Meanwhile, Vallejo apologized for his remarks. Through social media, he stated, "I respect the referees and the work they do very much. I was very excited after the five-hour match, and many emotions came up. I apologize."

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*This content was translated by AI.