French Open Fines Vallejo $65K After He Blames Female Umpire for Failing to Control Hostile Crowd

French Open organizers fined Paraguayan player Adolfo Daniel Vallejo $65,000 on Monday for remarks he made about the female umpire who worked his second-round match. Vallejo lost to France’s Moise Kouame 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (8) in a contest that lasted nearly five hours. Second-round players at Roland Garros receive 130,000 euros, about $151,000.

The fine equals roughly half of Vallejo’s prize money. Organizers initially reported the penalty in euros before clarifying that it was levied in dollars. Vallejo said the Brazilian female umpire Ana Carvalho wasn’t able to keep control of fans watching.

“This sort of match needs to be umpired by a man,” he said. ” Vallejo also noted that the crowd shouted for long stretches and that Kouame took extended breaks, but he said the atmosphere strengthened his opponent. “The crowd was very out of line, but I understand they’re supporting their compatriot,” he said.

She added, “This is clearly unacceptable.