Meet The French Open Loser Who Blamed His Loss On His Female Umpire
That is, "loser" in more ways than one.
Photo: Getty Images Sports Tennis
Shhh…My favorite show is on: watching the best tennis players in the world have public tantrums, also known as Grand Slam season. As the list of losers grows in this year’s French Open (Roland Garros, if you’re nasty), one player is proving that he is a loser in more ways than one by using the oldest excuse in the book for his loss: Blame the nearest woman. But not to fret–in a rare instance of men facing consequences for their actions, the player is being fined nearly half of his prize money for his sexist comments.
On Thursday, the Paraguayan player Adolfo Daniel Vallejo was eliminated in the second round of the tournament after an intense 5-hour match with French 17-year-old Moïse Kouamé. But instead of admitting he was bested by the new prodigy, Vallejo argued that, had the match been judged by a man, and not umpire Ana Carvalho, the outcome would have been different. Zero points for originality.
“This sort of match needs to be umpired by a man.” Vallejo told Clay, “It’s very difficult for a woman to do it.” Ah yes, because it’s famously very difficult for a woman to see where a ball hits the ground. When asked if he really meant to say that a woman couldn’t ump this type of match, Vallejo doubled down.
“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,” Vallejo said. Indeed, the crowd at Roland Garros has a reputation for being more boisterous, especially in recent years, unlike Wimbledon, where the crowd is so quiet and polite that Hugh Grant might fall asleep at any second. “The crowd was very out of line,” Vallejo added, “but I understand they’re supporting their compatriot. It’s quite an intense crowd and that’s why I was prepared; I already knew it would be like that and, to be honest, it didn’t harm me, but rather strengthened him.” Yep, that’s typically how home-field advantages work!
And while it’s not uncommon for players to be upset with the umpires after a loss, it’s absurd to think that a male umpire’s “strength” would have any effect on deterring a French crowd from cheering on their country. Have you met the French?
On Monday, tournament organizers announced that Vallejo would be fined $65,000 for his comments, nearly half of his prize money. “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,” the statement read. Next time, just smash your racket. It will still be a fine, but not as much.
And of course, Vallejo gave us a good old-fashioned Instagram story apology: “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. There go men with their emotions!
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