A French Open player has sparked controversy by saying his match should not have been umpired by a woman.
Paraguay’s Adolfo Daniel Vallejo was facing French teenager Moise Kouame in the second round on Thursday in what turned out to be one of the matches of the tournament so far.
Kouame, 17, was roared on by his home fans on Court Suzanne Lenglen, eventually winning 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (10-8) after four hours and 56 minutes.
Vallejo was unhappy with the time Kouame was allowed to take between points and argued that Brazilian Ana Carvalho, an experienced official, was not strong enough to control the crowd.
Speaking to Clay magazine, Vallejo said: ‘This sort of match needs to be umpired by a man, it’s very difficult for a woman to do it.
Adolfo Daniel Vallejo made the remarks after his second-round defeat in Paris on Thursday
Vallejo claimed that umpire Ana Carvalho was not strong enough to control the crowd, who were cheering on home favourite Moise Kouame
Carvalho is one of the most respected umpires on the tennis circuit
The French Open are yet to comment on Vallejo’s accusations
‘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.’
Players are allowed to take 25 seconds between points, with a clock counting down on the scoreboard, but umpires can use discretion as to when to start the countdown if there is a lot of noise from the crowd.
‘The crowd was very out of line, but I understand they are supporting their compatriot,’ added Vallejo.
‘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.
‘I think he took up a lot of time on many occasions, lying on the floor or stalling. And it’s not normal for the crowd to be shouting for a full minute without any play.
‘In a match where the physical aspect matters so much, if you give a player a lot of time, he’s obviously going to take advantage of it.’
Tournament organisers were contacted for comment by Daily Mail Sport.
Vallejo could now face a fine of up to $100,000 (£74,555) for unsportsmanlike conduct, according to the Grand Slam handbook.
