Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Adolfo Daniel Vallejo has sparked outrage by claiming his French Open match “needs to be umpired by a man” with enough “energy” to go against the Roland Garros crowd.
Vallejo faced French teenager Moise Quam in the second round on Thursday in what was one of the tournament’s best matches so far.
Kwame, 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 that Koume was allowed to take the points and argued that Brazilian Ana Carvalho, an experienced official, was not strong enough to control the crowd.
Adolfo Daniel Vallejo sparks outrage by saying female umpire needs ‘more power’ to go against crowd
Please use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Janic Ciner has reflected on his shock exit from the French Open, saying he needs to take some time out to recover.
Speaking to Clay magazine, Vallejo said: “A man needs to umpire a match like this, it’s very difficult for a woman to do that.
“It should be refereed by one person, because it’s a very demanding crowd and you need a lot of energy to go against the crowd.”
Moise Kouame makes his Grand Slam debut (AP Photo/Emma da Silva)
Players are allowed 25 seconds between points, with a clock counting down on the scoreboard, but umpires can use discretion in 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 that they are supporting their compatriots,” Vallejo added.
“It’s a pretty intense crowd and that’s why I was prepared. I already knew it was going to be like that and, to be honest, it didn’t hurt me, it made him stronger.
France’s Moise Koume reacts during the game against Paraguay’s Vallejo
“I think he took a lot of time on many occasions, lying on the floor or stalling. And it’s not normal to scream for the crowd for a whole minute without a game.
“In a match where the physical aspect is so important, if you give a player a lot of time, he will definitely take advantage of it.”
Tournament organizers have been contacted for comment.
Watch the ATP and WTA tours on Sky Sports or live Stream with NOW And The Sky Sports appSky Sports is giving subscribers access to more than 50 per cent of live games at no extra cost this year. Learn more here.
