Controversies seem to be never-ending at the 2026 French Open. From pre-tournament prize money disputes to safety concerns about on-court advertising boards, all this buzz has kept the onlookers glued. And now, the latest controversy has stemmed from a reportedly sexist remark from Paraguay’s Adolfo Daniel Vallejo following his second-round exit. While the comments drew ire, Vallejo has come up with an explanation.

“Taken out of context,” wrote Vallejo on X. “I never spoke about women in general, I spoke about the referee specifically, who didn’t handle the crowd at any point during the match. That said, I also didn’t say that I lost because of her. I congratulated the opponent. And it’s normal for the crowd to cheer for the home player.” [Trans. from Spanish]

After a 7-6, 2-0 walkover win against No. 20 seed Cameron Norrie in the first round, Adolfo Daniel Vallejo had his confidence up. In his second round match, 17-year-old local boy Moise Kouame stood against the Paraguayan. Considering the experience and rankings, Vallejo was deemed the favorite. Instead, their clash on Thursday turned out to be a gritty five-set thriller.

Kouame led the match by winning the opening two sets. Then Vallejo made his comeback after dominating the subsequent two sets. With that, all the eyes rolled down to the decider set. Yet again, a close result in the last set in Kouame’s favor ended the match 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6(10-8). Shortly after, Vallejo expressed disappointment with how umpire Ana Carvalho handled the home crowd, who seemingly got into the 22-year-old’s head.

“This sort of match needs to be umpired by a man. It’s very difficult for a woman to do it,” said Vallejo via Clay magazine. “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.”

The statement felt like the Paraguayan ATP star had a problem with a woman umpiring his match. However, with his latest statement, he clarified the misunderstanding by noting that it was a more authoritative and strict umpire that he wished for his second-round French Open match.

Despite his clarification, the French Tennis Federation (FFT) and Roland Garros tournament organizers issued a statement condemning his words as “unacceptable”. They may also fine Vallejo for his conduct. While the exact dollar amount of the fine has not yet been specified, Vallejo’s prize money will take a hit. Players who reach the second round of the singles draw at the French Open take home roughly $151,000, meaning the fine will likely be deducted directly from these earnings.

Meanwhile, Kouame thanked the entire crowd for the support he received. “The public gave me a lot of uh a lot of energy to keep going physically and mentally. Probably without them, it would be another story. So yeah, I’m really happy to have them and uh yeah, it was a huge support today. So yeah, thanks to them,” said the 17-year-old in the post-match press conference.

While it was a disappointing end to Vallejo’s 2026 French Open run, Kouame etched his name in the history books. He became the youngest man to reach the third round of a Grand Slam. Prior to Kouame, Rafael Nadal achieved the same feat at Wimbledon in 2003 as a 17-year-old.

However, amid these, one cannot overlook the constant controversies surrounding umpires at the Roland Garros tournament.

A look into umpiring controversies at the 2026 French Open

Umpire Ana Carvalho’s failure to control the crowd was raised as an issue by Adolfo Daniel Vallejo. But prior to that, the 2026 French Open had gone through multiple moments when the umpires drew intense criticism. Starting with Pierre-Hugues Herbert vs. Lorenzo Sonego first round match.

On the opening day of the main draw, a massive argument erupted due to the tournament’s insistence on relying on manual line judges rather than Electronic Line Calling (ELC) on clay. Incensed by what he believed was a completely misread ball mark, local favorite Pierre-Hugues Herbert aggressively confronted the chair umpire.

Then came the second round match between Jannik Sinner and Juan Manuel Cerundolo. Due to the extreme physical conditions, Sinner struggled and suffered a severe physical collapse and dehydration. However, when umpire Aurelie Tourte left her chair mid-game to advise Sinner on his medical timeout limits, it sparked uproar.

Many levied accusations of “special treatment” for Sinner at Tourte. Eventually, the World No. 1 bowed out of the French Open in that match. Cerudolo defeated him with the scoreline of 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1, and 6-1.

As things stand, these were two of the prime controversial moments involving umpires. And it is only Day 6 today. On that note, it will be interesting to see what more buzzing moments the 2026 French Open holds for the onlookers.