Tennis Player Blames Female Umpire for French Open Loss Suggests She Didn't Have Strength' to Handle Rowdy Spectators

Daniel Vallejo said a woman should not have officiated his French Open match against Moise Kouame. The second-round match lasted nearly five hours in hot conditions, with Kouame winning and becoming the youngest player to reach the third round since 1988. Vallejo objected to how umpire Ana Carvalho managed a French crowd that strongly supported Kouame. He said the crowd was given extended time to cheer and that Kouame repeatedly dropped to the ground and stalled between points. Vallejo argued that in a physically demanding match, extra time benefits the player stalling, and that managing such situations is difficult for referees.

"Daniel Vallejo said after his French Open loss Thursday that a woman should not have officiated his match. Vallejo faced 17-year-old Moise Kouame from France in the second round of the tournament. The marathon match, played in sweltering heat, lasted nearly five hours and ended with a Kouame victory. With the win, Kouame became the youngest player to advance to the third round of the French Open since 1988."

"After the match, Vallejo made it clear he did not approve of the way the match was handled. The 22-year-old specifically took issue with the way umpire Ana Carvalho dealt with the French crowd that was overwhelmingly in favor of Kouame. A report from the tennis publication Clay continued: 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, insisted the Paraguayan."

"The crowd was very out of line, 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. Asked to elaborate further, Vallejo said the teenager repeatedly dropped to the ground and stalled between play. At times, he continued, the crowd was also given a full minute to cheer."

"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, Vallejo told Clay. The truth is, it's also difficult for a referee to manage this situation."

Read at www.mediaite.com