The 22-year-old tennis player from Paraguay, who is having a breakthrough season, ended his run in the French capital in the second round, where after nearly 5 hours of tennis marathon he lost 3:6, 5:7, 6:3, 6:2, 6:7(8) to 17-year-old Frenchman Moise Kouamei (ATP-318).
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After the lost drama, D.A. Vallejo did not spare criticism of the experienced chair umpire Ana Carvalho, stating that only a male referee could control such a wild atmosphere on the court.
“A man must referee a match of this level. A female referee cannot control such a noisy crowd. You need a lot of strength to handle such a demanding audience.
The spectators crossed all limits, but I understand that they support their compatriot. I was prepared for that. It did not harm me, but it strengthened the opponent. In my opinion, the opponent wasted a lot of time, and the crowd helped him by shouting for almost a whole minute. In such a physical match, even a few moments of rest are very important, and he took advantage of that,” said the Paraguayan.
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After receiving much criticism following his statement, D.A. Vallejo issued a message on social media.
“I never even thought about speaking generally about women, I spoke specifically about the referee who completely failed to control the crowd. But I never said I lost because of her. After the match, I congratulated the opponent and that’s it,” the tennis player defended himself.
The South American representative has already won two Challenger trophies this season, as well as recorded his first victories in Grand Slam and Masters tournaments.
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