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FRANCES TIAFOE VS. MATTEO ARNALDI

 

ARYNA SABALENKA VS.. NAOMI OSAKA | ROUND 4 | ROLAND-GARROS 2026

 

FRENCH OPEN HANDS ADOLFO DANIEL VALLEJO LARGEST FINE IN HISTORY FOR SEXIST REMARKS ABOUT FEMALE UMPIRE

 

Adolfo Daniel Vallejo has been handed a whopping 65,000 euros (£56,250) fine after sexist comments he made after losing a thrilling five-set battle against 17-year-old Frenchman Moise Kouame at the French Open.

He claimed it was unsuitable for a female umpire, in this instance Ana Carvalho, to be officiating the match. He stated this due to the partisan crowd passionately supporting Kouame as he looked to continue his progress in front of his home support.

Female umpires have been officiating men's tennis matches at Grand Slam level since 2007, almost two decades now. Vallejo would have been very annoyed after he ended up losing an absolute thrilling match of tennis

.After going two sets down, the Paraguayan mustered up what seemed to be a hugely impressive comeback as Kouame started to struggle. He was 5-2 up in the fifth and had the chance to serve it out but Kouame struck back. The tiebreak was also ridiculously tense and tight, but Vallejo would come the wrong side of a 10-8 deficit.

Afterwards, he told clay about his displeasure of the crowd not being under control. "This sort of match needs to be umpired by a man; it’s very difficult for a woman to do it," he said. “It has to be refereed by a man because it is a very heavy crowd, and you need a lot of strength to go against the crowd."

A lot of backlash came from this and Vallejo responded, apologising on social media. “I want to clarify that my comments were not meant in the way they have been understood. I have respect for the umpire and for the job they do, after a 5 hours battle I was very heated and with a lot of emotions, I apologise,” he wrote.

“I also want to clarify that I didn’t blame the loss on her; she did a good job throughout the whole match. I will learn and get better with this. I also have great respect for Roland-Garros, the French Tennis Federation, and everyone involved in tennis.”

Vallejo handed huge fine

This apology has not got him out of the woods. Deemed sexist, Roland Garros’ tournament director, Amélie Mauresmo, confirmed that he would be fined by the French Tennis Federation a large 65,000 euros. This is a large chunk of his earnings from the tournament, collecting 130,000 euros for reaching the second round.

“A financial penalty was imposed, amounting to approximately 65,000 euros—roughly half of his prize money,” Mauresmo said. "As far as we’re concerned, the situation is very clear: this kind of remark is unacceptable. Neither for the tournament nor for the Federation.”

It is a sorry end to Vallejo's Grand Slam debut. A rapid rise into the top 80 has seen him automatically qualify for the tournament, getting the better of Cameron Norrie in the first round after the Brit had to retire. He was not able to repeat the fate against Kouame as he now reaps the punishment for his comments made after the match.

- Lucas Michael

LEAVE NAOMI OSAKA ALONE - HER FASHION SHOW IS EXACTLY WHAT WOMEN'S TENNIS NEEDS

 As the 28-year-old sports star comes under fire for another head-turning outfit at the French Open, Lydia Spencer-Elliott argues why her wardrobe should be championed not criticised.

Naomi Osaka knows how to make an entrance. At the Australian Open, the four-time Grand Slam champion, 28, arrived in a mesmerising jellyfish-inspired ensemble (elegant wide-brimmed hat, long white veil), designed by Beyoncé’s regular couturier, Robert Wun.

For this week’s French Open, it was impossible to predict how she’d surpass herself; then she stepped out in a black corset and cascading pleated skirt by Kevin Germanier (beloved by Lady Gaga and Björk), which she promptly shed to reveal a glittering copper tennis dress.

“I actually got a little worried because when the sun hits the dress, it reflects a lot, so I was a little scared the umpire was going to kick me off the court,” Osaka said of the sparkling “Eiffel Tower at night” ensemble.

“I’ve got two backup, normal dresses – thankfully I didn’t have to wear them,” she added. “Sometimes people say athletes are in show business… For me, Grand Slam walk-ons are the only time that I possibly feel like I’m an entertainer,” the tennis pro explained.

Osaka’s opponent, Germany’s Laura Siegemund (whom she beat 6-3 7-6 (7-3) to reach the second round), it’s fair to say, was fuming. “I couldn’t care less,” she told TNT Sports. “I come here to play tennis, not put on a fashion show.” Nevertheless, Siegemund then went on to claim that Osaka’s big outfit reveal had broken time-keeping rules: “Once again, bigger names are treated differently,” she hit out.

So, perhaps, she did care – just a little bit.

Leave Naomi Osaka alone, her fashion show is exactly what is needed
Glittering: The four-time Grand Slam champion wore copper on the court
AP

Throughout her tennis career, Osaka has been treated differently – rarely for the better. After winning her first-ever Slam against American great Serena Williams at just 20 years old, she broke down in tears of dismay instead of joy. The umpire, Carlos Ramos, had accused Williams of receiving on-court coaching and docked her game, leading Williams to call him a “thief” and later accuse him of sexism.

As Osaka collected her trophy, boos rang around Arthur Ashe Stadium while she wept. “Not only was a game taken from me but a defining, triumphant moment was taken from another player,” Williams later wrote in an essay for Harper’s Bazaar. “My heart broke.”

The incident was all the more gut-wrenching as Williams is Osaka’s icon. This can be seen again in her fashion choices, as she follows in the footsteps of the former World No 1 to serve draw-dropping looks on the court that unapologetically allow her to express herself, when the backwards governance and antiquated confines of the sport, perhaps, won’t. Notably, Osaka faced intense racial abuse after supporting Black Lives Matter in 2020.

Williams has frequently challenged traditional tennis dress codes with pioneering ensembles; her 2018 French Open catsuit, which she said made her feel “like a superhero”, was banned for no other reason than that the French Tennis Federation felt it didn’t “respect the game and the place”. Nevertheless, months later she stepped out at the US Open in a black one-shoulder tennis dress complete with a tutu. "It's easy to play in, kind of aerodynamic,” she said.

Pushing boundaries: Serena Williams, an inspiration to Osaka, in her tutu at the 2018 US Open (Getty)

The star’s wardrobe has sparked debates around the policing of women’s bodies in sport and the functionality of athletic wear. Many noted at the time that the clothing controversy felt like another reason to slate a Black player in an overwhelmingly white, historically exclusionary, elite sport. A tutu somehow became perceived as a threat to tennis’ status quo.

Notably, few have been up in arms over Aryna Sabalenka wearing £76,000 worth of diamonds and garnets with a sheer Nike super suit at Roland Garros. “I love it,” the Belarusian defended Osaka’s latest ensemble. “She feels confident. That’s the beauty of the fashion world. There’s a space for everything. I love that she’s bringing it on [to] the court.”

Sabalenka shared that she too hoped to one day “come up with something cool” for an Open entrance like Osaka’s.

Elite sportswomen, of course, don’t want to be known or judged for their outfits alone, but – when the coverage of and prime time slots for women’s tennis at tournaments like the French Open still drastically lag behind the men’s game – it also can’t hurt to turn a few heads and garner extra attention using a bit of tulle and some sequins, right?

“I tend to win more when I’m having fun,” Osaka previously told Vogue of her relationship with sport and fashion. So far, so true – and the tennis season is just getting started.

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FRENCH OPEN: DISGRUNTLED STARS SAY 'PAY MORE OF WE INTERACT LESS'

Top tennis players hit back as French Open reduces players’ share of prize money

AFP

You know something is off when news of 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic appointing a new coach or seven-time Major winner Carlos Alcaraz pulling out from both French Open and Wimbledon due to a right wrist injury don’t make tennis headlines like it should. True, Jannik Sinner has been hogging the limelight in recent months during his record-breaking Masters 1000 title-run and is the odds-on favourite to win his first French Open as well, but none of these developments are in the spotlight as we head into the second Grand Slam of the year.

Instead, it is the rising murmurs of discontent among top players regarding their share of the prize money that has grabbed all the attention. L'Equipe newspaper reported Wednesday that many players competing at Roland Garros, which begins Sunday, are planning to limit their conversations with reporters to 15 minutes during Friday's traditional pre-tournament media day.

The French tennis federation (FFT), which organizes the French Open, said in a statement to The Associated Press that it regrets the players' initiative "which penalizes all stakeholders involved in the tournament: the media, broadcasters, federation staff and the entire tennis community that enthusiastically follows each edition of Roland Garros."

For the record, men’s No 1 Sinner, women’s top-ranked player Aryna Sabalenka and No 4 and defending French Open champion Coco Gauff were among leading players who threatened a boycott of the Slams earlier this month if they didn't start receiving more compensation. According to them, the players' share of revenue at the French Open had been reduced to an alleged 14.3 per cent – compared to 22 per cent at other ATP and WTA events. They say the event generated 395 million euros in 2025, a 14 per cent year-on-year increase, yet prize money rose by just 5.4 per cent, reducing players' share of revenue to 14.3 per cent.

The players are also seeking better representation, health options and pensions from the four Grand Slam tournaments: Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open. The Australian Open this year increased the players' compensation by 16 per cent, and the US Open prize money last year went up by 20 per cent.

While conversations have mostly been about boycotts and disgruntled players, 38-year-old Djokovic, a three-time winner at the French Open, appointed Viktor Troicki, his former Serbian teammate and the man who guided him to Olympic glory in 2024, as his new coach. With Sinner in such commanding form leaving all his supposed rivals like world No 3 Alexander Zverev and No 4 Djokovic in the dust, it really would take a bad day in the office for the Italian to not win his first title at Roland Garros.

The woman’s draw is a bit more open, with Sabalenka not having a great run on clay in the lead-up and the likes of world No 2 Elena Rybakina snapping at her heels. And of course, never count out world No 3 and four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek, especially on this surface.

- Jaydip Sengupta

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