When Adolfo Daniel Vallejo made his first-ever appearance at the French Open‘s main draw, he didn’t predict being at the center of a major controversy. However, that is exactly how things transpired for the Paraguayan as he was fined $65,000 for making inappropriate remarks towards the chair umpire, Ana Carvalho, after his clash against Moise Kouame. However, amid the intense scrutiny, former ATP pro John McEnroe came to his support.

“This guy, he doesn’t make the type of money. For this guy to walk out, he’s obviously stupid, but that is a big-time fine. It’s his second language. He’s not a natural English speaker. He speaks Spanish. You’ve got to cut the guy a little slack,” McEnroe said during the TNT Sports coverage.

Though the former ATP pro did admit that Vallejo’s actions were wrong, he felt that the French Open shouldn’t have levied such a huge fine on the youngster. And while explaining the effects of this, he made a striking comparison between the earnings of Vallejo and Naomi Osaka.

“He is obviously not married first of all! But here is the thing: $65,000 to say something asinine. That seems absurd! I can see $5,000, maybe $10,000. But this guy doesn’t make the type of money that Naomi Osaka does,” he added.

There is a reason why McEnroe feels that such a massive fine makes no sense. For context, Serena Williams was fined $17,000 after she had accused chair umpire Carlos Ramos of sexism and had also called him a “thief” during the 2018 US Open final. Having earned a whopping $1.85M for making it to the final, Serena barely lost any money because of her outburst.

However, the same can’t be said for Vallejo, who had earned approximately $151,000 for reaching the second round of the French Open. He will now be losing approximately 43% of his prize money due to the fine. For a player who had earned $502,556 in prize money before his second-round appearance at the Roland Garros, the $151,000 that he earned from the Grand Slam could have been very important for him.

In comparison to Vallejo, Osaka has earned $674,216 on the tour this year and will also be getting $331,932 as prize money for making it to the fourth round at the French Open. It is safe to say that there is a major difference between the two’s earnings. Not to mention that according to Forbes, Osaka had set an earnings record for female athletes by earning $60M in 2021 and has earned a total of $12.5 million last year.

On the other hand, Vallejo also has notable sponsorship deals with Adidas and Rado. But the amount that he earns from these endorsements hasn’t been disclosed yet.

Vallejo could have kept all of his French Open prize money if it weren’t for his off-court actions. The 22-year-old was defeated 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 by the 17-year-old Kouame in what was a dramatic encounter. During the match, Vallejo was visibly frustrated due to the local boy constantly getting loud cheers from the crowd in attendance. For him, these cheers were nothing more than a distraction.

After the match, Vallejo raised questions over Carvalho’s officiating and opined that such matches should have a male umpire.

“Matches like this have to be umpired by a man; it’s very difficult for a woman to do it. 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 it,” Vallejo had said in Spanish during his interview with Clay Magazine.

These comments didn’t go down well with many, and fans didn’t take long to criticize Vallejo over the matter. Seeing the scrutiny go out of hand, the youngster soon released an apology on social media and claimed that his comments had been misunderstood.

“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-hour battle I was very heated and with a lot of emotions, I apologize.

“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,” he wrote on his Instagram story.

The criticism hasn’t quite stopped despite the apology, and except for McEnroe, not many have come out to defend Vallejo for his remarks on Carvalho. Though the former ATP pro did believe that the fine levied on Vallejo was very harsh, he wasn’t in support of the comments he made regarding female umpires. In fact, McEnroe had previously supported the idea of females officiating in ATP matches.

John McEnroe expresses support towards female umpires

Female umpires had started frequently officiating ATP matches by 2019. While this was notable at first, the female umpires soon blended into the men’s game.

Legends like McEnroe, Boris Becker, and Mats Wilander had all supported the idea of females officiating ATP matches. The American had opined that female umpires are just as competent as the males and are prone to making the same mistakes.

“We’re heading into a day and age where that will become a non-issue. It’s becoming like that already… they’re just as bad as the guys,” he had said on TNT Sports in 2019.

Ten years ago, Eva Asderaki-Moore walked into 2016 with serious momentum. She was preparing for the Australian Open as her 11th umpire assignment. But things did not unfold the way she might have expected. By then, players already knew her style. She was decisive, unafraid, and quick to step in when needed.

That reputation was not built quietly. It came into sharp focus during the 2015 US Open men’s final between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. On that stage, she made history as the first woman to chair a men’s final at the tournament. More than that, she owned the moment. Eight overrules in a four-set clash, and she got every single one right.

“She’s on fire,” McEnroe said during a broadcast on ESPN, “She doing a strong job. Some nice over-rules.”

Notably, John McEnroe was never known for embracing chair umpires during his playing days, but he could not hold back his admiration. His support for officials, especially women in high-pressure roles. So now, when a player argued that a tense match required a male official and faced backlash and fines, is it really a surprise that McEnroe stepped in publicly, staying consistent with the stance he had already shown years earlier?

Today, female umpires have become a big part of the sport in both the ATP and WTA tours. Their number continues to increase, and many of them officiate matches throughout the entire season.