Venus Williams Speaks Out on Sexism Row

Venus Williams has spoken out on the sexism row involving Adolfo Daniel Vallejo's comments about a female chair umpire, saying he "probably shouldn’t have spoken" after his emotional match.

What happened?

The 22-year-old Paraguayan was fined $65,000 by the French Open for his remarks, which suggested a male umpire would have been more suitable for the match. Venus Williams, a former World No. 1 in both women's singles and doubles tennis, touched on the issue in an interview with Grazia.

Why it matters for Venus Williams

The seven-time singles major champion has had her own run-ins with chair umpires, including a notable incident at the 2021 Emilia-Romagna Open in Parma, Italy. She received a time violation from a male chair umpire after waiting for heavy winds to settle as she was about to serve. Venus Williams told the umpire: "If the wind blows, then I can’t hit the ball. I can’t control God, I can’t control the wind."

What comes next?

Venus Williams is set to head for the Wimbledon Championships, where she has accepted a wild card to play doubles alongside her sister Serena. The American recently featured in action at the Bad Homburg Open, where she was ousted in the first round of singles matches by Irina-Camelia Begu. Venus Williams has a doubles match scheduled with Filipino sensation Alexandra Eala. The former No. 1 is yet to play her first-round doubles match. Venus Williams and her father Richard recall one match that the 7-time Grand Slam champion "should have won". The French Open fine on Daniel Vallejo was approximately half the prize money he earned in Paris. Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo confirmed the amount. Venus Williams laid bare her general dislike for umpires, saying: "I’m not a fan of any umpire. I don’t think any player really loves umpires-male or female.