Williams row umpire Ramos says ‘don’t worry about me’
THE umpire at the centre of the Serena Williams controversy has broken his silence on the incident and defended his actions during a heated US Open final.
Carlos Ramos handed Williams a coaching violation during Saturday’s match against Naomi Osaka after spotting a hand gesture from her coach Patrick Mouratoglou. Williams responded by telling Ramos she would rather lose than cheat.
She was then docked a point for a second violation when she smashed her racket. Continuing her argument with Ramos at the next change of ends, Williams accused him of being a thief for taking a point away from her.
Ramos gave her a third violation, which resulted in a game penalty, putting Osaka 5-3 ahead. A tearful Williams argued her case with tournament officials but, although she held serve in the next game, Osaka served out the victory 6-2 6-4 to take the title.
Williams, who was fined £13,000 over her actions, later defended herself claiming she was fighting for “women’s rights and for women’s equality”.
But speaking for first time since, Ramos has indicated he is satisfied with how he handled the situation.
“I am good, under the circumstances,” Ramos said. “It’s an unhappy situation but a-la-carte refereeing doesn’t exist. Don’t you worry about me!”
Ramos will return to the umpire’s chair for this weekend’s Davis Cup clash between Croatia and the United States.
Meanwhile, one of Australia’s largest newspapers has backed its cartoonist amid a global controversy over an illustration of Williams by publishing his work on its front page.
JK Rowling and Nicki Minaj were among a “tidal wave” of critics to denounce the image by Herald Sun cartoonist Mark Knight as “racist and sexist” after it appeared in its paper on Monday.
The controversial illustration showed the runner-up jumping on a racquet lying next to a baby’s dummy.
For its Wednesday edition, the Herald Sun filled its front page with cartoons, including the contentious Williams image, along with likenesses of US president Donald Trump, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Australian prime minister Scott Morrison.
Under the headline “welcome to PC world”, the paper said: “If the self-appointed censors of Mark Knight get their way on his Serena Williams cartoon, our new politically correct life will be very dull indeed.”
It came after the paper’s editor, Damon Johnston, said the cartoon “rightly mocks poor behaviour by a tennis legend” and Mr Knight “has the full support of everyone” at the paper.
NAOMI Broady’s Coupe Banke Nationale did not last long after she was soundly beaten by top seed Petra Martic in the first round of the Tournoi de Quebec.
Broady, currently the British number four, was downed 6-1 6-1 by the Croatian, who is ranked 38 in the world.
Broady won the first game of the match, but things went badly after that as second-seed Martic reeled off 11 games in a row and won in only 56 minutes.
Also in Qubec, Heather Watson and doubles partner Kristie Ahn lost to Sophie Chang and Alexandra Mueller.
Chang and Mueller, both Americans, broke for a 3-1 and 5-1 lead in the first and served for the set, but Watson and Anh could only delay the inevitable with a break each seeing the opener go 6-2 in 28 minutes.
The second was a tighter affair — but the Americans broke in the sixth game for 4-2 and served out to take the match 6-2 6-3.
World number 20 Aryna Sabalenka crashed out in straight sets to Varvara Lepchenko 6-4 7-6 (7/5).
The tournament’s top seed from Belarus fell at the first hurdle to the American in just over 90 minutes, serving up five double faults in the match.
There were no such dramas for Puerto Rican Monica Puig, who saw off Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-2 6-3, while Canadian wild card Rebecca Marino beat seventh seed Tatjana Maria of Germany 6-2 6-2.
There were also wins for world 550 Olga Govortsova over Kristie Ahn 6-1 6-4 and Jessica Pegula 6-3 7-6 (8/6) over world 99 Kristyna Pliskova, while Francoise Abanda beat Tereza Martincova 4-6 6-2 6-2.