Williams criticises coach over US Open outburst
SERENA Williams disagrees with her own coach’s view on the controversial US Open final and maintains that she was not coached at any point during a heated match with Naomi Osaka.
Umpire Carlos Ramos handed Williams a coaching violation during the match against 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 officials but, although she held serve in the next game, Osaka served out the victory 6-2 6-4 and won the title.
Williams later defended herself claiming she was fighting for “women’s rights and for women’s equality”.
Mouratoglou later admitted to coaching and intimated that Osaka’s coach, Sascha Bajin, was doing the same throughout the contest.
“I’m honest. I was coaching. I don’t think she looked one time. Sascha was coaching every point too,” he said at the time.
But Williams disagrees with that assessment and has no idea why he would say so.
“I just don’t understand what [coach Patrick Mouratoglou] was talking about because I asked him, you weren’t coaching, we don’t have signals, we’ve never had signals and he said he made a motion,” she said.
“So you said you made a motion, now you told people that you’re coaching me. That doesn’t make sense.”
Johanna Konta’s struggles continued as the British number one lost to Australia’s Ashleigh Barty in the first round of the Wuhan Open.
World number 43 Konta was beaten 7-5 6-4 in one hour 40 minutes at the hard-court event in China.
Konta also lost to world number 17 Barty in the final of the Nature Valley Open in Nottingham in June.
Since then, she has won just eight of her 18 matches.
“We have played a few times and it is always close, but I am happy to come through in straight sets today,” said 16th seed Barty.
British number two Cameron Norrie is through to the second round of the Shenzhen Open with a straight-set win over Chinese wildcard Wu Di.
World number 73 Norrie recorded a 6-2 6-2 win in 69 minutes in China.
Norrie will face world number 18 Borna Coric from Croatia in the second round of the hardcourt event.