MARTIN SAMUEL
Sexism? No, Serena was rightly punished for her shocking tantrum
EVEN given the overwhelming sense of entitlement of many at the pinnacle of modern sport, Serena Williams’ cry that she ‘has a daughter’ when required to abide by an umpire’s ruling, takes some beating.
Alexis Olympia is one year and nine days old and her mommy is frequently lauded for that achievement. She has balanced motherhood, and a difficult pregnancy, with returning swiftly to the top of her profession at the age of 36 and the acclaim has been universal.
So Serena Williams has a daughter and a demanding job that she is brilliant at, but then so do a great many women. But it’s a baby, not a get-out-of-jail-free card.
That is what Williams appeared to demand at Flushing Meadows on Saturday. Her right to do as she pleased; to never be judged; to never be censured.
Her court, she called it, as she ranted that the umpire was a liar and a thief. And she was wrong. Not just morally but literally too.
Umpire Carlos Ramos said he believed Patrick Mouratoglou was coaching Williams with hand signals from the sidelines and Mouratoglou confessed that he was. He said he didn’t think Williams saw him, but that is irrelevant.
Tic-like signals between partners are illegal in the card game bridge too — but they don’t have to be successful to result in disqualification. They just have to be there. So it doesn’t matter whether Williams picked up on Mouratoglou’s gestures. They existed, Ramos spotted them, and took action against the player. That is absolutely within his right and Williams’ reaction was a disgrace.
‘You need to make an announcement that I didn’t get coaching,’ she insisted. ‘You owe me an apology.’ Why? Because she says so? The only reason for Ramos to make such a retraction was if he had reconsidered and doubted his decision. He didn’t and Mouratoglou’s admission proved him right. Yet still the tirade continued.
After taking a point from Williams, Ramos was a thief, after deducting a game, he was sexist. It would never have happened to a male player, Williams concluded, doubling down on this accusation in her press conference.
‘I’ve seen other men call other umpires several things,’ she said. ‘I’m here fighting for women’s rights and women’s equality. For me to say “thief” and for him to take a game, it made me feel like it was a sexist remark.
‘He’s never taken a game from a man because they said “thief”. I feel I have to go through this as an example for the next person that has emotions, and wants to express themselves, wants to be a strong woman.
‘They are going to be allowed to do that because of today. Maybe it didn’t work out for me but it’s going to work out for the next person.’
What, the next person who wants to undermine, overrule and harass the umpire because she thinks it’s her court and she has a daughter? As for women’s rights, the eventual US Open women’s champion Naomi Osaka would seem to have rights, too. The right to win a tennis match, for instance, without her opponent turning this triumph into a circus of entitled petulance. The right to play by the rules and the decisions made by those appointed to give them. This really wasn’t a #MeToo moment. It was #MeMeMe.
Nor was it about race, an underprivileged upbringing or any other mitigation advanced for what was simply poor sportsmanship.
We only have to look at Williams’ commercial potential compared to that of the inferior Maria Sharapova to draw our conclusions about the fairness of the marketplace in modern society, but that no more affords a free pass than a pram in the hall.
Yet by making her outburst about sexism not egotism, Williams shifted blame and earned support.
‘When a woman is emotional, she’s “hysterical” and she’s penalised. When a man does the same, he’s “outspoken” and there are no repercussions.
‘Thank you, Serena, for calling out this double standard. More voices are needed to do the same,’ said Billie Jean King.
Equally, though, when a man talks rubbish, he is told he’s talking rubbish.
When a woman talks rubbish it can get hidden in a self-serving, self-pitying mitigation about wanting to ‘express themselves’ and be a ‘strong woman’ and everyone tiptoes around it for risk of causing offence.
It isn’t just men who get away with a disrespectful attitude in tennis. In 2009, a player threatened to shove a ball down the throat of a line judge at the US Open. That was Serena Williams.
In the 2011 US Open final, an umpire was called ‘a hater and unattractive inside’ for correctly identifying that a female player had shouted ‘come on’ before her opponent, Sam Stosur, had reached the ball.
‘If you ever see me walking down the hall, look the other way. Wow. What a loser,’ hissed noted champion of women’s rights Serena Williams to Eva Asderaki in a way that was no doubt totally supportive. And yes, as Andy Murray stated, most of the sport’s worst behaved players are men — tennis being like society — but this is not a club from which women are entirely excluded. It isn’t golf in Midlothian.
‘If it was a men’s match, this wouldn’t happen like this,’ said former world No 1 Victoria Azarenka.
Then again, what also wouldn’t happen is the 2013 Australian Open semi-final in which Azarenka blew five match points against Sloane Stephens, had a minor breakdown on court, and disappeared for nine minutes for a medical time-out. Returning to win, she admitted: ‘I almost did the choke of the year. I had to take time to calm down. I had so many chances but couldn’t close it. I felt a bit overwhelmed. I couldn’t breathe. I had chest pains. It was like I was having a heart attack. I did it to make sure I was OK.’
The problem being that what Azarenka was describing wasn’t a medical condition.
It was a mental one, commonly known as bottling it, and no grounds for a time out. By the time she reached the press conference she had adjusted her story to take in rib and back injuries and the authorities stood for it.
Just as they stood for an umpire coaxing the most tiresome man in sport, Nick Kyrgios, back into action earlier in this tournament. Just as they bent over backwards to indulge Williams, simply because she played nice during the presentation when the crowd was still booing. A statement from United States Tennis Association chairman Katrina Adams read: ‘What Serena did on the podium showed a great deal of class and sportsmanship. This was Naomi’s moment and Serena wanted her to be able to enjoy it. That was a class move from a true champion. ‘What Serena has accomplished this year is amazing. She continues to inspire. ‘She owns virtually every page of the record book but she’s never one to rest on her laurels. ‘She is an inspiration to me, personally, and a credit to our sport, win or lose. I know she was frustrated about the way the match played out, but the way she stepped up after the final and gave full credit to Naomi for a match well played speaks volumes.’ This, don’t forget, is a player who had just called an umpire a thief and liar for correctly upholding the rules. But she has a daughter — and how many people can claim that?