Williams receives backing of the WTA as umpire row rumbles on

THE WTA has backed up Serena Williams’ claim of sexism in the way she was treated by umpire Carlos Ramos during the US Open final.

Williams was warned for coaching, then docked a point for smashing a racket before Ramos penalised her a game after she called him a liar and a thief.

That left the 23-time grand slam singles champion one game from defeat and in tears, with Naomi Osaka clinching her first slam title shortly afterwards.

Williams argued on court with tournament officials, claiming she was being treated differently to how a man would be in such circumstances, a theme she continued in her press conference.

The American has received a lot of support from current and former players, and on Sunday night, moments after Novak Djokovic won the men’s title, WTA chief executive Steve Simon released a statement.

Simon said: “Yesterday’s US Open final resulted in the crowning of a deserving new champion, Naomi Osaka.

“The WTA applauds Naomi for her tremendous accomplishment.

“Yesterday also brought to the forefront the question of whether different standards are applied to men and women in the officiating of matches.

“The WTA believes that there should be no difference in the standards of tolerance provided to the emotions expressed by men vs. women and is committed to working with the sport to ensure that all players are treated the same.

“We do not believe that this was done last night.”

Simon also called for coaching to be allowed during grand slam matches. Ramos penalised Williams after seeing her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, making a hand gesture. The Frenchman later admitted he was trying to coach his player.