Umpire ‘good’ after incident

New York – Umpire Carlos Ramos (above) has made his first public statement since the US Open, saying he was “good”, despite the firestorm of controversy that followed his officiating of last Saturday’s final between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka.

The 47-year-old Portuguese handed out three code violations to runner-up Williams, prompting a heated on-court argument with the 23-time Grand Slam champion and sparking a debate about sexism in tennis.

“I am good, under the circumstances,” Ramos was quoted as saying in Portugal’s Tribuna Expresso. “It’s an unhappy situation but a la carte refereeing doesn’t exist. Don’t you worry about me!”

Ramos was unable to defend himself in public in New York as International Tennis Federation (ITF) rules prevent umpires from commenting on their matches.

Ramos told the newspaper he would be back in the chair on Friday in Zadar, Croatia.

The ITF on Monday issued a statement describing Ramos as one of the most respected umpires and has appointed him to officiate the semi-final of the Davis Cup between Croatia and the US.

The incident sparked another social media storm on Monday when a cartoon was published in an Australian newspaper depicting Williams with exaggerated features, which civil rights activist Rev Jesse Jackson among others described as “racist”.

The Herald Sun yesterday reprinted the cartoon on its front page, attempting to portray the controversy as a matter of freedom of speech. – Reuters