Ramos breaks silence on controversy

Umpire Carlos Ramos 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 weekend’s women’s final between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka.

The 47-year-old Portuguese handed out three code violations to runner-up Serena on Saturday, 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.”

Ramos, who told the newspaper that he had avoided walking the streets of New York on Sunday to avoid any “complicated situations”, confirmed he would be back in the chair on Friday in Zadar, Croatia.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF), which on Monday issued a statement describing Ramos as one of the most respected umpires in tennis, has appointed him to officiate the semi-final of the Davis Cup, the international men’s team event, between Croatia and the United States.

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) and Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) both publicly backed the allegations of sexism levelled at Ramos after Saturday’s match. Serena was fined $17,000 (Dh62,432) and docked a point and a game for three code violations during the match.

Billie Jean King, the former world No. 1 who founded the WTA, said all sides shared blame for the incident, saying Serena was “out of line” but that Ramos could have prevented the controversy with more leniency and clearer communication.