Umpire is backed in Serena storm
FINALLY, a few hours after first refusing to offer any comment, tennis’s governing body have decided to support the umpire who took it upon himself to apply their very own rules.
Carlos Ramos looked to have been thrown under the proverbial bus after he applied the letter of the law to deal with a series of infringements from Serena Williams in the US Open final on Saturday.
Williams – who lost in straight sets to Naomi Osaka of Japan – was fined £13,000 after Ramos issued three code violations, including a game penalty, after she called him a “thief” and a “liar” for docking her a point.
Since then, every man and his dog have lined up to give Ramos a kicking, happily sucking up Williams’ cry that she has been the victim of sexism – including the Women’s Tennis Association (WTF).
But last night the International Tennis Federation released a statement supporting Ramos, saying: “It is understandable that this high-profile and regrettable incident should provoke debate. At the same time, it is important to remember that Mr Ramos undertook his duties as an official according to the relevant rule book.
“Mr Ramos’s decisions were in accordance with the relevant rules and were reaffirmed by the US Open’s decision to fine Ms Williams for the three offences.”
Two former female tennis players have also agreed that the umpire acted fairly.
Former British tennis No1 Annabel Croft said during an interview with ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “I feel sympathy for Williams because I was commentating on the match and I witnessed the whole thing unfolding and it was incredibly dramatic.
“But Carlos Ramos is not sexist. He’s a very strict, very decisive umpire, who takes nothing from any opponent whether they’re male or female. I’ve seen him giving time violations to Rafael Nadal out there on the court many times.
“He’s someone who just plays it by the rule book. It doesn’t matter who is on the other side of the net, what icon they are, what status they have in the game, he will just play it by the rules.”
Great Britain Fed Cup captain Anne Keothavong also suggested Williams was in the wrong, tweeting: “Sexism is a problem in the wider picture of tennis but I don’t believe the decisions Carlos Ramos made that night had anything to do with it.”
While plenty continued to happily bang the sexism drum yesterday, former leading umpire Richard Ings was another to risk being vilified by backing Ramos.
Ings, who penalised John McEnroe a game during a match against Boris Becker in 1987, hailed Ramos for his decisions. Speaking on BBC Radio Four’s Today programme, Ings said: “Carlos Ramos is an umpire with 40 years of experience. He handled that match absolutely perfectly.
“He saw violations and he had the courage of his convictions to call them when he saw them. I support him 110 per cent. It was one of the best officiating jobs that I’ve seen in years.”
But Steve Simon, head of the WTA, released a statement late on Sunday night in which he said: “The WTA believe that there should be no difference in the standards of tolerance provided to the emotions expressed by men v 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 on Saturday night.”
United States Tennis Association president Katrina Adams added: “When you look at what the women, in this case Serena, is feeling, we watch the guys do this all the time. They are badgering the chair umpires on the changeover and nothing happens.”
He handled the match absolutely perfectly