Serena fined ONE per cent of winnings after tirade
Sexism? No, Serena was rightly punished for her shocking tantrum
SERENA WILLIAMS was last night fined less than one per cent of her US Open prize money following her turbulent defeat in Saturday’s women’s final. The 36-year-old American, who lost 6-2, 6-4 to Japan’s Naomi Osaka, was handed a $17,000 punishment for being given three separate code violations that resulted in her opponent being awarded a whole game. But that is a pittance compared to her fortnight’s prize money of $1.85million, let alone her official career earnings (without endorsements) of more than $88m. A ban was never a possibility for this level of offence. Williams was attempting to win her 24th Grand Slam singles title and equal the record of Australian legend Margaret Court. While many ex-players were supportive of her, and her suggestions that there was an element of sexism in Portuguese umpire Carlos Ramos’s conduct, the outspoken Court was not among them. ‘It’s sad for the sport when a player tries to become bigger than the rules,’ she said. ‘Because the young player (Osaka) outplayed her in the first set, I think pressure got to her more than anything.’ Andy Roddick, 2003 US Open champion, tweeted: ‘Worst refereeing I’ve ever seen!’
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.
Babies are not hard to come by. Approximately half of the planet is female. So your daughter isn’t special and neither are you for having her, and she certainly isn’t some golden ticket permitting tantrums when a call doesn’t go your way on the tennis court.
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 selfserving, 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 okay.’
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?
HER amazing feats on the tennis court have won her a place among the sporting greats.
But Serena Williams has put her towering reputation at risk with an extraordinary meltdown in the final of the US Open.
The 36-year-old’s outbursts first cost her a point, and then a whole game, as she repeatedly clashed with an umpire who she accused of sexism.
The penalties contributed to her defeat at the hands of a precocious rival – denying her a record-equalling 24th grand slam title.
The incident has divided opinion in the tennis world. Stars of past and present gave her their backing, saying male players had escaped sanction for worse behaviour. Others said she had gone too far.
The drama in the match against 20year-old Naomi Osaka began when umpire Carlos Ramos gave Williams a code violation for allegedly being coached from the players’ box, which is against the rules.
Williams angrily denied the accusation, raging that she would ‘never cheat to win and would rather lose’. Next she smashed her racket into the ground after losing her serve and was handed another code violation – a second offence that triggered a one-point penalty.
At the following change of ends, Williams, who is making her comeback after having a child 12 months ago, launched into another rant at Ramos, even calling him a thief.
‘You are a liar,’ she also told the Portuguese official. ‘You will never be on a court of mine as long as you live.
‘When are you going to give me my apology? Say you are sorry.’
Ramos responded with a third code violation for abuse. He awarded the next game to Osaka, changing the score from 4-3 to 5-3 in her favour. She was already one set up.
Williams won the next game with ease but her Japanese opponent was able to serve out for a 6-2, 6-4 victory.
By now the partisan, 24,000-strong New York crowd was in full voice, booing furiously as Saturday night’s match ended in chaos.
Osaka, who had never won a major tournament, was reduced to tears and Williams appealed for calm. Ramos left the increasingly toxic arena and did not return for the presentation ceremony.
Williams was later fined £13,000 for the three code violations – money that will be taken out of her £1.43million prize for runner-up.
In her post-match media conference, she accused tennis chiefs of treating male and female players differently and pledged ‘to continue to fight for women and to fight for us to have equality’.
Branding Ramos sexist, she said: ‘He’s never taken a game from a man because they said “thief”.’
Earlier in the same tournament Alize Cornet was handed a code violation for changing her shirt on court – something male players routinely do.
Sue Barker, the BBC tennis presenter and former French Open champion, said: ‘The umpire was following the rules by the book but Serena has a point. I’ve sat courtside watching the men ranting at umpires and they haven’t been given a violation.
‘The fact it was to be a game violation then robbed the crowd of what potentially could’ve been a third set.’
Billie Jean King, who won 12 slams, tweeted: ‘When a woman is emotional, she’s hysterical and she’s penalised for it. When a man does the same, he’s outspoken and there are no repercussions.
‘Thank you, Serena Williams, for calling out this double standard.’
Marion Bartoli, the 2013 Wimbledon champion, said: ‘When there is absolutely no curse or verbal abuse from Serena then giving her a game penalty is insane. You can’t do that.
‘It is impossible. She’s right when she says the men say ten times worse and don’t even get a warning.’
Supporters of Ramos, one of the circuit’s most experienced officials, pointed out that he had sanctioned Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray in the past two years. They also praised him for standing up to Williams.
Patrick Mouratoglou, who coaches Williams, admitted that he had been coaching from the box – but insisted Williams had not seen him doing so. He said his counterparts also routinely broke the rules.
Chris Evert, who won 18 slams in her career, said Williams had gone ‘a little bit too far’. But she criticised Ramos, saying he ought to have warned her before docking points. ‘Just because of the enormity of the moment, the
‘Giving her a game penalty is insane’
umpire should have given her a bit of a break but, instead, went right for the jugular,’ she added.
However BBC commentator and former player Andrew Castle added: ‘Not sure how any unbiased observer who knows the rules and history of tennis can look at what happened and defend Serena.’
British number four Liam Broady praised Ramos for not being intimidated by Williams, saying: ‘You shouldn’t talk to anybody in this way whether they’re an umpire or person on the street.’
At match point down in her 2009 semi-final against Kim Clijsters, Williams was docked a point and therefore conceded the match following an angry outburst against the umpire. Two years later she was fined after telling umpire Eva Asderaki she was ‘unattractive inside’ and warning her: ‘If you ever see me down the hallway look the other way.’
John McEnroe, one of tennis’s most combustible talents, was also docked points for his 1981 ‘You cannot be serious’ rant at Wimbledon. The 22-year-old ‘Superbrat’ was penalised for calling umpire Edward James ‘the absolute pits of the world’ and ‘an incompetent fool, an offence against the world’.
At Wimbledon this year Ramos handed Novak Djokovic a code violation for a tantrum.