Controversy struck the world of tennis at the U.S. Grand Open Saturday, Sept. 8, when Serena Williams lost the finals of the tournament due to earning three violations from chair umpire Carlos Ramos.
The motivation and reasoning behind these penalties is the source of the controversy, with several prominent figures in the sport and Williams claiming the calls were made out of sexism and represent a double standard women face in sports.
Williams was vying for her record-tying 24th Grand Slam, facing a relative newcomer Naomi Osaka.
During the second set, Williams was issued a code violation after Ramos saw her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, making hand signals which he interpreted as coaching, which hasn’t been allowed except for a designated period in a match.
Williams vehemently insisted Mouratoglou was just giving her a thumbs up, though Mouratoglou later admitted to ESPN that he was coaching. However, he believed Williams wasn’t looking at him and didn’t get the message, which could explain her confusion towards the violation.
She stated to Ramos “I don’t cheat to win, I’d rather lose.”
Later in the match Osaka made a point break that put the score at 2-6, 3-2. Williams then smashed her racket on the court in frustration, which earned her a second violation. Due to it being her second one, she lost a point.
Williams then demanded an apology from Ramos, saying “Every time I play here, I have problems. I did not have coaching, I don’t cheat. You need to make an announcement. I have a daughter and I stand for what’s right. You owe me an apology.”
After Osaka earns another point and the ends change, Williams verbally attacked Ramos, continuing to demand an apology and calling him a thief.
“For you to attack my character is wrong,” Williams said. “You owe me an apology. You will never be on a court with me as long as you live. You are the liar. You owe me an apology. Say it. Say you’re sorry. How dare you insinuate that I was cheating? You stole a point from me. You’re a thief too.”
Ramos then gives her a game penalty, making the score 2-6, 3-5. In the end, Osaka manages to score another point and win the match, making her the first Japanese player to win the Grand Slam.
In her post game press conference, Williams stated her belief that she was not wrong in calling Ramos a thief since she believed she was being held to a double standard. She mentioned how male players over the years have said things much worse and not been penalized for it.
Several tennis fans flooded messages of support on social media toward Williams. Billie Jean King, a legend of the sport also spoke out in support of Williams.
“When a woman is emotional, she’s ‘hysterical’ and she’s penalized for it,” King said. “When a man does the same, he’s ‘outspoken’ and there are no repercussions.”
The morning after the game the National Organization for Women called for Ramos’ dismissal, citing examples of male players saying far worse things to officials without getting penalized for it.
Some examples include Roger Federer repeatedly telling a chair umpire “Don’t [*******] talk to me” during the 2009 U.S. Open men’s final and Jimmy Connors calling an umpire “an abortion” during a U.S. Open match in 1991. Neither of them were penalized.
Statistics from the South China Morning Post stated that there were 26 fines issued to men and 12 to women during the 2018 Open.
This is the latest in a series of events that analysts and fans of the sport use to support the claim of sexism in tennis, including Alize Cornet being penalized for fixing her top in August and a dress code being implemented in the French tournament after Williams donned a black catsuit this past May.
Henry Wolski
Executive Editor