4:02 pm | September 8, 2018 | Go to Source | Author:
NEW YORK — After losing the US Open final to Naomi Osaka in match marred by controversy and penalties, Serena Williams accused umpire Carlos Ramos of sexism during her news conference.
Ramos handed Williams three violations in the second set: the first, a warning regarding coaching; the second, a point penalty for breaking her racket; and the third, a game penalty for verbal abuse after she called him a “thief.”
“He took a point from me after he alleged I was cheating and I wasn’t cheating. I had a good conversation with him: ‘You know my character, you know me really well.’ I don’t even call for an on-court coach. He said I understood what you are saying,” Williams explained after the match.
“Then when I sat down, I said, ‘just to be clear, I can understand what you saw. It may have looked I was getting coaching but that’s what I do. I’d rather lose than have to cheat to win.’ I don’t need to cheat to win. He was cool; he was like, ‘I get it.’ We were on the same page, we understood each other, I felt that was yeah…”
“You definitely can’t go back in time,” Williams said when asked if she would change anything about the match. “I can’t sit here and say I wouldn’t say he’s a thief, because I thought he took a game from me.
“But I’ve seen other men call other umpires several things. I’m here fighting for women’s rights and for women’s equality and for all kinds of stuff. 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’.”
The 23-time Grand Slam champion said she would continue to fight for gender equality in the sport, and addressed the first-round penalty given to Alize Cornet for changing her shirt on the court.
“For me, it blows my mind. But I’m going to continue to fight for women and to fight for us to have equal — like Cornet should be able to take off her shirt without getting a fine. This is outrageous.
“I just feel like the fact that I have to go through this is just an example for the next person that has emotions, and that want to express themselves, and want to be a strong woman. They’re 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.”
The emotional Williams received applause from many in the room, and she didn’t take further questions. She previously insisted she didn’t receive any coaching, and said she wasn’t sure if the umpire played any part of deciding the match’s outcome.
In a statement released shortly after, the WTA said, “There are matters that need to be looked into that took place during the match. For tonight, it is time to celebrate these two amazing players, both of whom have great integrity.”
Tournament officials have yet to comment.
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