Serena Williams fined $17,000 for three code violations during US Open final
by Pete Blackburn - CBS Sports
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Saturday's US Open women's final went to Naomi Osaka, who became the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam event. However, the result was overshadowed by a controversial dispute between Serena Williams and chair umpire Carlos Ramos during the second set at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
On Sunday, Williams was fined $17,000 for her role in the incident.
During that second set, Williams was given a warning from Ramos after the umpire determined her coach was attempting to instruct her using hand signals, which results in code violation. Williams was upset by the accusation, denying that she received any coaching and claiming that her coach was simply giving her a thumbs up. She demanded an apology from Ramos.
"You owe me an apology. I have never cheated in my life! I have a daughter and I stand for what's right for her," Williams told Ramos on the court. "I don't cheat to win. I'd rather lose."
Williams remained upset and later smashed her racket on the court, which resulted in another violation -- this time resulting in a point penalty. This made the 36-year-old Williams even more upset, leading to her further chastising Ramos -- including calling him a "thief." Eventually, a full game penalty was leveled against Williams.
It was a costly violation for Williams, who dropped the second set -- and the match -- shortly thereafter. Even as she tried to remain gracious in defeat, it was clear that Williams was still bothered by the incident.
It was clear that Williams was extremely bothered by the game penalty. She accused Ramos of sexism, saying she wouldn't have been penalized for verbal abuse if she were a man. She doubled down on that in her post-match remarks.
"I can't sit here and say I wouldn't say he's a thief because I feel like he took the game from me," Williams said at the podium. "I've seen other men call other umpires several things and I'm here fighting for women's rights and women's equality. And for him to take a game? It made me feel like it was a sexist remark. I mean, like he's never taken a game from a man because he's said thief. It blows my mind. But I'm gonna continue to fight for women."
After the match, Williams' coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, admitted that he was trying to coach Williams during the final.
"I'm honest, I was coaching," Mouratoglou ceded. "I don't think she looked at me so that's why she didn't even think I was."
"But I was, like 100 percent of the coaches in 100 percent of the matches so we have to stop this hypocritical thing. Sascha (Bajin, Osaka's coach) was coaching every point, too."
Mouratoglou also said that Ramos should have handled his interaction with Williams differently, finding a way to de-escalate the situation rather than creating additional drama, because you "don't screw a Grand Slam final."
Mouratoglou said that, if he was Ramos, he would have told Serena, "'I've seen your coach do a movement and tell him to stop, otherwise you'll have a warning.' And I don't understand why he didn't do that, where all the other chair umpires do this all year long, including him."
Martina Navratilova criticizes Serena Williams' behavior at US Open final
By Samuel Chamberlain | Fox News
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Eighteen-time Grand Slam singles champion Martina Navratilova criticized Serena Williams' conduct during her U.S. Open defeat in the pages of The New York Times Monday, writing that Williams engaged in behavior "that no one should be engaging in on the court."
Williams was cited three times by chair umpire Carlos Ramos during the second set of her 6-2, 6-4 loss to Naomi Osaka in Saturday's singles final. The first penalty, for getting coaching signals, earned her a warning. The second penalty, for breaking her racket, cost her a point. The third penalty, for berating Ramos and calling him a thief, cost her a game.
Williams argued that Ramos would not have penalized her so harshly if she were a man. WTA CEO Steve Simon agreed, saying in a statement that the organization "believes that there should be no difference in the standards of tolerance provided to the emotions expressed by men vs. women ... We do not believe that this was done [Saturday] night."
However, Navratilova wrote that the focus on the sexism controversy "is missing the point."
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"[W]e cannot measure ourselves by what we think we should also be able to get away with," she said, adding, "There have been many times when I was playing that I wanted to break my racket into a thousand pieces. Then I thought about the kids watching. And I grudgingly held on to that racket."
"Had I behaved like that on a tennis court, I would have expected to get everything that happened to Serena," Navratilova told Times reporter Juliet Macur in a separate story. "It should've ended ... with the point warning, but Serena just couldn’t let it go."
In her op-ed, Navratilova said that Williams was correct when she claimed that "[t]here is a huge double standard for women when it comes to how bad behavior is punished — and not just in tennis."
However, she added, "I don't believe it's a good idea to apply a standard of 'If men can get away with it, women should be able to, too.' Rather, I think the question we have to ask ourselves is this: What is the right way to behave to honor our sport and to respect our opponents?"
Navratilova's comments were backed by longtime player-turned-broadcaster Mary Carillo.
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"At her very best — and she is very often at her very best — I respect and admire Serena beyond measure," Carillo told MSNBC on Monday. "...But at her very worst, as she was on [Saturday] night, she acts like a bully."
"If you follow tennis at all, you know those rules. They are inviolate," Carillo added. "A lot of these people that are weighing in and saying double standard. I'm saying, you know what? This is not the hill you want to die on."
Also Monday, the International Tennis Federation backed Ramos, saying his "decisions were in accordance with the relevant rules" and "reaffirmed by the U.S. Open's decision to fine Serena Williams for the three offenses."
On Sunday, tournament referee Brian Earley docked Williams a total of $17,000: $10,000 for "verbal abuse" of Ramos, $4,000 for being warned for coaching and $3,000 for breaking her racket.
The ITF added that "Ramos undertook his duties as an official according to the relevant rule book and acted at all times with professionalism and integrity."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
