Current Events > Tennis umpires are considering boycotting Serena's matches until she apologizes

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https://www.ibtimes.com/serena-williams-row-umpires-considering-boycotting-her-matches-report-says-2715766

Tennis umpires are so displeased with the situation surrounding Serena Williams and Carlos Ramos that they are reportedly considering boycotting the American's matches in the future.

While Naomi Osaka won her first-ever Grand Slam and Novak Djokovic continued his career resurgence in Flushing Meadows, the major tennis headline of the weekend was the outburst from Williams who claimed Ramos was being sexist in his decision to give her three code violations during the women's singles final.

During the second set against Osaka, her coach Patrick Mouratoglou was (admittedly) coaching her from the stands, which resulted in the first violation for the 36-year-old. Williams vehemently denied she received any coaching and later received a second violation for breaking her racquet in frustration, resulting in a point penalty as well.

She would then attack Ramos, demanding an apology and calling him a "thief" among other things before the experienced umpire gave her a third violation and a game penalty for verbal abuse.

Williams would go on to lose to Osaka and later accused Ramos of sexism after the match, citing how male players would not have been punished the same way for her conduct.

Both individuals received criticism for their actions in the final, especially considering how it affected Osaka during the trophy ceremony, though many also felt Ramos was simply doing his job.

The Women's Tennis Assocation (WTA) and United States Tennis Association (USTA) though, backed Williams' claims of sexism and according to the Times, this has further incensed some umpires:

Certain umpires were also discussing how they can take action to stand up for their profession. The main suggestion being, refusing to umpire any match involving Williams until she gives Ramos an apology for vilifying him.

Ramos is said to have earned a sum of just around $484, a standard daily fee, for overseeing the final, and while he is still in good spirits, he is receiving far too much attention and scrutiny for just doing his job.
Unlike the WTA and USTA, the International Tennis Federation have come to his defense, stating all his decisions were in accordance with the rules.

WTA chief Steve Simon, known to pander to star players, sided with Williams as he believes men and women are treated differently.

Djokovic, who has a history with Ramos, felt the Portuguese did push Williams to the limit, but did not agree with Simon's assessment that there is sexism when it comes to player treatment.

"Look, I love Serena, first of all. I really felt for her yesterday," Djokovic said after his win over Juan Martin del Potro. "Tough thing for a chair umpire to deal with as well. We have to empathize with him. Everyone was in a very awkward situation [Saturday]. A lot of emotions. Serena was crying. Naomi was crying. It was really, really tough."

"But I have my personal opinion that maybe the chair umpire should not have pushed Serena to the limit, especially in a Grand Slam final. Just maybe changed -- not maybe, but he did change the course of the match. [It] was, in my opinion, maybe unnecessary. We all go through our emotions, especially when you're fighting for a Grand Slam trophy."

"I don't see things as Mr Simon does. I really don't. I think men and women are, you know, treated in this way or the other way depending on the situation. It's hard to generalize things, really. I don't see it's necessary really to debate that," he added.

Good, I hope they do.
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I hope so too. You throw a temper tantrum you should be penalized.
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idc and nobody else really does either.

professional sports is dumb.
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It's bad enough that she threw a tantrum, but she basically ruined Osaka's well-earned time in the limelight
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If she was hot I'd care
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ssj3vegeta_ posted...

If she was hot I'd care

Careful now you might get banned from Reddit talking like that

Serena literally carries womens tennis on her back. You think shes apologizing to this dude? lmao fuck outta here.
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I'm sure there is some raycizum to be found there, somehow, if they look for it long enough.
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truthfully if they banned her for life from professional I doubt any other female players she played against would care

She's the Hulk Hogan of tennis. Nothing will happen to her.
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voldothegr8 posted...

The Women's Tennis Assocation (WTA) and United States Tennis Association (USTA) though, backed Williams' claims of sexism and according to the Times, this has further incensed some umpires:

voldothegr8 posted...

Unlike the WTA and USTA, the International Tennis Federation have come to his defense, stating all his decisions were in accordance with the rules.

it is interesting that the legitimate authorities on the subject are actually split here
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Darkman124 posted...

voldothegr8 posted...

The Women's Tennis Assocation (WTA) and United States Tennis Association (USTA) though, backed Williams' claims of sexism and according to the Times, this has further incensed some umpires:

voldothegr8 posted...

Unlike the WTA and USTA, the International Tennis Federation have come to his defense, stating all his decisions were in accordance with the rules.

it is interesting that the legitimate authorities on the subject are actually split here

truthfully i think they also have evidence of him penalizing white male tennis players for lesser crap in the past and to a same degree of penalty if so she has no case

DarkChozoGhost posted...

I hope so too. You throw a temper tantrum you should be penalized.

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UnfairRepresent posted...

DarkChozoGhost posted...

I hope so too. You throw a temper tantrum you should be penalized.

she was penalized and fined
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Darkman124 posted...

voldothegr8 posted...

The Women's Tennis Assocation (WTA) and United States Tennis Association (USTA) though, backed Williams' claims of sexism and according to the Times, this has further incensed some umpires:

voldothegr8 posted...

Unlike the WTA and USTA, the International Tennis Federation have come to his defense, stating all his decisions were in accordance with the rules.

it is interesting that the legitimate authorities on the subject are actually split here

The USTA and WTA have more to lose if Serena has a fall from grace
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I haven't heard anyone say this, but assuming she has a point(I haven't watched tennis in years), the problem isn't that she was penalized for her behavior, it's that men aren't punished for their transgressions. In other words, the alleged sexism didn't occur during Serena's match, it happens during these hypothetical matches where men aren't properly penalized for berating the ump.
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mustachedmystic posted...

I haven't heard anyone say this, but assuming she has a point(I haven't watched tennis in years), the problem isn't that she was penalized for her behavior, it's that men aren't punished for their transgressions. In other words, the alleged sexism didn't occur during Serena's match, it happens during these hypothetical matches where men aren't properly penalized for berating the ump.

they were many times even I think most learned to scream internally instead of make the situation worse, also I think she got away with more than any most white males have at professional tennis

She was penalized during the match and fined afterwords. Any other action is way overboard.
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mustachedmystic posted...

it's that men aren't punished for their transgressions.

i think a bunch of people have been posting vids of the umpire in question handing out similar punishments to male players in similarly high profile matches

it seems like the actual issue is that he's way stricter in his enforcement of the rules than other umpires

which does kinda seem shitty, there should be standardization

but it doesnt really jive with the specific accusation of sexism

would have to see his entire career reviewed rather than the snippet videos that have been posted, though.
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MeowMix101 posted...

mustachedmystic posted...

I haven't heard anyone say this, but assuming she has a point(I haven't watched tennis in years), the problem isn't that she was penalized for her behavior, it's that men aren't punished for their transgressions. In other words, the alleged sexism didn't occur during Serena's match, it happens during these hypothetical matches where men aren't properly penalized for berating the ump.

they were many times even I think most learned to scream internally instead of make the situation worse, also I think she got away with more than any most white males have at professional tennis

Spoken like a person who has never actually sat down and watched tennis before. And by that I mean more than just the finals.
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gunplagirl posted...

MeowMix101 posted...

mustachedmystic posted...

I haven't heard anyone say this, but assuming she has a point(I haven't watched tennis in years), the problem isn't that she was penalized for her behavior, it's that men aren't punished for their transgressions. In other words, the alleged sexism didn't occur during Serena's match, it happens during these hypothetical matches where men aren't properly penalized for berating the ump.

they were many times even I think most learned to scream internally instead of make the situation worse, also I think she got away with more than any most white males have at professional tennis

Spoken like a person who has never actually sat down and watched tennis before. And by that I mean more than just the finals.

all I know is people of gotten called out for less I stopped watching live long ago though, I sorry to say thinking sports players would of gotten over the easily angered fits

Coffeebeanz posted...

she basically ruined Osaka's well-earned time in the limelight

This, I don't care about Serena or what she does for the most part but these articles should've been about Osaka's win, not some dumb fit.

jeffhardyb0yz posted...

Lmao you guys remember when they threatened to boycott McEnroe for his meltdowns, or even Roger Federer?

Cause I don't. Yes I'm insinuating what you're thinking

because it's all the same umpires for every tennis match ever?

Darkman124 posted...

mustachedmystic posted...

it's that men aren't punished for their transgressions.

i think a bunch of people have been posting vids of the umpire in question handing out similar punishments to male players in similarly high profile matches

it seems like the actual issue is that he's way stricter in his enforcement of the rules than other umpires

which does kinda seem shitty, there should be standardization

but it doesnt really jive with the specific accusation of sexism

would have to see his entire career reviewed rather than the snippet videos that have been posted, though.

So basically, he's by the book and everyone else has been letting things slide so much that it gives the impression that he's being unfair?
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Mareen posted...

Coffeebeanz posted...

she basically ruined Osaka's well-earned time in the limelight

This, I don't care about Serena or what she does for the most part but these articles should've been about Osaka's win, not some dumb fit.

truthfully could be cause she has slandered the sport with false ism complaints and pretty much had the crowd bully her opponent when she lost

Bryfang posted...

ExtremeLuchador posted...

She's the Hulk Hogan of tennis. Nothing will happen to her.

Hulk Hogan is the Hulk Hogan of his genre and we all saw what happened to him. Probably not the best example to use. :x

Isn't he possibly coming back though?
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Darkman124 posted...

it seems like the actual issue is that he's way stricter in his enforcement of the rules than other umpires

which does kinda seem shitty, there should be standardization

I mean, the whole point of umpires is for them to have discretion, though
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Considering that Serena has acted like an utterly vile brat on previous occasions and this is just the latest example, yes. I would totally back this, seeing as previous feeble attempts to rein in her awful court behaviour have failed.
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Balrog0 posted...

Darkman124 posted...

it seems like the actual issue is that he's way stricter in his enforcement of the rules than other umpires

which does kinda seem shitty, there should be standardization

I mean, the whole point of umpires is for them to have discretion, though

edit - otherwise we'd just go to the tape every time something happened, though of course even then that would require some level of discretion

yeah, it just seems odd that there'd be significant variation of how a game is ruled depending on who the umpire is. I guess the players should know and act accordingly?
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I don't know enough about tennis to make any real judgment on the sexism claims, but objectively speaking I don't think it should ever be acceptable for a player or coach to speak to a referee that way regardless of the sport. If her objection is that men get away with it, then I think perhaps they should be more strict with the men. I don't really see what it has to do with this match though.
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eston posted...

I don't know enough about tennis to make any real judgment on the sexism claims, but objectively speaking I don't think it should ever be acceptable for a player or coach to speak to a referee that way regardless of the sport. If her objection is that men get away with it, then I think perhaps they should be more strict with the men. I don't really see what it has to do with this match though.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/45468290

What do the stats say?

Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion, was one of 10 women punished for code violations at this year's US Open, while 26 men were fined.

Most of the fines issued were for racquet violations - 14 men and five women.

Three men and three women were penalised for an audible obscenity, five men were fined for time delays, while four men and one woman were penalised for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Williams was one of only two women punished for on-court coaching, alongside Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova, while no men were penalised for this offence.

Former world number one Williams was the only player punished for verbal abuse, which landed her a $10,000 (7,732) fine - the largest issued at this year's tournament.

Williams' previous US Open controversies

2009 US Open semi-final: Already on a warning for racquet abuse earlier in the match, Williams launched into an angry outburst at a lineswoman after she was called for a foot fault which gave Kim Clijsters two match points. She was penalised a point for unsportsmanlike conduct and Clijsters won the match. Williams was placed on a two-year probation period and fined $175,000 (135,000), reduced to $82,500 (63,750) if she committed no further major offence through 2011.

2011 US Open final: Williams shouts "come on" as Sam Stosur attempts to return a shot and the point was awarded to the Australian. Williams then verbally abused umpire Eva Asderak and was fined $2,000 (1,265).

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DarkChozoGhost posted...

I hope so too. You throw a temper tantrum you should be penalized.

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Sounds like some people want to lose money.
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E32005 posted...

DarkChozoGhost posted...

I hope so too. You throw a temper tantrum you should be penalized.

She was penalized and fined so I don't know what people are talking about. All she did was complain and berate the refs like most people do in sports. You get a technical, fined, etc, and then you move the fuck on. The umpires are acting like pussies. This isn't the first time a tennis player has got into it with an official so why didn't they boycott then? People really do have something against Serena, fucking wow. It looks like she had a point during her rant.
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In fencing, if you show this sort of disrespect to the ref, not only will you lose points or possibly the match, but you can also get a black card for severe infractions and get banned from subsequent tournaments.

If Serena wants to be treated as an equal, then first she needs to behave like a normal person instead of having emotional outbursts... did any of the men throw a temper tantrum like she did?
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smoke_break posted...

This isn't the first time a tennis player has got into it with an official so why didn't they boycott then?

The fact that WTA and USTA are both backing Serena in this makes it a little bigger of a deal than just what happened on the court
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smoke_break posted...

E32005 posted...

DarkChozoGhost posted...

I hope so too. You throw a temper tantrum you should be penalized.

She was penalized and fined so I don't know what people are talking about. All she did was complain and berate the refs like most people do in sports. You get a technical, fined, etc, and then you move the fuck on. The umpires are acting like pussies. This isn't the first time a tennis player has got into it with an official so why didn't they boycott then? People really do have something against Serena, fucking wow. It looks like she had a point during her rant.

she also edged on the crowd to berate her opponent, though her apologizing would be more of apologizing for the crowd

The way she acted was pretty ridiculous. Like she kept screaming that she doesn't receive any coaching and that any signals were just him giving a thumbs up, then the coach admits later that he was coaching. So Serena's trying to tell us that her coach was making a bunch of signals that he never discussed with her before hand and he does this every match for no reason? Yeah right.

They got caught breaking the rules, deal with it.
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Darkman124 posted...

mustachedmystic posted...

it's that men aren't punished for their transgressions.

i think a bunch of people have been posting vids of the umpire in question handing out similar punishments to male players in similarly high profile matches

it seems like the actual issue is that he's way stricter in his enforcement of the rules than other umpires

which does kinda seem shitty, there should be standardization

but it doesnt really jive with the specific accusation of sexism

would have to see his entire career reviewed rather than the snippet videos that have been posted, though.

The rules he enforces ARE the standardization.
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eston posted...

smoke_break posted...

This isn't the first time a tennis player has got into it with an official so why didn't they boycott then?

The fact that WTA and USTA are both backing Serena in this makes it a little bigger of a deal than just what happened on the court

The ITA is backing Ramos though
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Wil_Knights posted...

In fencing, if you show this sort of disrespect to the ref, not only will you lose points or possibly the match, but you can also get a black card for severe infractions and get banned from subsequent tournaments.

If Serena wants to be treated as an equal, then first she needs to behave like a normal person instead of having emotional outbursts... did any of the men throw a temper tantrum like she did?

Men have, and the ones who did it to ths judge got penalized.
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She lost any argument when her coach admitted to coaching.
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voldothegr8 posted...

eston posted...

smoke_break posted...

This isn't the first time a tennis player has got into it with an official so why didn't they boycott then?

The fact that WTA and USTA are both backing Serena in this makes it a little bigger of a deal than just what happened on the court

The ITA is backing Ramos though

Yes but the point is it has clearly escalated beyond that specific incident, and that's why they are boycotting now and not before
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darkjedilink posted...

Wil_Knights posted...

In fencing, if you show this sort of disrespect to the ref, not only will you lose points or possibly the match, but you can also get a black card for severe infractions and get banned from subsequent tournaments.

If Serena wants to be treated as an equal, then first she needs to behave like a normal person instead of having emotional outbursts... did any of the men throw a temper tantrum like she did?

Men have, and the ones who did it to ths judge got penalized.

The judges shouldn't be overly litigious in a finals match.
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The WTA & USTA are American associations, Serena is one of their own. Theyve gained so much with Serena and have much to lose without her, of course theyre going to come to her defense.
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Kineth posted...

darkjedilink posted...

Wil_Knights posted...

In fencing, if you show this sort of disrespect to the ref, not only will you lose points or possibly the match, but you can also get a black card for severe infractions and get banned from subsequent tournaments.

If Serena wants to be treated as an equal, then first she needs to behave like a normal person instead of having emotional outbursts... did any of the men throw a temper tantrum like she did?

Men have, and the ones who did it to ths judge got penalized.

The judges shouldn't be overly litigious in a finals match.

"the rules should only apply when I think they should"

MeowMix101 posted...

truthfully if they banned her for life from professional I doubt any other female players she played against would care

They would be happy because its an easier way to the top. Only true competition would be mad because they would want a win over Serena on their legacy.
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