Serena claimed to be fighting for 'equality' and 'women's rights'. She characterized herself as a 'strong woman'.
Interestingly, her opponent was also a women. As such, strict enforcement of the rules (to Serena's detriment) simultaneously benefitted her female opponent. So her claim of sexism rings a bit hollow.
If Serena truly sought 'equality', she should be fighting to end all gender distinctions whatsoever. A single tennis league combining men and women. This would represent true equality -- not the selective 'cherry picking' equality she seems to seek.
28
Serena is not and has never been a model of anything except a good tennis player. Anything else attributed to her is hype/PR/Nike ads.
44
Serena is a formidable champion, but she was way out of line. An entire game out of line? No, but the umpire is the boss of the match and you don’t repeatedly insult and wag your finger at the boss, destroy your racket in a rage after losing a critical game, and have your coach caught coaching from the stands on live TV without consequences. Is it a stupid rule? Maybe. So, change the rule, don’t mouth off at the official enforcing it. When Alize Cornet was wrongfully given a code violation earlier in the tournament after turning her inside-out shirt right-side out court-side, she let the umpire know her displeasure with a knowing glare. It was the rule that was bad, and the tournament later acknowledged it.
Cornet’s and Serena’s cases clearly prove that sexism in officiating exists. (Male players have destroyed rackets and cursed a blue streak with far less severe consequences.) But taking on the boss in the middle of the contest is a losing strategy.
Serena was widely expected to sail to a record-tying victory. Instead, she was stunned by an up-and-coming star who was playing out of her mind. She let her emotions get the better of her, and she paid a price for it. Was the price too steep? A lot of the armchair-quarterbacking says so. But if she had channeled that rage into turning around the match and taken up the issue with tournament officials AFTER the match, the outcome could’ve been very different.
33
I admire her accomplishments but her conduct was a disgrace and distracted from her real complaints. If she had shown some restraint while making her objections, the proverbial stiff upper lip, she would have come across much classier, as opposed to a whiny brat. And our attention would be focused on the bad calls. A botched opportunity to do some good
37
@JK
If she had shown some restraint while making her objections, she wouldn't even have gotten a third violation and been penalized a game.
19
I don't watch tennis as much as I used to, but for what it's worth... I have followed Roger Federer's career closer than any other player's probably because he has just been around longer. He has gone from contender to invincible and now to also-ran, a natural progression for any tennis champion that doesn't stop at the peak of his or her career like Steffi Graf. In his prime, even today, he has been called the greatest tennis player ever. If anyone has the right to be a narcissistic egomaniac, he does. And yet, he is always the consummate gentleman when winning or losing. I don't recall him ever smashing a racket or arguing with an umpire. Somehow, I think he has recognized what so few tennis fanatics have, that tennis is just a game. Yes, a very lucrative game with sponsors willing to pay you millions just to wear their clothes, tournaments paying you millions under the table just to show up and of course hefty prize money when you finish anywhere near the top. I think that is why Federer keeps playing and why he is grateful to be able to. I don't see the same joy in Serena Williams. I see a gargantuan ego that becomes unhinged when she is losing.
33
Enough already with the articles excusing Serena. SHE LOST THE MATCH. NAOMI OSAKA WON THE MATCH. When will you guys get it right and write about the WINNER OF THE U.S. TENNIS OPEN. Yes, I'm shouting at you. Have I got your attention yet?
43
It seems to me that Serena is fueled by a feeling of grandiosity. And in a sense, rightfully so, considering she is the undisputed GOAT. But when you suffer from this condition which in inherently narcissistic, there is no middle ground... you are either Queen of the World or a lowly worm. And when someone points out a mistake or is critical, a person like this tends to take it very personally reacting with intense narcissistic rage. Why did she take it as an accusation of cheating when the warning was directed at her coach? She had not done anything. But her ego experienced it as a violent stab in the back and the blow reduced her self image to that of a lowly worm. There you see the fragility of the grandiose personality. After a vicious defense of herself she cleverly turned the perceived attacks into unfair and unjust treatment of women. She transformed her self from victim to hero and leader of women against sexism. Voila! Her grandiose position is restored. Her pride and dignity are returned. In the end it was much more a psychological drama than a social or political one.
52
Some people see racism as having an either/or logic: Was the cashier impolite, or are you just sensitive? Was that monkey joke deliberate, or are you imagining it? If you have an interracial marriage, can you still be racist?
As a person of color, I grow steadily more aware of how my experience of racism has shaped both my perceptions and my self. I know that it has made me more paranoid, more quick to judge, more sensitive to insult. But I also realize that having heightened, even miscalibrated, senses does not mean the things I sense are not there.
For many people of color, the logic of racism is both/and. We say things like, "Of course that's wrong, but you have to let it go," "You can't fight every battle," and "Yes, that's racist, but you're also acting crazy."
Often, we approach issues of race with weariness, wariness, and some shade of resignation. We have, of necessity, become practical and reasonable about actions and attitudes that are essentially absurd.
When I was twelve, my mother took a friend and me on a short trip into a rural area. When she booked the accommodation over the phone, I heard her tell the owner we were not white. Later, she explained to me it was better to warn them in advance, in case they would not want us in their hotel.
When I see sceptical reactions to race issues, I bear in mind that others may be operating with an exclusive either/or logic, whereas my mind runs on two tracks: Yes, I am paranoid, but they are also after me.
16
@Edward Lindon
Edward your response is vague, unfocused and about you, not the issue.
14
The queen is dead... long live the queen. The hero of this story is Naomi. I've watched a lot of tennis, and I'd say Serena's behavior was about 90% gamesmanship - an effort to create drama, delay and distraction to bully her opponent and throw her off her game. Naomi never wilted where many would have, especially with Serena whipping the crowd into frenzied mob behind her. Serena has sadly diminished herself and needs to take action to restore her reputation.
49
@Paul. Seemed contrived in an attempt to delay and derail. Wrong opponent for that gambit
10
@Paul Well said. Some of the gameswomanship may have been unconscious, since she inherited so much anger from her father, but yes, she was trying to swing the match away from Naomi. Serena has been doing this for years. Trying to mentally and emotionally dominate her opponents in any way she can - throwing away a set, and then switching to 'ON' mode to rattle the other player. Whatever breaks the flow when she is down. She just cannot handle losing.
27
The one key factor that I don’t see being mentioned very much is that Serena’s coach WAS actually giving her coaching signals, which is not allowed under the USTA rules. That was the original sin in this situation.
34
Also, no one has mentioned that Serena reacted to the coach warning as if the ref thought she was cheating, which she wasn’t. Under the rules especially during the Open, if the coach coaches, Serena gets a warning even if she did not see the coaching. The coach was wrong giving coaching hand signs but Serena really overreacted when she was given the warning.
I sat here in my living room and told her to be quiet, stop complaining about cheating and telling the ref she deserved an apology. She would not stop. Then, she lost a game and banged her racket and lost a point. She was already offended (in her mind) by the thought that someone might be thinking she tried to cheat. The point that was added threw her over the edge. She could not control herself, calling the ref a thief and demanding an apology. Too bad!
13
I feel sorry for Serena. It’s tough being a new mother and wanting to prove to the world that she’s just as good as she was before. Nothing’s changed. She’s still a competitive person. But, it’s too much pressure. You need to ease up on yourself Serena, you’ve already achieved so much. Just do your best and everyone will be behind you. Of course, it doesn’t excuse your behaviour and learning to lose gracefully is as important as winning. Congratulations to Osaka.
8
We make such a big deal about Serena and motherhood. But how about Kim klisters, who actually beat Serena (and her tantrums) at us Open after giving birth. Serena may not be quite the trailblazer she wants us to envision!!!
26
Williams' behavior and public tantrum was inexcusable: rude, disrespectful of the game, the public, the other player. It was all about "me", "me", "me". All the decisions by the umpire were correct. In many other sports, such as for example soccer, a player would have been thrown out from the game by the referee.
43
The world of the New York Times seems in fact to be two worlds: the first world is the real world, full of injustices, about which the Times makes admirable generalizations. But the inhabitants of that world - namely, us non-celebrities - have to endure the injustices anyway. This includes all of those non-famous people who also happen to be "people of color," which is really a silly characterization.
Then there is a celebrity world, about which the Times seems to be especially obsessed. One of the residents of that world is Serena Williams, a giant in the tennis world which is about as familiar to me (and most of us non-celebrities) as the surface of Pluto. She also is short-tempered, which certainly isn't an unforgivable sin; but let's face it, according to the article she threatened to ram a tennis ball down the throat of a lady referee. But Serena is a heroine to the editorial board of the New York Times and like the characters in "Black Panther" are here to remind us constantly of the injustices suffered by women and "people of color." Especially rich and famous women and "people of color."
In our shrink-wrapped and diminished world, Serena Williams is a culture hero. But I think I speak for many of us non-celebrities when I say: "who cares?"
28
Even if the umpire could have handled the situation better--as some people claim he could have--Serena's behavior came across as far from ideal, to put it mildly. It's hard to understand how or why a coaching warning--just a warning about something her own coach admitted he was doing--was turned into a tirade about her character, sexism, and the like. But it was even harder for me to listen to the entire ESPN crew make excuses for her, like they were afraid to admit to the fact that a coaching warning with no impact whatsoever on the match had been turned into a sad display of prima donna behavior.
50
What over-the-top emoting in defense of simple foul behavior by a tennis player. Serena Williams acted badly, and made herself look ridiculous in the process. She owes an apology to Osaka.
But, please, that tennis match didn't rise to the level of Shakespearean tragedy. This writer has gotten carried away.
40
Agree!
10
@John H.
It was tragedy only in that the protagonist led herself to ruin because of a tragic flaw in her character.
5
Mr. Tillet is missing the target by miles away. It is a pity that Serena has been for decades unable to hold her high quality tennis with class and dignity. Actually she does not fulfill the requisites of the WTA. Another soap opera from Ms. Williams, what is new? How many times all these years, every moment we are witnesses of another disgusting behavior of this player, adding to her horrendous taste for tennis attires, I cannot avoid to appreciate more the memories of Mr. Arthur Ashe and Ms. Althea Gibson, distances apart personalities. By the way this writer should avoid by all means to artificially and far-fetchedly introduce the cards of gender and race. Likely the woman tears of Serena after realizing that she was totally embarrassing herself one more time, If we take the totally wrong road of race, well anybody could bring up that Serena insulted a humble Asian-American line woman in one occasion and now a Hispanic American chair umpire for not valid reasons at all. Sillily, she asked for an apology because she got a daughter, etc., etc., well, the chair umpire got his family too, and she was shouting to him unmercifully in from a nation and worldwide audience. The fact that he does not have the fame and money of the lucky Serena, does not mean that he is not also entitled to respect. Serena should take a permanent break from tennis and give the fans and media a well deserved respire. Orlando, Sept/11.
21
@Orlando
You don't need to go back to Arthur Ashe and Althea Gibson; you can simply look at the generally gracious behavior of Serena Williams's own sister.
(By the way, the referee Carlos Ramos isn't Hispanic-American. He's Portuguese.)
7
Greatest athlete of all time? Um, I think Jim Thorpe and Babe Diedrickson might have a quarrel with that egregious conclusion.
20
Why are we discussing Serena's behavior, but have not a thing about the mostly white-maybe male- crowd booing a 19 year old playing her first glad slam? What's up with that? What was their excuse? Leave Serena alone. She doesn't have to be any more perfect than the rest of us. And with all that booing until she told the fans to stop, it seems like she is ahead of most of us!
16
As I viewed it, I saw Serena responding to what she interpreted as a declaration the she was a "cheater". It was obvious that she was offended, hurt, and insulted.
Serena argued her position--officials could not or would not reverse it. My question is, when her coach was observed trying to coach from the stadium--why didn't the officials send security to remove him from the stadium? Why penalize Serena for behaviour that was not hers?
The coach was not removed and if he was fined I have seen no report of that fine.
It was clear to everyone watching, that Serena felt she was being identified as a cheater--and that Serena had no recourse.
It was clear to everyone watching that Serena called Ramos a "thief". Ramos did have the power of a recourse and he exercised it--he penalized Serena a game.
In my opinion, Ramos did not exercise restraint appropriate to the situation.
In my opinion, if Ramos felt that he was inappropriately and publicly defamed by being called a "thief", he could have and should have pursued the issue after match. If he believed he was somehow damaged, he could have pursued a civil action--he could have sued Serena for defamation.
Ramos could have and should have done a better job.
9
@Will Champlin Why "penalize" Serena (with a warning!!) because of admitted rule violations by her long-time employee which she must certainly have been aware of?
Is that a serious question?
12
@Will Champlin
You do not call security to remove from a stadium a coach that make an infringement. You just apply the penalty by the rules. It is a lot more appropriate and that is why the rules and penalty in a game exist for.
Beside, she saw the coaching, which consisted of playing more forward and applied on the following exchanges. She was actually lying when she stated that she would rather lose than cheat.
If there was some one that did not exercise restrain appropriate for the situation, that was Serena Williams.
14
@Will Champlin
Ramos didn't really have much discretion in the matter.
The rules, which Serena knows, are that if the coach signals to or tries to communicate with the player on the court, the player gets a violation.
Smashing a racket is an automatic violation; that's mandatory. A second violation in a single match means the players forfeits a point.
Knowing that she had two violations already, Serena attacked the referee. Impugning a referee's integrity is another code violation; if she had called Ramos any old common swear word, even a serious one, she might well have gotten away with a warning. (Except that she probably would have argued again next time Osaka broke her serve.) But she called Ramos a liar and a thief. According to the rules, that's a violation, and a third violation costs the player a game.
9
Serena's behavior was, to put it mildly, far from ideal. But Carlos Ramos' over officious approach was totally uncalled for, in his reaction to being called a thief. In a grand slam final, where Serena has proved more than once that she is capable of coming back from being behind; where people had paid huge amounts of money to see a competitive game being played two great players, and not schoolboy style disciplining over silly name calling; where two fabulous players were each going for a record; it is unthinkable that an umpire would, over a silly, non-threatening, non-profane epithet, dock a whole game at a critical point and effectively decide the outcome of the championship. I am not even comparing Serena's behavior with that of many others, men in particular, who have abused the umpire using much more disrespectful terms and have gotten away with it; the occasion itself demanded much better judgment on the part of Carlos Ramos.
12
Williams may well have been incensed that she had been accused of “cheating” (although her coach admitted to it and justified it because “everyone else does it”) before moving on to being incensed by the alleged “sexism” by the chair umpire (although Ramos has a reputation of being a stickler for rules among both men and women players, something Williams’ coach also should have known before making obvious coaching gestures from the box).
Me, I’m going to go with Occam’s Razor, as applied to this match and high-pressure professional tennis in general: Williams was being summarily beaten by Osaka, and pulled out all the stops in terms of gamesmanship to try to rattle Osaka and, if that failed, to create a controversy that would distract from how easily she was beaten.
36
@Dan88 I absolutely agree. And one more thought: maybe expecting grace and civility from a champion is too much to ask.
8
@Dan88 Every athlete has a good excuse. Serena flops spectacularly she chokes.
2
@Dan88
Ur 100% correct...
Serenas behavior during and AFTER the match should of been much better.
The chair should of warned her before giving a game penalty.
Katrina Adams should of done a better job.
The NY fans were the worst ! They should of given the young champion a huge standing ovation which she earned. Clueless rich people at the finals instead helped make a young girl cry.
What a shame
15
Several of you have pointed out that she broke the rules and got caught and therefore deserves the punishment. How many of you have broken traffic rules and got away with it, while others suffered disproportionately for simple traffic stops?
For those that say she bullies refs to win matches, how many uneventful losses has she handled over the years?
I believe the ref overacted, but was within his rights, and Serena overreacted, and did so understandably.
5
Correct except if you yelled at the traffic cop you would definitely get a ticket.
21
"All psychology is excuse-ative", a philosophy professor of mine once quipped. Reading in this column and listening to all the elaborate explanations and justifications for Serena's meltdown, I was reminded of this truth. We've heard every excuse in the book. The one I haven't yet heard to explain her losses on Arthur Ashe stadium to Capriati, Clijsters, Stosur and now Osaka is that, for Serena, the stadium is simply haunted.
4
I am a life long fan of Martina Navratilova and her trials as a young woman tennis player are as inspirational as any. As a life long tennis player myself, I have committed plenty of harsh, rude, impulsive acts on the court. It is an intense personal game. Ms Navratilova has spoken strongly about the US Open women's final is a thoughtful and personal way. That is who she is. My heroine!! The pressure building for Serena Williams ( another pinnacle athlete perhaps the GOAT) over the past 3 years has been tremendous. To reach 24 grand slam singles titles, marriage,motherhood,life and near death add to the pressure. I certainly wish Ms Williams the best as she pursues 24, 25 26 grand slam titles. All we tennis players regret acting poorly on the court in hindsight. Lessons need to continue to be learned.
6
Few people outside of tennis recognize "gaming" and Serena was doing it masterfully until the referee called her bluff. She was losing. She tried to get the crowd behind her and throw her opponent off balance. She tried to make it her show. It didn't work. This time.
60
The second violation really breaks down any excuse Serena might have had. There was absolutely no reason she needed to smash her racket. It's simply immature. She deserved to be penalized for it, and whether or not she knew she was already on a violation, she deserved to lose the point since that was the case. Everything else in her back and forth with the referee precipitated from that.
One moment of pure immaturity that didn't need to happen. Whatever other grievances she might have, they all fall apart when viewed through that moment.
24
Mr. Morris' commentary is completely on point.
Within Serena's large entourage, surely there's someone who could help her with anger management. What a shame that she can't seem to consider that there is someone else on the court (poor Naomi!), and that lots of impressionable fans are watching and learning lessons. These angry eruptions surely are not healthy for Serena and her family.
20
What is this? An elegy for the "perfect version" of Serena Williams?
As someone who’s watched her in awe, suspense and pride, I find what’s particularly awful is the way that pride — in her excellence, in her improbable historicism, in her grit — has compelled me to make excuses for her descents into viciousness. It’s just … Serena.
Come on! No excuses here. No sympathy either. None whatsoever.
28
As if it wasn't obvious that this moment would come. Now, let's keep the clowns out of this sport.
5
These are the pitfalls of believing your own hype. The Chase commercials that featured Serena were over the top. While we can agree on her superb talent & notable accomplishments, you have to actually win the match before you can be crowned the champion.
17
I'd like to hear what McEnroe, Roddick, Agassi and Kyrgios have to say about penalizing Williams a full game for calling the umpire a "thief".
17
@JM What does it matter what other bad actors have to say? Serena (and her coach) committed three code violations during the same set. Calling the umpire a thief was only the last one. In what other sport would her (or their) bad conduct have been tolerated? Professional wrestling, maybe.
9
Definitely a yellow card, a technical foul, a penalty, a flag, an ejection. Name your sport and the consequences are the same.
2
@JM
McEnroe, Roddick, Agassi and Kyrgios have all been penalized for on-court behavior; McEnroe once got himself thrown out of a tournament.
3
The umpire Carlos Ramos has been around a long time. He has has inspired rage in other players (for example Rafael Nadal in 2017. ) Ramos goes by the book. Not all the umpires adhere as strictly as this umpire does. That said, he is known for that and both Serena and her coach should have taken that into consideration. All the umpires should enforce the rules all the time.
45
Isn’t threatening to shove a tennis ball down someone’s throat a form of bullying?
Like many worshipped men athletes, Serena believes she’s on a pedestal with different rules.
Sexism, bullying, 2 wrongs don’t make a right.
31
"Threatening to make a woman eat a tennis ball, as happened in that 2009 semifinal, SEEMS over the line."
Can there be a more blatant display of what's wrong with Serena's apologists?
50
So many excuses for just really bad behavior. "Come on!"
47
MacEnroe was painful and embarrassing to watch in his childish tantrums. So were Nastase, and Connors, and Agassi often enough. Johnny Mac is my favorite tennis announcer, but as a player? They were not heroes to me and I don't care how many titles they have. I played a lot of amateur tennis including full tournaments where we called our own lines. Few other sports at any level have players do that. Golf is another. When you rely on the honor system and you have a code of conduct ingrained in the sport like that, it's impossible to watch these spoiled millionaires who think the rules don't apply to them. I try to teach my kids sportsmanship and if you think I'm going to hold up players as heroes who have all this talent and fame and money and treat other people like this because of their spoiled tantrums, well, no, never.
Players like Mac and Serena seem to want to teach us that it's ok to be rotten if you win. Well Serena - with a bit of help from her boorish fans - is responsible for absolutely ruining Naomi Osaka's wonderful victory and turning it into an embarrassing circus. And even more sadly and transparently, she's trying to hide her embarrassing behavior by shifting the blame to a fair and impartial judge, hiding behind thin charges of sexism and the boorish past behavior of other players. Wow. Not buying it for a moment.
64
I’m guessing Serena would have toned down her message and rage if she had won the first set.
25
This was an ugly display of bad sportsmanship and uncontrolled rage by Williams.
Those seeking to blame Umpire Ramos are apologists for Williams.
Ramos did not make the rules that were enacted by the Women's Tennis Association, USTA,ITF and ATP.
He merely enforced them as was his job.
48
Let us look at what has happened...
1. Losses to Serena. A docked game.. a point lost.. but few would have said with conviction that except for that point, Osaka would have lost and Serena would have won. And the coach agreed he was coaching as he has done any number of times in the past with no penalties imposed.
2. Losses to the umpire in question. Abused on world stage by a player with great potential energy even if game and its rules offer sufficient protection against erratic behaviour of the players. Of course nobody claimed the umpire did wrong. He was RIGHT and he did not lower his standard saying 'everybody allows coaching, so I too should'...
3. Losses to Osaka: Serena ruined the potentially single most joyous occasion in her life ... and was conducting thereafter in a condescending manner... This damage is real and was done by SERENA .. no questions about it.
Now.. who is the villain.... money and selling power? gender bias? or, personalities that are blown up beyond its safe point by external factors? I feel sorry for Serena... she couldn't help her racism show up... losing to Osaka was unthinkable to her... and my guess is that if it was Sharapova on the other side, Serena would not have behaved like this...Or, it may simply be that factors in her life that was supposed to provide her joy and emotional stability is not doing as expected...???
And I consider that Osaka is the WINNER with a fine character in this drama...and Serena the loser.
30
@MSH Serena “couldn’t help her racism show up”? What are you talking about? Naomi Osaka is half-black herself and Serena later comforted her and told the crowd to stop booing.
Serena, provoked by the kind of gratuitously rigid umpiring that one seldom sees when the men misbehave (look how the chair umpire treated Kyrgios for contrast), lost her cool. Let’s let it go and move on.
6
Serena twice tells the chair empire that she doesn't cheat; she would rather lose. Fair enough. But then she accuses the chair empire of stealing her of a point and clearly accusing him to be a "thief". Why should Serena think it is okay to accuse the chair empire to be dishonest while defending her honesty? Sadly, no article on this matter points out Serena's double standard.
Yes, the Williams sisters have endured a lot of race related slant and mistreatments despite their monumental contribution to the sport.
However, rather than going through long history to either side with Serena or go against, the writers and readers will do well in just accepting that on this particular incident, Serena's temper got control of her behavior and she was wrong.
40
I was sad and embarrassed for everyone around- Naomi, Serena, Carlos Ramos. But the men’s final cheered me up especially after Novak went over to Delpo’s side to console him after the loss. Incidents like the Saturday finals are few and far between now in tennis, it shouldn’t detract lovers of the game to stop watching.
2
Truly I don’t understand all the fawning over Serena Williams. She disrespected one of the most highly respected umpires in tennis, smashed her racquet like a spoiled child, and then during the course of her argument with the umpire, screams out, “I have a child.” Really? What does that have to do with anything! Serena believes the rules don’t apply to her. Everyone seems so afraid to criticize her, no matter what she does.
58
We cannot mimic the right w their apologies for the horrible behavior by their icons—evangelical apologists for Donald Trump being a prime example. Call bad behavior by its name even when it is painful. Martina Navratilova‘s essay is the best way forward. The purpose of the Me Too movement, after all, is not to make it safe for women to become sexual predators; rather, it is to improve bad behavior by typically male predators.
8
Giudicelli’s comment was not a "comically ambiguous insinuation" nor as you insinuate racist, nor is the Australian cartoonist who accurately depicted the opponent as blonde as her hair is that way. The respect is to wear a proper outfit. It has nothing to do with her being brown or large.
13
@No And who are you or anyone else to say what's appropriate? The disrespect shown Serena Williams throughout her storied career has been enough to bring down most everyone on the planet. That she has perservered and has become not just the best tennis player on the planet, but the best athlete on the planet, is due to her hard work, her determination, her skills. No one else's. Hers. Tennis has disrespected her and I'm with her. It's enough already.
6
@EDC: Oh, please. We all say what’s “appropriate” every day; it’s called an opinion. Yes, Serena has endured disrespect and racism/sexism. She’s also amassed a fortune that likely exceeds $80,000,000. I’ve witnessed multitudes of people who have endured far, far worse than Serena has, without fistfuls of dollars being ladled upon them. And, by the way, she may be the best female tennis player, but is nowhere near “the best tennis player on the planet”. Save that for one of the men. Calling her the best athlete is absurd.
4
I don't follow tennis, but this sure looked like a temper tantrum to me. If guys do stuff like this, they should be penalized, too. I think throwing the racket was what put it over the top and then cursing the judge made it even worse. She's paid boatloads of money. Be a grown-up, IMHO.
41
I thought Serena Williams's outfit at the French Open was fabulous, which is a great deal more than one can say of the men's mostly appallingly scruffy attire at the U.S. Open. Why is this tolerated?Also, the spectators at the Australian and French Opens are courteous and well behaved, as are they, of course, at Wimbledon. But at the U.S. Open, the Ugly American continues to perform.
6
@James Murphy: I must conclude you have never been to the French Open. The spectators are hardly courteous and well-behaved.
5
@James Murphy I think the correct term is ugly New Yorker. That crowd behavior has not and never will occur where I live.
4
@Shamrock
Just think what it would have been like if the Open were in Philadelphia.
Serena Williams called the umpire a liar about his judgement that her coach was signaling to her from the stands, a charge the coach later admitted it was true. As far as I've read, she has recanted her accusation. In frustration, she smashed and broke her tennis racket, and when that got her a point docked, she called the umpire a thief. She then continued to berate him in a way that in many workplaces would have led to her being escorted off the premises and probably fired. By putting on this temper tantrum of a show, she ruined the day for a respectful opponent who outplayed her. And this is the behavior she's modeling for her child?
54
Loved the satire. What a great parody of a Times sports column. Bravo. I’m sure some people will think you are serious. My favorite line was that threatening bodily harm to a lineswoman may have crossed the line. Hilarious.
26
Picture this: If it was Naomi who behaved the way Serena did that day, would anyone have defended her? I highly doubt it. I think she would have been called a sore loser. Your heroes don't always win. They can be wrong sometimes and we have to accept it as is, not justify their mistakes at the cost of someone else's glory. It's not worth it.
106
I am sorry, she is of course a great player, but a bad sport, and a sore looser. All these explanations and excuses do not cut it.
I am tired of reading about this, most importantly it takes oxygen away from the winner of that day, Osaka.
45
@Steve
Sweet Naomi Osaka will be just fine.
If anything this controversy has catapulted Osaka onto the world stage far beyond what just winning a tennis title would do.
Interestingly, Osaka is now a "hero" in Japan even though she left when she was 3 and grew up and trained in the U.S.
The $3 1/2 million bucks and millions in endorsements should also help dry her tears.
You probably won't agree, but Osaka, and every other female athlete, will benefit greatly from Serena's courage to standing up for equal treatment of women and women in sports, not only with regard to what they wear, but how their conduct on the court is penalized.
2
@JM Dear JM. I disagree, you are right.
Osaka's wonderful win is hardly mentioned, the paper is full with politically correct articles, trying to explain/excuse Serena's behaviour. The unequal treatment of men and women on the courts as far as applying the rules is not true.
1
Serena Williams is likely the best tennis player of all-time. It would be amazing to see Serena at her best play Bjorn Borg at his best. (Sorry Agassi and Federer.)
Am grateful for the comments here and agree with most. Serena objected to Ramos' unusual strict adherence to the rules.
Unfortunately, WOMEN OF ANY RACE CANNOT SPEAK UP IN A PUBLIC FORUM or IN THE WORKPLACE without the LIKELIHOOD of being SANCTIONED FOR DOING SO. The question is whether or not Ramos has been equally strict when officiating matches between men.
As this is how ALL WOMEN are treated, am dismayed that some believe Serena is being attacked because of her race. In my observation and experience, well-spoken women with well-informed positions who challenge ill-conceived group-think, status quo or unfair application of rule by authority without use of profanity are TYPICALLY attacked or shunned for DARING to be OUTSPOKEN. (Conversely, men who do so are perceived as heroic risk takers.)
9
@Unapologetic patriot
Serena and her sister played the 200th ranked male [Karsten Braasch - ever hear of him?] in a fun match and he played both of them back to back for one set each.
It wasn't even close - and no - not for the Williams sisters
15
@Unapologetic patriot: Yes, a match between Serena and Borg would be interesting, for about the first 30 seconds, at which point everyone would realize that she is not going to win any points unless he lets her or he falls asleep from boredom.
11
Wrong again.
1
After her comments at the presentation, Katrina Adams needs to explain her conflicts if she is to continue as USTA President.
28
I'm taking my own advice: Congratulations, Naomi Osaka. Well prepared, well played with admirable self-control and welcomed grace. May you enjoy many more championships and serve as a model for aspiring professional athletes.
50
Come on, Wesley. Serena was insulted before the French Open, when she was ranked down in the hundreds somewhere because of her pregnancy leave. And why should she take consistenly unfair umpiring with “grace” (which always means suffering in silence for black players.) Frankly, she’s been getting ridiculous grief ever since she came back, and it doesn’t take much perception to figure a lot of folks in tennis want to force her out because this black woman has reigned “too long.”
4
Ranking are determined by play, nothing else. If you don’t play - for whatever reason - you drop in the rankings. It’s got nothing to do with race.
19
@Nobis Miserere It’s also based on who is the best draw that sells the most tickets and bringing in the largest viewership, which translates to lots of $$$$$$$$!
The Official was a thief. His motivation was gender bias. His intention obvious to all who watch tennis. The views on the day of this match knew they were watching a theft, even though Osaka played well. She also learned a lesson. She may be the next to experience the challenges Serena has met and fought for her.
@Dolcefire
"It was the biggest crowd ever. Period!"
Please stop spreading nonsense.
I don't like citing wikipedia but it helps to get a quick overview of some disputes the umpire has been involved in:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Ramos_(umpire)
To me it looks like he's treating everyone equally, men and women. He is not afraid of high ranked players.
Please speak for yourself and try to be fair.
1
This is the most confusing article. The author, on the one hand acknowledges, indeed praises, Serena's calm and poise in the face of burdens her peers don't share, and then criticizes her for losing her cool. ?
You don't get to Serena's position without a ton of ambition and drive. Once in a while, the pressure builds. So what? She has exhibited over the course of her career charm and class in spades. She's allowed to blow once in a while.
Or apparently she is not. And that is a double-standard.
8
@myasara
Yes. She is allowed to blow. Of course she also
must be penalized for "blowing", breaking the rules.
If not, then she would be considered a fake champion. Like Armstrong.
7
Serena has previous form with this....see her verbal and threatened physical abuse of a female lineswoman at the US Open...another shameful rant. In this case she was guilty of receiving coaching (by her own coaches admission this was true)...she smashed her racquet, and she verbally abused the umpire. This was all in an uncontrollable rage because she was being beaten and not of course because she was standing up for the rights of women. It is a laughable notion and sadly one which was only to readily taken up by Billie Jean King and others who are all too willing to find prejudice where none exists. To mould a self absorbed tantrum into a noble fight for women's rights is ridiculous....
37
Just one question: Why can't a tennis coach coach?
1
@MJ2G
They can coach - all day long - just not during the match. This is a conscious decision based on the ethos of tennis - tennis sees itself as a person-to-person contest with no outside help.
In this regard - it is similar to chess.
And there are many other person-to-person sports that don't allow in match coaching.
9
So much latent sexism and racism in this comment thread.
3
@T
Yes T, is is all about race. As usual. Racism I am sure you understand explains everything that happens in the USA. If not race than sexism explains everything else that is less than perfect in the USA. No matter what hold that thought in your head at all times. It explains everything. SO simple. So pure.
10
@T: your x-ray specs are working overtime.
4
You have got to be kidding. This is a sexist hit piece disguised as "thoughtful" analysis. Disgusting.
2
@Shannon Minter
Is it too hard to at least produce a single argument supporting your thesis?
8
I am really starting to doubt the sanity of all the people that are taking the events of Saturday as a prime example for racism and sexism.
The whole argument is built on an assumption that cannot be proven. There have been men and women who have called the umpire a stickler for rules. Others called that professionalism.
It is wonderful that awareness is being created shedding light on racism & sexism but taking the events as *the* occasion for making shiny pleas against racism and sexism is just unbelievably wrong.
Why? Any person with a strong sense of justice will want to see equality between men and women, black and white. It is essential that there is a strong basis to all the accusations flying around. I believe there may be in general, but the connection to Saturday is just wrong.
Has someone thought about the umpire? Does this incident really justify the strong incriminations? Do we, as a society, want people’s names and careers be stained with allegations so strong because of someone clearly having a bad day?
It makes me sick how this incident is developing a momentum of its own. During the winner’s speech, S. Williams sensed it as well. She noticed, that it all was getting out of hand and that Osaka’s tears weren’t tears of joy. I think that moment she realized, what she had done. It wasn’t until the end of the press conference that she played the racism card and pledged to fight for women’s rights. Please do that, Serena, but be honest to us and to yourself!
25
I just saw the cartoon from Australia. I’m done. Done with women’s sports. I will never officiate or attend another women’s game. I loved my days as a softball umpire but society has changed and I am obviously not welcome due to my gender. The majority of softball umpires in my state are men. I suggest women step up or the sport will vanish. The risk of being labeled sexist and racist is too high.
8
@Shamrock,
What was racist in that cartoon? It's just depicted Serena's behavior and made fun of it by Naomi's request for a referee: "Can you just let her win?". Is that racist? Or any caricature of a black person is now racist?
(By the way, Naomi in the cartoon is of the same skin color as Serena, and she really has that hair - not that it matters in any way for the cartoon's point.)
10
@areader I didn’t think there was anything racist in the cartoon but obviously others do. I’m not going to risk my good name by participating in women’s sports if this is what happens to men. It’s not worth it. My main asset as a lawyer is my reputation.
@areader, it exaggerated Serena's features to make her look ape-like, which is a typical racist propaganda move.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereotypes_of_African_Americans
I can't help but believe that all the apologists for Serena's behavior aren't practicing a soft form of bigotry. Hold Serena to the same standard we would hold a man or a person of another race to. This form of bigotry is insidious. Stop treating Serena like a child. Stop excusing her behavior. She's an adult. Treat her like one!
59
@Danny
Can you reference any man or woman of another race who has been thusly penalized for the same behavior on the court in such a high stakes match? Can you point to any other sport where a single male or female athlete has been penalized in such a manner that inarguably changed the game?
I watch a lot sports, and in most high stakes games, we know the referees work hard NOT to become a part of the story. In the final two minutes of a football game, refs hold onto their flags. In the final minute of basketball games, both mens and womens, refs are known to swallow their whistles and "let them play".
While strict adherence to the rules might be the ideal, the reality is that no one tunes in to see the referees wield their rule books. We tune in to see the athletes' efforts to overcome their own nerves and their opponents' play. Would Serena still have lost the match without those code violations? Quite possibly. But if she had lost anyway, Naomi would be getting her due, the actions of the ref would never have come into play, and the arguments about Serena's behavior would be planted squarely on her shoulders.
Lastly, I would challenge you to imagine that you were forced to perform your JOB under these high stakes and in front of millions. Imagine the challenge of doing that since you were 17, while being drug tested more than any of your peers. I'm not an apologist, or a bigot. But I do know there was a lot more going on there than you appear willing to acknowledge.
4
@Danny, amazing how the ref's apologists aren't holding him to the standard of fairness and unbiased calls that sport is supposed to be about. Quit excusing his behavior. He's an adult and an official.
1
A big part of the problem with the Serena Williams of September 8th and, more importantly, the empty-headed crowd that booed the relentlessly dignified Naomi Osaka during and after her well-earned, monumental victory is found in this phrase in the article: "... (Serena Williams's) image from insurmountable god to maternally human..." Ms.Williams and the defenders of her inexcusable behavior that late afternoon were drunk on memes and themes and hot-button politics and culture wars. Serena "I Have a Daughter" Williams wasn't playing a tennis match rather she was "fighting for women's rights and women's equality." And the trump-like rally goers in the stands weren't there to see a tennis match. They were there to see motherhood and the #metoo movement win the day. It seems these days Americans can't ride a bicycle without it becoming a self-righteous, political statement. As a result, the only "thief" that day was the mom-and-the-mob that deprived the real champion of her greatest moment in her young life. I so look forward to watching Naomi Osaka play tennis, just tennis, for many years to come.
74
@Esposito That’s why I wrote in a comment before the match that the title should be given to Serena in the name of motherhood and every other group she represents. No one riled up the fan base more than the Times. They made Serena synonymous with love of mothers and everthing good in the world. That directly contributed to the shameful crowd display during and after the match. I’m assessing a game penalty on the Times sports section.
11
@Shamrock Ouch. Yes, I've been reading the Times for many, many years and, although I still consider them the newspaper of record, never have they been so transparently, desperately subjective in the way they handle social and cultural subject matter in particular. And the extremes of the trump administration explain only part of it. The Times has been snowballing this way for quite some time. So much so, as you suggest, it has even damaged their sports section. I wish it weren't true.
1
Serena did not seem to understand that when she smashed her racquet, that it was her second violation. She needed to react in a more mature way. As for the cartoon, the same cartoonist lampooned a male player a couple of days before. She was playing a woman not a man, so I do not believe there was sexism involved.
14
Anyone who has played sports has come upon a time when you know you are not going to win today, that your opponent is just better today. This is what happened to Williams and instead of losing with grace and giving her opponent credit she deflected and blamed the ref. Acting like a petulant child she ruined the day for the young Women who beat her. What should have been her greatest achievement ended with all attention on her diva opponent. On a side note, someone needs to tell the author that Williams isnt a demigod and simply human like the rest of us.
39
The very fine line between racism/sexism, and a just criticism/comment/statement is one that we will never be able to erase I fear. I don't know how things work in tennis but it seems a board for complaints would be helpful to promote fairness, if it actually took meaningful action. It's unfortunate for many involved to have such emotional tirades during the match but I suppose there are times where that's the last resort. Hopefully, if nothing else, this will spur an effort to try to make things better. It is definitely a significant moment in our current discussion on race and sex.
Sadly, in a way Serena, her sponsors, tennis world including the media have won at Osaka's expense by turning Osaka into a footnote. No one mentions that the better player won...Osaka. Naomi Osaka's play was simply the far better performance. Osaka would have won even if Serena's coach was standing next to Serena coaching Serena. What I saw were two ships passing each other going in opposite directions one whose career success is just beginning and whose potential ceiling is still yet unknown, and the other, arguably the greatest ever, whose ceiling has already been attained.
39
Why all these excuses for Williams, be she female, black, a young mother or whatever? That day was Osaka's greatest day and Williams ruined it for her by foul behaviour when she realised she was not going to win. She should apologise to Osaka just as the crowd should too.Shame on Williams, shame on the fans, shame on the US Open.
160
And shame on the WTF and Katrina Adams Chair of the USTA. Also, while the US media (not the international news) clearly supported her, at least initially, the press is suddenly realizing the majority of comments from tennis fans clearly disapprove of Serena’s display.
26
@Jo Ann
Couldn't agree more. Moreover, the racism claim is bogus--both are black and the crowd was clearly supporting Serena.
14
So many "rule followers" in the comments. I have a different view, including from that of the author.
Serena is great because of her intense competitive focus, not just her athletic skills. Her ability to summon remarkable effort from the brink is, perhaps, as great as any world class athlete I've seen. She has also endured a lifetime of subtle and sometimes overt racism and sexism.
And some folks want her to be demure and consistently gracious too? If I were a black woman (and I'm an older white man), I'd probably be a revolutionary.
Critics have no empathy for the intensity of the context. Given what was at stake, and what Ramos inflamed, I was impressed with how controlled her response was.
In any sport, a referee or umpire is responsible for understanding the competitive context and being the one to patiently simmer down any volatile situation. Ramos, in my view, has a control problem and didn't like a player, particularly a black, female player, challenging his petty authority. He had every opportunity to simply sit back and let Serena calm down. He might have even had the grace to smile, acknowledge what was at stake for her, and give her some room.
The coaching violation was petty. The equipment breaking rule is archaic, and the last violation was a travesty. "Thief?" She believed, I think correctly, that he took a point from her unfairly. Any mature person would not exacerbate the moment by insisting on establishing their own dominance.
15
@Barking Doggerel How is Serena's behavior Ramos' fault? The situation was calm but, as has happened before, Serena couldn't let go. There is no excuse for smashing your racket. That is a violation as it should be. Why should destroying a racket be okay? And how does the fact that Serena is black have anything to do with this? Ramos has been the chair umpire in many of Serena's games before
and there have been no problems. Serena was losing and it was clear she was upset with that. Berating a chair umpire and having a temper tantrum on the court is in no way justified in any situation. Serena could have and should have behaved in a much better manner.
29
@Barking Doggerel
Most in the crowd were for Serena. How can you possibly know "She has also endured a lifetime of subtle and sometimes overt racism and sexism."
4
@Barking Doggerel
got it. rules are for fools...down with the strike zone! put the goal posts on wheels and let's lose umps who take no guff from baseballers.
5
It is true that Williams has endured bias because of her race but she has used her "race" to her advantage as well. She never really was an honorable player and this match has proved she never will be.
It is disheartening to see how many passes we give professional athletes because of there superior abilities. It seems I hear the phrase "it's just so-and-so being himself or herself" so much more often these days.
And of course this attitude of acceptance (or maybe defeat) has now carried over (or infested) many aspects of our present society (think Trump). So sad.
21
@John Christoff
I've watched Serena for years. Never once did I hear/see a crowd that didn't support her. Because she's black, you cannot assume she's "..endured bias because of her race". Playing the race card is tiresome here.
12
The Job of an umpire is to understand the mechanics and emotions of the game, this was a second set that read like there was going to be a third one, he robbed her and the tennis world of it with his stupidity and lack of understanding. would a soccer ref red card Messi 2 minutes before the end of a game? would a basketball ref kick out LeBron in the third quarter of the finals against the Warriors? no they would not because they understand the game. Ramos does not, remember that at 3-4 Serena was to serve and most likely hold. as she already broke Osaka once in that set, she was probably going either do it again or go for a tie breaker. But by taking away that game from her he basically gave the game to Osaka. Handed it to her on a silver plater. this is not his job nor the reason he is sitting there. The tennis world and organization would do well to throw him out of any further association with the tennis world.
5
@Victor Sibilia: Ramos didn't "basically [give] the game to Osaka." Serena did it all by herself. Ramos was only rigorously enforcing a clearly stated code of rules, starting with his call on coaching from the stands (a violation later admitted to by the coach). Whether Serena saw the coaching or not is irrelevant. The second violation was clear for all to see. And the third - calling the referee a "liar" and a "thief" - plainly crossed the line of acceptable venting. As one of the greatest players of all time, Serena should understand by now that she's a hugely visible role model with the obligation to adhere to sportsmanlike standards of behavior. The ref did his job. She didn't.
23
Mr. Morris, the concluding two paragraphs were sheer perfection.
5
She disrespected and insulted the umpire. Disrespected her opponent and the game.
Fact is that she lost control of herself, unless her outbursts were intended to distract Osaka, something that John McEnroe did very often.
In any case Serena Williams should take a hard look at herself. She should apologize to Ramos, to Osaka, to the public and maybe take some time off to recompose herself.
62
After the point deduction, Williams demanded a verbal apology from the umpire on an international stage. She tried to use her past dominance in the sport and world celebrity to bully the umpire. She was completely wrong to then threaten the umpire that he would never sit in the seat again for any of her matches.
To then bring up her daughter was completely uncalled for.
The only thief of the match was Williams for stealing the well-deserved glory of Osaka.
113
@AF
Completely agree. Also Williams blatantly LIED when she said she didn't cheat. Her coach made it obvious he coached her in this match and at other venues.
10
I lived in Wimbledon during the McEnroe years. We were outraged with his boorish behavior. He was never perceived as a true champion. Regrettably, this is now how Serena will be remembered with too many outbursts and incidents.
24
When the umpire penalized Serena with the loss of a game, Naomi silently righted the chances by losing one so that they were even again. Nobody comments about this. This redoubles Naomi Osaka's honorable sportsmanship. Can't say the same for Serena who continues to slam anyone around for her poor performance. That she uses being a Mom and having a daughter just makes the whole thing cringe-worthy for all women. Hasn't there ever been a tennis player who had a baby? men or women? Honestly?
34
@Mulberryshoots
No, she didn't. Serena just held serve - that's all.
@Christina
No. I agree with Mulberry shoots. There were serves and shots that Serena made that Naomi Oskas might or might not have been able to get to but didn't even try for. It looked very clear to me that Osaka was giving Serena her lost game back.
I played tennis a lot. I enjoy watching the sport on T.V. Serena actions was of a bully, why, because it was all about her. Plus, her tirade was her emotional outlet to her loosing on the court. No respect to the young women on the other side of the net. Osaka was level headed and gracious to let her win the next game.
Sorry, if she wants to have a forum on inequality and the injustices of not being able to break her racket, or harass a official as well as her male counterparts, then of course have a gathering where all the tennis greats -male and female gather to discuss these issues, and bring it to the Tennis officials.
I look to a champion to be a champion- own up to their mistakes.
17
Wesley Morris' analysis is the best I have read.
I found myself substituting the name Trump for Williams a couple of times: it's "her" court; they are "my" generals.
I also think there is a standard that the players with the most grand slams owe the game and the fans. We saw that in Sampras and in Federer. We saw it in Graf. We have not seen in in Williams.
12
I'm tired of Serena and this whole situation. Everything is Serena, Serena, Serena. I want to hear more about Naomi Osaka, the winner.
94
My heart broke for both players on Saturday evening, but for different reasons. For Osaka because the pure joy of that win was stolen from her by the tidal wave of anger and confusion from Williams and the crowd, and for Williams because so much of the hard-earned public admiration for her would be diminished by her choices. The video narrated by Meryl Streep that ran right before the match showed little girls bursting with excitement to meet their hero, Serena. Losing that admiration means much more than losing a point, a game or a match.
27
folks are missing the point. the ref changed the result of the match by giving Osaka a game in a crucial spot.if Williams wins the second set, the third set would have been one for the ages.
tennis players must represent themselves on the court. in most major sports managers or coaches represent the players in disputes.tennis refs need to understand the moment and give players some leeway. if the us open wants to be considered a major event ala the world series or superbowl, it needs to act accordingly.
the spectacle we witnessed would never have occured if the people in charge had acted appropriately. where was the tournament ref? name a major sport where the
score is adjusted just because someone argues a call. think about that.
7
@neil levine Tennis adjusts the score for arguing and other code violations because that's the only mechanism they have for keeping order. You can't compare it to team sports, because in a team sport a player might be assessed a foul or ejected after arguing- in a sense, this affects the score because a player has to stop playing or play differently. In a one on one match, the chair umpire in tennis can't eject a player without ending the match, but code violations are like assessing fouls. The first violation for coaching was pretty questionable, but the second violation was pretty indisputable- it's supposed to be an automatic violation when a player destroys their racquet like Serena did. (If you see a player not being assessed a point penalty for that, it's probably because they did not already have a violation in the match, as Serena did). Once she was assessed the point penalty, Serena should have been completely aware that a further violation would result in a game penalty- that's how they progress, by the rules. It's not like the umpire did not give her any leeway at all- after the point penalty, he allowed her to yell at him during an entire changeover, then she came back and continued to yell at him at the next changeover. And though she didn't use profanity, she did repeatedly question his honesty and integrity, which is actually part of the rulebook description of the violation. And by all accounts, Ramos is a very "by-the-book" umpire.
51
@neil levine You are the person Serena was appealing to by her antics. Most children grow out of that at an early age and play sports with a healthy attitude.
10
It’s remarkable how cool under pressure Naomi was for 1. Playing against her idol who is a very strong player 2. Dealing with a crowd who wanted their favorite to win. 3. Watching the petty antics of her opponent which had to be highly distracting (and maybe that was the strategy to get the crowd on her side). Serena was taken by surprise of her skilled and motivated opponent, plus the crowd wanted her to win her “tie-breaking” 24th Grand Slam. Instead, Naomi - in quick, skilled and polished fashion - showed her who was the more skilled and cool under pressure player. I don’t think we need to look any further than that for her resultant behavior. - she couldn’t take losing to a much younger and more skilled player, so quickly, in the US Open Final. I am speculating that all of the on-court meltdown about this and that and on and on ad nauseam was due to overwhelming frustration. But coming from the much more experienced and mature (in age) player made it even more cringe worthy as you would likely expect the complete opposite.
49
I remember when Serena threatened a linesperson with physical violence. She is no model for sportsmanship and it is disingenuous for her to claim higher ground. She was losing to Osaka and once again Serena found a way to make it all about herself. Tennis does not deserve Serena's behavior and she no longer serves as a champion that our children should look up to. None of this excuses the behavior of McEnroe, Agassi, Connors or Nastase. But this is 2018. There are many tennis greats, male and female, who are great role models. Serena is not one of them.
148
The rule banning coaching during grand slam tennis matches is a bad rule that needs to be changed. First of all, it is unfair to make the players responsible for the behavior of their coaches during a match. The coaches, even though employed by their respective players, are not children. Usually they are older and more mature than the players for whom they work, and they are there to guide the players with their supposedly superior tennis knowledge and wisdom. It is ludicrous to punish the player for any indiscretions committed by the coach. Fine the coach, and banish the coach to the locker room if they are the ones breaking the rules. Secondly, the evidence is clear that the coaching ban during grand slam matches cannot be enforced fairly. Too many people get away with breaking that rule, and it is not good enough to argue that the umpires don't have eyes in the backs of their heads. The rule therefore has to be either scrapped or replaced by one that can be more easily enforced across the board by one umpire. During a post-match press conference one reporter praised Naomi Osaka on her innocence and honesty during the Women's Final. Ms Osaka seemed to amuse some people when she replied, "How do you know that I wasn't doing something wrong?" Maybe this question should be reworded by asking, "How do you know I wasn't receiving illicit coaching during the final as well, because you only cared about what the Serena Williams camp was doing?
11
A couple of points.
Watch the video footage of the coach. He made the gestures repeatedly. Then nodded, seemingly making eye contact with the receiver, to acknowledge they had been received and understood. Of course he could have been wrong...but he seemed quite focused on getting through, and equally convinced that he had.
Concerning the 'sexist' umpire. The reporting indicated he is well known for being strict. Perhaps he enforces the rules strictly in the hope of returning tennis to a place where fair play and civility are basic requirements, as laid out the rule book. I don't know his history, but it is a reasonable possibility that deserves at least to be acknowledged and discussed in the rush to judgement of his character.
I for one, would welcome the same high standard applied to men and women.
35
mr morris, like the serena chorus who turn broadcast tennis coverage into williams worship, are having trouble with this one...the gracious serena jekell who calmed the crowd was mugged by the serena hyde who, forced to drink the kool aid of defeat, lost it before she actually lost IT.
please boys and girls, enough with the excuses and sociology, read the rules, serena was justly warned and tagged, period.
the rules that are dishonored by disregard ("nobody calls that, especially in a grand slam final" or "if a man did that...") are the rules made by the tennis people themselves and can be changed at the drop of a shot at the net.
the hypocrisy of having the rules and breaking them too should be obvious to anyone paying attention, even the "proud of our sport" ex players who bring us the blather that barely stops to allow points to be played.
how hard would it be to charge the umpires with enforcement of the rules (with review and sanctions if they fail)? and while we're at it get the referee out of the tunnel and into the game.
the flexible (feeble?) use of the serve clock only affirms a fecklessness that should generate not pride but anger at the casual regard for the rules of the game.
the bet here is that respect for the rules. applied to ALL without fear or favor, will lift everyone's spirits.
3
Is Serena the greatest tennis player of all time? Probably. "The greatest athlete of all time"?......probably not.
7
Serena might be the greatest female tennis player, but she is not the greatest of all tennis players.
8
Wesley Morris' analysis is fair and perceptive. Serena Williams, an aging athlete losing to a poised player 16 years her junior, also lost control of her ugly temper. Going into the match, she knew and accepted the rules, and knew the chair umpire was a strict constructionist. She could not have been surprised when the rules were enforced. She should have accepted the rulings with good grace and concentrated on her game.
Williams's conduct, and that of the crowd, darkened Naomi Osaka's moment in the sun — and for that there was no excuse. Williams brought shame upon herself, her sport, and her country. For that, there will be no redemption. She should retire from tennis before she does more harm.
83
I've been watching sports all my life. The start of the downside of a great athlete's career is always painful, both for the athlete, and for her fans. One of the reasons great athletes are so successful is their tenacious unwillingness to accept or acknowledge failure. When they are young and successful, that quality manifests itself mostly in positive ways. Later on, the picture is less inspiring, if more human. But for the most part, we remember the great athletes for their accomplishments during their prime. I suspect the same will hold true for Serena Williams.
5
This is starting to look like workplace bullying.
The rich celeb is using her media muscle to vilify and slander a lowly tennis umpire who was just doing his job and has no real opportunity to defend himself.
183
@poppetmaster
Agreed. It’s sick how people won’t let this breathe.
5
Or is it a male chauvinist control freak with a large ego who needs to insert them self in the spotlight and doesn’t like a subservient role to a strong black woman?
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Two things can true at once:
Why did Carlos Ramos only call coaching on serena’s team. I’d like to see the tape on Naomi’s box to see if sascha was indeed coaching as well. Tennis’ arbitrary application of rules is terrible.
Serena wasn’t wrong. But she could have handled the situation better. For herself if no one else.
However. Given all the discrimination she has endured. I wonder how there could be any other reaction
Finally I also wonder why ramos was so quick to insert himself. Seeing the videotape-That gesture by morataglu warranted a discreet verbal warning
Earlier in the tournament another umpire Mohammed layani got out of his chair to chide and encourage a male player nick kyrios. Kyrios was the recipient of this verbak warning not a actual penalty. .... it make you wonder
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@Mary Martinez
Only in today’s world can a world-wide celebrity athlete earning tens of millions of dollars a year be considered discriminated against.
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@TW Smith, discrimination doesn't end when a minority becomes successful. It just gets more subtle.
@Mary Martinez
Kyrgios only got a warning because it was his first violation of the match.
The rules are unambiguous:
first violation = warning
second violation = one point penalty
third violation = one game penalty
Ramos regularly gives violations when he spots coaching. He gave one to Serena, and it was a warning.
She got her second violation when she smashed her racket (and that's a mandatory violation), and her third when she called Ramos a liar and thief. (If she'd called him swear-word names, she might not have been penalized; the rule is no impugning of a referee's integrity.)
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Which is the biggest betrayal of societies standards- les Mionvees behavior and subsequent golden parachute or Serena’s behavior and subsequent fine.
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Thank you for this very perceptive, provocative essay.
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What is the author of this piece thinking? Why call her performance the other day a "fall"? She made some mistakes. She can learn from them. It's not a fall, which sounds so morbid and final.
Also, why assume that racism and sexism lie behind the French decision? Maybe they just like more traditional garb.
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I see an entitled brat who was beaten and behaved badly. No class, just self pity, pride and entitlement: I am the great Serena Williams, how dare you accuse me!
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Serena is a champion, but not a good sportsman. Referees are an essential part of the game. Even if their judgement is off, they deserve respect. Serena acted like a diva, untouchable. She lost control. That has no defense. It was a lamentable spectable. And unfortunately, the biased crowd lost control also. It really made New York look bad.
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@hourcadette, a referee blatantly calling a match unfairly is way more serious than an athlete calling him out. If players can’t rely on unbiased treatment, it makes a mockery of the sport.
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Get a grip. She is human, she is the greatest, she is a fierce competitor, she acted horribly in this incident, period. Everyone falls short sometimes. This did not follow the identity politics narrative (European male up on high oppressing the black female) that the media clings too. Life is sometimes more nuanced than the old oppressed/oppressor narrative and watching the media do backflips to try to fit it into that narrative has been truly astonishing!
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Yup. Bad behavior cannot be excused by any gender or race. It's simply bad behavior by a human being. And I, for one, am sick of people using either as an excuse. We have lost our civility when we think this is acceptable for anyone.
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Why was John McEnroe`s name in this article ?
He gave a bad name for American athletes.
Serene Serena is none of that.
Everyone in this World is entitled of showing frustration once in a while and this is a championship game.
In the end this too shall pass, Serena has a newborn and has gone through health problem yet she was back to her game.
Congratulation to Naomi Osaka for playing a great game !
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Not a Serena fan, admire her tennis, think the ump made the original sin of calling a code violation for coaching that is hardly ever called in such situations, particularly the final of a major. The writer spends far too much time over writing this obvious point. Rules are not always rules in tennis, judgment comes into play often , Carlos Ramos inserted himself into a match for no obvious good reason. It was an entirely unexpected judgment call that Serena initially handled very well. Why this call was made here might very well have to do with race and gender and/or the ump's officious sense of rule enforcement. It's certainly far different than the umpire giving fatherly advice to the tanking Krygios earlier in the open. And far too similar to the French open cat suit disaster and the Cornet disaster. The writer seems caught up in his own overly elaborated words and misses what most people, including most tennis professionals, save for Navratilova, saw as obvious differential enforcement of a very little enforced rule. Again not a fan of her behavior at times. But not sure I would not have acted similarly in such an over disciplined situation.
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The writer seems caught up in his own overly elaborated words and misses what most people, including most tennis professionals, save for Navratilova, saw as obvious differential/inequitable enforcement of a very little enforced rule.
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@Rickibobbi It's not all about this "little-enforced rule", though- the violation for coaching did not result in a point or game penalty in and of itself. The two code violations that followed were entirely within Ms. Williams' control.
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Her actions were entirely consistent with behavior that has been tolerated without comment, warning, or penalty from this or other referees .... in male players. Serena was held to a different standard. That referee was incensed she had the nerve to challenge his obvious bias, and he was determined to put this uppity woman her in her place. Consequently he tarnished the match for both players. He blatantly abused his power and should never sit in that chair again.
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@TH either that, or all the other judges were too scared to call her out before. Probably cuz they didn’t want a ball shoved down their throat. This isn’t the first time she’s lost it. The judge did nothing wrong, he gave a warning and the coach admitted to goving signals. A warning means almodt nothing. It’s like when a cop pulls you over and tells you he is letting you go without a ticket, just slow it down. You say thank you and move on with your life. But no, she had to then smash a racket and then call the judge a thief for deducting a point. Which by the way is automatic for racket smashing. The worst part is us fans who paid to watch that game have to now listen to all this nonsense defending her. She’s a champion who had the sportsmanship of a total lose (this time). She’s acted with grace and class most of the time, but not this time. Give credit when it is due and call people out for disrespectful behavior when it is due.
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I always think of the uniquely ugly shocking mockery of Serena's race and physicality including people dressed to imitate her in grotesque costumes stuffed to have huge derrieres. This reminds me of the disgusting online comments that compared Michelle Obama and Leslie Jones to apes, gorillas and "men pretending to be women."
Serena had a rough time in childbirth and it may take a long long time before that trauma passes for her.
What I wish is for people to be more compassionate about the stress she's been under for decades in a way that many of us can't imagine. How are we supposed to know what it's like to be a black woman continually being likened to an animal? None of her mastery or courage or brilliance has put an end to that.
Maybe the referees and conference managers who continually pick at her - the catsuit? really? - could give more thought to what it was and is like for Serena Williams to be the greatest female athlete alive in a world where so many people hate female athletes and black athletes -- and leave her the heck alone.
She does owe an apology to Naomi Osaka who deserved to enjoy her great victory without all this ambivalence and focus on Serena.
10
Women and minorities suffer in the face of righteousness and arrogant use of authority...we all suffer in that situation, but some more than others. Ms.Williams has a history of finding her own way in a match...not being told how to play but finding her own feel. Imagine if the judge had simply considered that history...not being so sure of what he saw...she may not have looked, seen or accepted her coaches behavior. I was not happy to see Serena fight for herself...but no one else would, her frustration became unbearable for her, I was not happy to see tears running down Naomi's face. I was happy to witness Serena's kindness to her adorable opponent. The atmosphere created was in the tennis association's court. It was all about Ramos and his exerting his self importance ... the tennis group can 'fine' and site the rules, just as Jeff Session is justifying babies in gages. The pain caused the tennis observers to watch this display of arrogance and the pain our nation feels to think of our government taking babies from their parents, in our name, just feels awful, clearly on wholly different levels. Justice matters. There must be more thoughtful equitable ways to entertain at the highest level of sports or to govern in the greatest nation in the world.
Remembering and grieving loss today on 9/11...let us all try to do better.
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@RobTenney Ramos and his exerting his self importance---maybe - for me it looked like it is all about Serena.
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Serena is undoubtedly a great tennis player. Arguably the best ever She is also a bad sport and using her gender and /or her race diminishes her. She also stole a moment of glory and accomplishment from Naomi Osaka because it is all about Serena. I disagree with the notion that “we” showed up or turned on the tv to watch only Serena. Naomi Osaka had shown an increasing greatness and this was her moment too. The pressure of Serena’s fading chance to reach a certain number of majors made the match more dramatic. Ultimately, Serena was unable to handle that pressure.
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@Ricardo de la O Well said!
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So, per your analysis, let Serena lead with silence, a la the French Open ruling. Your “analysis” obviates the excessive drug testing, the relentless nadty, racist memes and social media commentary and the pressure that she has lived under, mostly with grace, on a global stage. You have 3 photos of “outbursts” in a 20 year career. So, in your mind, people cannot sometimes justifiably snap under the unfairness.
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Serena got blindsided by a "coaching" violation that her coach had never received *in his life* and had to react in real time. You've had two days to compose this dreary essay policing her. It would be a better world if more women, in all their glorious imperfection, were to follow Serena's example and stand up for themselves in the moment.
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@Herman Privyhum Serena is undoubtedly a great tennis player. Arguably the best ever - but in this instance she was a bad sport. She made a mistake. The victim was Osaka.
To say that woman or anyone should behave like Serena,- and stand up for themselves - is stupid. My guess is that Serena was bahaving like this because she was loosing. As all great athletes - they HATE that. Serena is a role model - but not in that moment. The referee followed the rules. Maybe to vicariously Maybe he got provoked - but he is like Serena only a human. You all defend your hero to much.
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@Jørgen Bo Hansen, Serena didn't get where she is by taking all the garbage that's come her way lying down — even if her response to the ump's bizarre ruling in the heat of the moment was imperfect, she was right to contest it.
Just like the advent of instant replay at the Open thanks to Serena speaking up, we should soon expect to see the absurd coaching rule changed so that it is not so prone to uneven enforcement.
There is a life-lesson we can take from how Serena has handled conflict, which will greatly displease a number of you in this comment section: By speaking out and standing strong through the clamor of critics, you can make the world a better place.
Could we have a profile on the poor umpire? He enforces the rules, takes the abuse, gets thrown under the bus by tennis associations. We are debating whether women have equal rights to abuse referees basically?
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FMSaigon, almost all umpires and referees in all sports know they are there to umpire/referee, not to make themselves the absolute power and center of attention as this male umpire did without understanding that this was a Grand Slam Championship with a 24th Grand Slam Title on the line requiring discretion at certain moments. Witness the female umpire for the Men's US Open Championship. She at times let Djokovic violate the serve time clock by 3 or 4 seconds when she understood the particular moment required the exercise of discretion. Play continued without drama created by this thinking female umpire. Coaching from the player's box in tennis is rampant but ignored, except when it isn't but with the umpire giving a WARNING NOT a CODE VIOLATION. TV match commentators speak all the time to the rampant, unpenalized coaching in many, many tennis matches. This male says no male should umpire a women's tennis match, because most males still are unable to accept females as equals, especially not Black females. Umpire Ramos should never again umpire a Women's Tennis Championship match.
3
Being angry with one's performance is perfectly reasonable, particularly when the stakes are high. But for a seasoned professional, pitching a full on snit, smashing your racket and yelling at the official is never cool whether one is male, female, black, white, etc. If Serena is such a diva now, and frankly a poor sport, then maybe it's time for her to move on to something less stressful.
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Athlete behaves badly. Is this really worth the print space it is getting?
For some reason bad behavior by tennis players has become fairly common. This seems to have begun in the seventies with the bratish behavior of MaEnroe an Conners. I never understood why the professional tennis governing group put up with it. No one is ever truly punished just fined what is to most players on the circuit a pittance.
8
@TW Smith. Ms. Osaka is a tennis player and an athlete, and I thought she behaved quite well.
3
What "fall"? More like a couple of missteps, unfairly penalized. If, as appears very likely, Ms. Osaka comes to dominate the sport as Ms. Williams does now, she may well benefit from the discussion of sexist umpire rulings that Ms.Williams has initiated.
11
Without defending Serena's outburst the initial warning by the judge was ridiculous (which opened up the whole sad affair). Coaches regularly send signals to players. Making Serena's ethnicity an element in the article is offensive. Serena is a woman, an outstanding tennis player, and a human being. Johnny Mac set the standard for on court outbursts. I challenge the article's writer to research whether Mac's ethnicity was mentioned.
5
@JRR
If coaching during a match is against the rules are you saying such a rule not apply to Ms Williams? If coaches are not supposed to send signals to players then maybe they should just disqualify the player and forfeit the match?
Ms Williams should have been allowed to wear the clothing in which she felt most comfortable. The sartorial restrictions started this mess.
We all have a breaking point. She reached hers for more than one reason. The coaching she needed was to walk away from the vindictive judge to prevent her anger from being used against her .
3
@DF Of course. The rules do not apply to her. She should be the only one at Wimbledon allowed to wear a color other than white.
5
@JerseyGirl, wow, are you still peeved about that? Even though other players fast followed suit to wear non-white outfits? Proof, once again, that when white folks break the rules they are called trailblazers, but when non-whites do it, they are called disrespectful.
Les Moonvees is being offered millions to resign from CBS after multiple accusations of sexual assault.
Serena is being fined for fussing at a referee. People are holding her to higher standards than we hold the President or CEOs.
The world is backwards.
None of us tuned in to watch the umpire or Osaka( as good as she is, and potentially great). The greatest draw for women’s tennis is Serena.
16
@Gary Speak for yourself. I tuned in to watch a tennis match (unlike most of the so-called tennis fans in the stands). No matter how great Serena is, and she is indeed great, the sport of tennis is greater, and she disrespected it. If she really was as noble as everyone says, she would apologize to Osaka. My great fear is that this incident will permanently derail a wonderful new star's career.
9
@Gary
Because she is popular she should get a pass? Wow, it’s like a microcosm of our entire society.
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@Gary
Well, I think that Osaka's family might have tuned in to watch her. And that arrogance is a big part of the problem. How dare Osaka ruin Serena's big day, right? How dare the chair umpire call out Serena's coach for coaching her from his chair? (Which he admitted to doing). Hasn't this always been at the bottom of these ugly temper tantrums we've seen from her? How dare you stop ME from winning MY tournament!
63
All great atheletes have to deal with aging and younger athletically gifted opponents. I admire Serena’s great achievements. However, I do not see the need to spend an entire column trying to understand or explain behavior that results in penalties. Serena can compete until her age makes her accept the reality that her time as a champion is over. Her legend is secure. She is one of the greatest players.
Playing with grace as she reaches the end of her career will enhance her status and monetary value and hopefully she will get herself under control. I wish her the best, however, I am not sympathetic to the bad behavior and it diminishes her in my opinion.
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@Jack You and most of the other men commenting on one man's column appear each appear unable to understand the context. Who really cares that you see Serena as diminished? Women will not, for sure.
What I saw was a woman frustrated with herself to start with and then angry (Oh my God! We do hate it when women display anger - they are so scary!) at the judge for rulings that seemed unfair to her and seem unfair to me.
And Mr. Werner, how is it that you missed a key event - when the winner was announced and the crowd was booing? Serena admonished the crowd and in words and deeds supported and celebrated the winner of the match Ms. Osaka. Your failure to include that in your piece makes me skeptical about your motives.
6
@Sue Frankewicz
Wrong. Dead wrong. She soothed the crowd that she got riled up with her temper tantrum and she’s suppossed to get credit? When else has a us open player cried from SADNESS after winning the finals? Osaka dominated that match and deserved to stand there with pride. Serena busted a racket and called the judge a thief. She received a warning, a point deduction and then a game deduction. The escalation of penalties is obvious. This is the same woman who in front of live national television threatened to force an object down a other woman’s throat. Imagine what she does when the whole world isn’t watching. I have no sympathy. Also the line about how dare a woman express herself is complete baloney. So what? When a man gets angry he is allowed to break things around the house?! No. Then the cops get called and he gets in trouble. If she didn’t break a racket then she wouldn’t have gotten a game deducted for calling him a thief. It would have been only one point instead. She lost the match to a better opponent AND to her own hubris. Made a 20 year old woman feel shame for playing her heart out and winning a championship. But yeah, lets feel bad for serena.
2
So after Serena set the house on fire and created the uproar we should congratulate her for coming to the award ceremony with a bucket of water to help put out the fire? Just imagine if the chair umpire was a woman and the player was a man. Would we have said the same thing how she inserted herself and spoiled the match by enforcing the rules. Her coach got caught. She wasn’t pleased. Spoke to the umpire and appeared to move on and broke Osaka. She lost it all after she got as broken back and the reality that she didn’t have it that day (the first set unadulterated by any umpire “interference” proved that). The pressure she put on herself was building to win 24 at “home”. She smashed her racquet no one else did. That was when she put HERSELF in the position she found herself in. She then mocked and insulted the umpire repeatedly including the diva statement that he would never be on the court with her ever again like it’s the Serena Open. No one would be surprised about how Ramos callled the match. Just ask Rafa who said he is a stickler for the rules. You see this in baseball and basketball all the time. Know the official who is calling the game. They all have a pattern. The result is what we saw. She couldn’t get past that she was playing terrible and couldn’t deal with that and the lost opportunity and that explains where this all came from. She is a great player as was McEnroe and both get to live with the great success and outbursts that surround thier careers
16
No person is any one thing; we are incredibly complex, we humans. And so it is for Williams.
She is one of the greatest athletes this planet has ever seen. Her work ethic is second to none. She lost her focus on Saturday in her quest for fairness.
But I wish her love of the game and respect for her opponents was as great. I had hoped she might apologize to the fans and Osaka.
86
I am a father of three daughters. Serena is not a role model to look up to for them. My younger two play tennis for fun for some reason have no interest watching it on TV. I am glad they did not watch this final. Could someone tell me if there is any difference between the way she treated that lines woman and the female umpire (comment on her look) and Trump treated Cruz's wife?
Only reason I paid attention, but did not watch, to this final is for Naomi and how innocent and polite she was after winning the semi final.
49
Wow. What a lot of elaborate excuse making for behavior most of us learned in the school yard as being wrong namely, breaking the rules. Winning is always made a little (or a lot) easier when rules are broken and people get away with it. But when we lionize or excuse this type of behavior as being part of the package of being excellent or competitive, we do a great disservice to all the people who do follow the rules. Because without the rule followers, the rule breakers wouldn't be able to gain an advantage. We had another name for this in the school yard: sore loser.
141
@Jonathan... Do your sacred rules apply to the temper outbursts of White male players equally as well?
20
@TOBY You should read Martina Navratilova's excellent column in the NYT. While equal treatment of men and women should be the standard in tennis and everywhere else, Serena's behavior was the problem in this US Open final. This essay attempted to put Serena's behavior in some kind of perspective but clearly did not condone it.
2
@TOBY
It certainly should apply to all and I believe it does. Ms Williams is not a victim. If you can’t deal with the officiating, get out of the sport.
3