Two people were wronged amid the tumult of Saturday night’s US Open final, and neither of them was called Serena Williams.
First there was Naomi Osaka, keeping her head when many around her were losing theirs, whose display of extraordinary maturity to win her first Major ought to have been this tournament’s most glittering memory.
Then there was Carlos Ramos, a decent man and excellent umpire. He had his good name traduced by people who should know better after the wildest night at Flushing Meadows since, well, the last time Serena lost the plot here.
Serena Williams was heavily critical of umpire Carlos Ramos during her US Open final defeat
Her extraordinary rant overshadowed her 6-2, 6-4 loss to Naomi Osaka at Flushing Meadows
What should have been an evening of celebration, women’s tennis adding potentially the shiniest new star to its firmament in years, ended in embarrassment.
It was embarrassing not just for Williams and her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, but also the ex-players like Andy Roddick who rushed to defend the indefensible and condemn the officiating for applying long-established rules.
In multiple sports it is said that no individual is bigger than the game itself, but tennis challenges this truism more than any other.
A recap. Williams was called for three offences in the final: for being coached from the stands, for smashing her racket and then for her sustained tirades of abuse at Ramos in the chair, which became more and more animated.
Williams has been fined £13,000 after her outburst during US Open final on Saturday
Even the most determined Serena groupie, which seems to include most former players in commentary boxes, should acknowledge that he was following established procedures.
Lest it be forgotten, she was already two breaks of serve down before the trouble started, rattled by the startling early brilliance of her young opponent.
In her packed press conference later Williams was taken aback when informed that Mouratoglou had already admitted coaching. She was to end it with a flourish when she broadened the argument out into allegations of sexism which, pathetically, was met with a round of applause from many in this supposedly impartial assembly.
As she plots her way forward, from what has been the hugely impressive achievement of making two Grand Slam finals within barely a year of giving birth, she may consider the future of what has been a hugely successful collaboration with Mouratoglou.
Williams also received a violation for breaking her racket on the court in New York
Already, earlier this summer, she had to impose an interview blackout on the usually media-friendly Frenchman.
And there seemed to be a failure of preparation on both their parts ahead of Saturday’s final. They should have noted that Ramos is an official with a long record of being prepared to censor players, whatever their stature. And no, he does not discriminate.
The allegations of sexism came across rather like the football manager who attempts to distract attention from a bad result by pinning things on the referee.
Those who follow tennis regularly will have seen Ramos clash in recent seasons with the likes of Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic at major events over the enforcement of regulations, not to mention her sister Venus, whom he has also called for coaching.
Where it is possible to have more sympathy with Serena and Mouratoglou is when venturing into the area of tennis’s selective enforcement of its rulebook.
In most matches they, and other players and coaches, cannot be sure when strictures are going to be applied. An example only this fortnight was the haphazard introduction of heat rules, which so enraged Murray in the first week.
Williams smashed her racket as she grew more and more frustrated on the court
The most long-running farce, in tournaments without the new shot clock, has involved the lax enforcement of the 25-second rule between points. Illegal coaching, as Mouratoglou pointed out, has become another grey area.
But Ramos should not be blamed for calling it out. And what must he and other officials, volunteer and professional, make of the disgraceful statement from ex-player and US Tennis Association President Katrina Adams, backing up Williams after her repeated verbal assaults on the chair?
The whole sport cannot function without umpires and line judges, and now a hugely important figure in the American game praises someone who has just called one of their number a liar and a thief.
It is not that this is Williams’s first offence here. In 2009 she threatened a line judge and two years later she told another woman, umpire Eva Asderaki, that she was a ‘hater’ and ‘unattractive inside’.
Yet the pressure Williams has been under this time should not be underestimated.
At this year’s Wimbledon it was instructive to talk to Jill Smoller, Williams’s long standing agent, who spoke thoughtfully about how many causes Serena was taking on and standing up for.
Her player is an incredibly impressive and inspirational person in so many ways, albeit one not above the rules. Perhaps everything on her shoulders was too much, resulting in Saturday’s implosion.
In her innocence Osaka pointed to something interesting afterwards. She was considering how she had halted the dream narrative Williams was trying to fulfil - winning the US Open as a parent at nearly 37 years of age.
“She really wanted to have the 24th Grand Slam, right? Everyone knows this. It's on the commercials, it's everywhere.”
Linkhienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2018/09/10/you-cant-defend-the-indefensible-two-people-were-wronged-on-saturday-and-neither-were-williams/
Main photo article Two people were wronged amid the tumult of Saturday night’s US Open final, and neither of them was called Serena Williams.
First there was Naomi Osaka, keeping her head when many around her were losing theirs, whose display of extraordinary maturity to win her first Major ought to have been this ...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves Online news HienaLouca
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