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In the final of the U.S. Open, Serena Williams was penalized for a coaching warning at 30-15 during Osaka’s serve. Williams explained that her coach simply gave her a “thumbs up,” then repeatedly said “this is not fair” to Carlos Ramos, the umpire of the game.
Carlos Ramos has been an umpire for 17 years. Williams’ warning was apparently the third warning of the match, and she then called Ramos a “thief”, saying, “I don’t cheat to win, I’d rather lose.”
By communicating with her coach, Williams penalized a rule that prevents communication between players and coaches during game time. However, Williams maintained that male players have done “far worse” and not been penalized. She has since been fined $17,000 for her penalties.
Here’s what you need to know.
1. Williams Received Three Penalties During the Match
Williams first received a penalty for her coach giving her a motion during game time, which appeared to be him motioning her to move forward. She then received a second penalty for smashing her racket in the next game. She was then docked a full point for that penalty.
Williams then went up to Ramos and could be heard saying, “Every time I play here I have problems… You owe me an apology. I have never cheated in my life…You’re attacking my character. You’ll never ever be on the same court as me for the rest of your career. You owe me an apology… don’t talk to me! How dare you insinuate that I was cheating?! You stole a point from me, you’re a thief too!”
Ramos then gave Williams a game penalty. Throughout the altercation, Williams was blinking back tears. Osaka won the final shortly after.
2. Ramos Was Escorted Off of the Court Early
Though umpires usually stay for the award ceremony and receive a gift, Ramos was escorted off of the court early by referee Brian Early.
As Williams and Osaka stood at the podium, Williams could be seen reassuring Osaka, who appeared to be crying, undoubtedly not pleased with the way the match concluded.
3. Williams Has Since Been Fined $17,000 For Her Penalties
In the wake of her controversial penalties, Williams was fined $17,000 for her penalties, which will be deducted from her $1.8 million winnings. The penalties break down as such:$10,000 for “verbal abuse” of Ramos, $4,000 for being warned about coaching during game time, and $3,000 for breaking her racket.
4. At the French Open, Novak Djokovic Got Into an Argument With Ramos & Was Not Penalized Whatsoever
In the wake of Williams’ now-infamous altercation with Ramos, more information has surfaced about his previous treatment of male players in comparison to female players. One such comparison is to that of Noval Djokovic’s argument with Ramos at the U.S. Open.
Djokovic told Ramos at one point, “You’re losing your mind,” after being given a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct. He was not docked any points or given any penalties for the altercation with Ramos, unlike Williams.
5. Another Instance of Nick Kyrgios Has Surfaced, in Which He Calls Ramos’ Decision ‘F*cking B*llsh*t’ & Doesn’t Get Penalized
Another situation has surfaced in which tennis player Nick Kyrgios exploded at Ramos during the 2018 Australian Open. Kyrgios was given a warning after raising his voice at a ballboy, to which he immediately replied, “So I go ‘towel’ louder than usual and you gonna give me an unsportsmanlike? Really? What rules am I breaking? That’s bulls***. Are you kidding? How can you sit there and give me a code for that?”
Kyrgios later accused Ramos of “incredible bias.” He was not docked any game or point penalties.
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