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Referee Brian Earley led chair umpire Carlos Ramos, second from left, after Serena Williams, right, bowed in the women's US Open final. (Julio Cortez / AP)
Bieler
Sports journalist covering national topics, as well as support for coverage of teams in the DC region
Shortly after being sentenced to a match penalty that contributed to her loss to the US women's final, Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams accused chair Umpire Carlos Ramos of treating her sexistically. On Thursday, the men's half of the mixed doubles team at this tournament called Williams' charges "somewhat far-fetched".
The women's final sparked controversy when Ramos alerted Williams for the first time, provoking an indignant reaction against the Grand Slam winner 23 times and then a deduction for frustration. After Williams repeatedly expressed his dissatisfaction with Ramos, including calling him a "thief," he cited verbal abuse by inflicting a penalty that changed the score from 4-3 to 5-3. and Williams, already in a set. fell quickly after that, 6-2, 6-4.
"I've seen other men call several other referees," said Williams after the match, which ended with some apologies during the trophy presentation. "I am fighting for women's rights and for women's equality and for all kinds of things. For me to say "thief" and take a game, it gave me the impression that it was a sexist remark. He never took a match with a man because he said "thief." "
Asked about the comments, Britain's Jamie Murray, who won mixed doubles with US team Bethanie Mattek-Sands, said, "I think it's a little far-fetched."
"I think the referee did what was in his rights," Murray told the BBC. Murray, six-time Grand Slam winner in doubles and older brother of former world No. 1 Andy Murray. "Coaching is common, many people do it, some people are not called.
"Being called to the Grand Slam final may have been a bit tight, but I think the reaction was rather exaggerated."
The controversial events of the women's final cast a shadow over Osaka's triumph, the first for a tennis player representing Japan, and he continued to make the tennis world speak and far beyond. Some of the most recognized personalities of the sport took divergent positions on who was most to blame, with tastes such as Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Novak Djokovic and Pam Shriver showing Ramos, while Martina Navratilova and Mary Carillo, among others, claimed that Williams was more responsible for his behavior.
While some critics of Ramos said he should have acted more discreetly with regard to Williams' penalty, King was more direct in resuming the charge of sexism. "Did Ramos treat Williams differently than male players? I think he did, "said in a guest column for the Washington Post the titlist of the 12 great singers of the Grand Slam, also known for its defense of women's rights.
During a Davis Cup event in Zadar, Croatia, where American men face this country – Ramos serving as the presiding judge -, players have tried to choose their words carefully when playing the game. they were asked about the Williams component. However, several members of the team made it clear that they thought Ramos was not treating Williams unfairly.
"He was polarized and in some ways politicized, but we do not doubt that Carlos was only applying the rules as he sees them," said captain Jim Courier, who oversees a team that includes Steve Johnson. , Mike Bryan, Frances Tiafoe and Sam Querrey. and Ryan Harrison, told The Associated Press on Thursday.
"Look, I do not want this to get out of the way," Johnson said. "But he has applied rules that have been applied to me over the years.
"I've never been called for coaching, but for racket abuse, verbal abuse," added Johnson. "It's just a part of the sport. I think a lot of things may have been boosted because it was the final of the US Open. "
The AP reported that the president of the American Tennis Federation, Katrina Adams, who quickly supported Williams and declared that a double standard based on gender existed in his sport, apologized in Ramos on the site of the Davis Cup. Referees are usually not allowed to discuss match details, so Ramos has little to say about the controversy, other than telling a newspaper in his native Portugal: "It's a delicate situation, but arbitration à la carte does not exist. Do not worry about me! "
Subject to anonymity, other referees expressed major dissatisfaction with Adams and WTA CEO Steve Simon in favor of Williams. An article in the Times of London on Tuesday said some referees were discussing a boycott of Williams' matches, dismayed by Ramos being "suspended to dry".
"The fraternity of the referees is deeply disturbed to be abandoned by the WTA," Richard Ings, a former senior referee who is now retired, told ESPN on Tuesday. "They all fear being the next Ramos. They believe that no one has the back when they have to make unpopular calls. "
Another retired referee, Felix Torralba, played down the boycott debate on Wednesday, telling The New York Times: "I'll put my hand on the fire to say that it's not coming from the professional referees." A room of related people to arbitration, but no people working on the tour, who are international officials. I doubt that. I talked to colleagues. I do not believe it.
Thursday in Croatia, Bryan called Ramos "always a fair and balanced guy" who had "made a decision in the heat of the moment" in the United States.
"I think we're all aware of the fact that three strikes and you're going to get a match penalty," Bryan said.
"It's hard to say one side or the other without causing a great stir," said Harrison about the controversy, calling it "a situation where we know that Serena is amazing, she's iconic and we know that Carlos is worthy of being there for these matches. "
"I know Carlos and I know he's not trying to put himself in a difficult position," Harrison continued. "I really believe he was trying to do what he felt was right then, and always in exciting situations, it's going to be a sticky, sticky point every time it's in a grand slam final. "
Coaching is a potential penalty for which Ramos will not have to exercise judgment in Croatia, as the Davis Cup rules allow captains to sit on the track and instruct players. If a consensus emerges from the notable tennis notes on the Williams episode, it is that coaching is endemic, that it is called incoherently and should simply be allowed in all tournaments.
"If tennis caught up with the 21st century and allowed coaching on all points, the situation on the ground [at the U.S. Open] would never have reached the level of absurdity that it did, "wrote King for The Post. "After all, every player must still to play the match – she must perform on every point, and she should never be held responsible for the actions of a coach. Coaching happens all the time, at all levels of tennis. So why not allow it?
Until coaching is made legal, Murray said players must accept the possibility that they will be penalized for it. "I have seen a lot of people being called for coaching before, and you could have a grunt and other things, but you keep going," he told the BBC.
Read more about The Post:
Hank Aaron sees echoes of "what I had to face" in the way Serena Williams was treated
Steph Curry on Serena Williams: "You will have reactions. That's what sport is about. "
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