Opinion: Gender discrimination

Even in defeat, Serena Williams dominated the headlines following the 2018 U.S. Open. Her confrontation with chair umpire Carlos Ramos led to violations and fines, and a renewed dialogue about gender discrimination in tennis.

During the match, Williams sacrificed her image as a role model in order to prove a point. While she had justifiable reasons to be upset with the umpire, she did not handle herself professionally.

It all started when Ramos saw Williams’ coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, gesturing toward Williams. Players are not allowed to receive any coaching during a match. Ramos assumed that Mouratoglou was coaching Williams and gave her a violation. Williams responded by insisting she never cheats, according to Fox News.

Fox News mentioned William’s coach, Mouratoglou, later admitted to ESPN that he was coaching, but he did not think Williams saw him. Mouratoglou said all coaches try to coach their playersduring matches. 

In response, Williams smashed her racket in frustration, which resulted in a second penalty and the loss of a point. Williams shouted at Ramos that he was a thief for taking points away from her, according to Fox News. She received a third violation for verbal abuse, which resulted in a game loss.

After the match, Ramos was escorted off the court while the crowd booed him, according to an article in USA Today. While umpires are usually given a gift, Ramos did not receive any gifts during the ceremony.

Williams was fined $17,000 for her three code violations during the match, according to Fox News. The tournament referee’s office announced it docked Williams $10,000 for what she said to Ramos, $4,000 for coaching and $3,000 for smashing her racket.

Williams called the code violations sexist, saying she has seen men call umpires “several things” without receiving violations, CNN reported.

“I’m here fighting for women’s rights and for women’s equality and for all kinds of stuff, “Williams said at the press conference. “For me to say ‘thief’ and for him to take a game, it made me feel like it was a sexist remark. He’s never taken a game from a man because they said ‘thief.’”

Ramos has a history of confrontation with some of the brightest stars in the sport. He gave William’s sister, Venus a violation for coaching in 2016. In 2017, he penalized Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray for playing too slowly, according to Larry Brown Sports.

However, the fines later imposed by the tournament referee’s office were unique to Serena Williams violations, sparking accusations of sexism.

Several tennis legends have backed William’s opinions about the bias of the decision. Tennis legend and equal-rights advocate Billie Jean King tweeted about the double standard in tennis.

“When a woman is emotional, she’s ‘hysterical’ and she’s penalized for it. When a man does the same, he’s ‘outspoken’ and there are no repercussions,” King tweeted Sept. 8.

Former tennis star Andy Roddick also tweeted that he has “regrettably said worse” and gotten away with it, according to CNN.

According to the USA Today, Dominic Thiem smashed his racket earlier in the 2018 U.S. Open but received no penalty for it. Instead, he gave the broken racket to a fan amidst applause. The article also mentioned that Nick Kyrgios has cursed umpires several times this year without receiving a penalty.

Although Williams is right about the unfair treatment she received, her response at the tournament set a poor example. Martina Navratilova, an 18-time Grand Slam singles champion, agrees about the double standard for women in tennis, according to an article by Fox News. However, Navratilova said because Williams presents herself as a role model in women’s sports, she should remember the kids watching and not think of what she can
get away with.

Serena was asked about what she would tell her daughter about the match, and Serena said, “I’ll tell her I stood up for what I believed in. I stood up for what was right.”

While Williams’ behavior toward Ramos was not exemplary, Williams showed true sportsmanship and poise toward Osaka. When the crowd started booing, bringing tears to the confused and overwhelmed 20-year-old Osaka, Williams told the crowd to stop booing and celebrate Osaka’s win, according to CNN. The win was a historic moment for Osaka, making her the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam singles title,
according to CNN.

Navratilova is right. Tennis stars are role models, especially for children. All tennis players should think about what example they set by their conduct.