Serena Williams said she was treated more harshly by the chair umpire in the US Open final than a man would have been.
Williams was cited by official Carlos Ramos for three code violations during her 6-2, 6-4 loss to Naomi Osaka on Saturday: for getting coaching signals; for breaking her racket, which cost her a point; and for calling the chair umpire a thief, which cost her a game.
“I’ve seen other men call other umpires several things. I’m here fighting for women’s rights and for women’s equality and for all kinds of stuff. 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,’” Williams said at her news conference.
Photo: AFP
“For me, it blows my mind, but I’m going to continue to fight for women,” Williams said.
Earlier, as Williams pleaded her case on court with tournament referee Brian Earley, calling the penalties unfair, she said: “Because you’re a woman, you’re going to take this away from me?”
“There’s a lot of men out here that have said a lot of things and because they are men, that doesn’t happen,” Williams said.
“I just feel like the fact that I have to go through this is just an example for the next person that has emotions, and that want to express themselves, and want to be a strong woman,” she said. “They’re going to be allowed to do that because of today.”
“Maybe it didn’t work out for me, but it’s going to work out for the next person,” she said.
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