Interesting article from the BBC. The WTA backs Serena's claims of sexism, but the stats really don;t back it up. The wife and I were discussing it tonight of first how we have to look to the BBC to actually present a balanced picture of what is going on in America. Second reflecting on what we've seen while officiating archery. We tend to have a lot more issues with female archers, but it's usually tacky tack stuff that once a judge makes an intervention it's done. With the guys, there's fewer issues but when there are, they can escalate and get out of hand quickly.

My take on it, Serena was out of line. She realized she was getting beat, imploded and is now making excuses. Loose gracefully, congratulate your opponent, and then practice like hell to beat them the next time.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/45468290

US Open 2018: Serena Williams' claims of sexism backed by WTA

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Serena Williams' claims of sexism in the US Open final have been backed by the governing body of women's tennis.

WTA chief executive Steve Simon said the umpire showed Williams a different level of tolerance over Saturday's outbursts than if she had been a man.

She got a code violation for coaching, a penalty point for racquet abuse and a game penalty for calling the umpire a "thief" in the defeat by Naomi Osaka.

The American said it was "sexist" to have been penalised a game.

"The WTA believes that there should be no difference in the standards of tolerance provided to the emotions expressed by men versus women," Simon said in a statement.

Serena Williams row: #MeToo or #MeMeMe? - social media reacts
"We do not believe that this was done last night."

He also called for coaching to be allowed "across the sport". Umpire Carlos Ramos penalised Williams after seeing her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, making a hand gesture. The Frenchman later admitted he was trying to coach his player.

The head of the United States Tennis Association (USTA), which organises the US Open, said men "are badgering the umpire on the changeovers and nothing happens".

"We watch the guys do this all the time," USTA chief Katrina Adams said.

"There's no equality when it comes to what the men are doing to the chair umpires and what the women are doing, and I think there has to be some consistency across the board.

"I'm all about gender equality and I think when you look at that situation these are conversations that will be imposed in the next weeks. We have to treat each other fairly and the same."

BBC tennis presenter Sue Barker, who said: "I've sat courtside watching the men ranting at umpires and they haven't been given a violation."

Osaka wins US Open after angry Williams docked game for calling umpire 'thief'
Rants, jeers and tears - 'most bizarre' match
Williams fined over outbursts
Williams, 36, was fined $17,000 (£13,100) for code violations that included calling Ramos a "liar" and "thief". She earned $1.85m (£1.43m) in prize money for reaching the final.

British former player Andrew Castle said Simon should be "ashamed" of his comments.

"The accusation of sexism which was levelled by Serena Williams in her press conference after the woman's final needs to be backed up," he told BBC Radio Four's Today programme.

"Otherwise she could be accused of bringing the game into disrepute."

Zimbabwean Cara Black, winner of 10 Grand Slam titles in doubles and mixed doubles, said she felt sorry for Ramos.

"He was just doing his job out there and calling Serena on what he saw. She lost control of her emotions. I don't think sexism was a part in it," she said.

"She had a match on her hands against Naomi. I've seen it happen a few times where she starts to bully the situation and try to intimidate her opponents a little bit and she comes with these outbursts."

What do the stats say?

Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion, was one of 10 women punished for code violations at this year's US Open, while 26 men were fined.

Most of the fines issued were for racquet violations - 14 men and five women.

Three men and three women were penalised for an audible obscenity, five men were fined for time delays, while four men and one woman were penalised for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Williams was one of only two women punished for on-court coaching, alongside Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova, while no men were penalised for this offence.

Former world number one Williams was the only player punished for verbal abuse, which landed her a $10,000 (£7,732) fine - the largest issued at this year's tournament.

Bar chart showing violations by men and women at the US Open
Code violations at the 2018 US Open tournament
Williams' previous US Open controversies

2009 US Open semi-final: Already on a warning for racquet abuse earlier in the match, Williams launched into an angry outburst at a lineswoman after she was called for a foot fault which gave Kim Clijsters two match points. She was penalised a point for unsportsmanlike conduct and Clijsters won the match. Williams was placed on a two-year probation period and fined $175,000 (£135,000), reduced to $82,500 (£63,750) if she committed no further major offence through 2011.
2011 US Open final: Williams shouts "come on" as Sam Stosur attempts to return a shot and the point was awarded to the Australian. Williams then verbally abused umpire Eva Asderak and was fined $2,000 (£1,265).
Umpire should not have pushed Williams to the limit - Djokovic

Novak Djokovic, who won a third men's US Open title on Sunday, said the interventions by Ramos were "unnecessary" and that they "changed the course of the match".

"I have my personal opinion that maybe the chair umpire should not have pushed Serena to the limit, especially in a Grand Slam final," the Serb said.

But Djokovic said he did not agree with Simon's comments, adding: "I don't understand from where he's coming with that statement."

The 14-time Grand Slam champion also described the situation as "tough" for the umpire and said "we have to empathise with him".

Controversy in women's doubles

Ashleigh Barty and CoCo Vandeweghe
American CoCo Vandeweghe says she hopes to "get another moment" at the Australian Open Grand Slam
A day after Osaka was left in tears during an awkward and toxic trophy presentation in which Williams urged booing to stop, there was more controversy in the women's doubles.

American Coco Vandeweghe and Ashleigh Barty of Australia said they were hustled off court shortly before the men's final, unable to deliver a victory speech after receiving their trophy.

"We couldn't thank anyone. I think that was poor form," said Vandeweghe. "Maybe they'll do us right in Australia since the US couldn't do me right."

Barty added they were rushed off because "the men needed to start".

"To be honest, I don't think they [Djokovic and Del Potro] would have worried if they were 10 or 15 minutes delayed," the Australian said.

Inconsistency 'bothers' Azarenka

Patrick Mouratoglou
Williams' coach Patrick Mouratoglou later admitted he was coaching during the second set
Williams was given a code violation in the final after Ramos ruled that her coach Patrick Mouratoglou was signalling tactics from the stands.

After the match, Mouratoglou admitted he had been coaching, but added "I don't think she looked at me" and "everybody does it".

The incident has raised debate on the consistency of the coaching rules which state:

Players can not receive coaching during a Grand Slam match (including the warm-up). Communications of any kind, audible or visible, between a player and a coach may be construed as coaching.
On-court coaching is allowed by the WTA at its Tour-level events.
Coaching from the stands is allowed in the US Open qualifying rounds between points.
Simon said: "We think the issue of coaching needs to be addressed and should be allowed across the sport. The WTA supports coaching through its on-court coaching rule, but further review is needed."

Belarusian two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka said it "bothers" her that there is "too much of a grey area" in these rules.

"The umpire can choose to exercise it or not," she said in a live video on her Instagram page. "We either have a rule for all times or we don't. That is my problem with it.

"Why is there so much difference? I don't get that. There has to be a clear rule to it. If it happened in the men's match, it would not happen again. That is the problem. It is the inconsistency."

The solution is simple- prohibit women from all pro sports, although I don't feel as if tennis qualifies as a sport. It's more of a backyard recreation, like pitching horse shoes or getting drunk at a cookout.

That initial coaching violation was ridiculous. Ramos had no concept of discretion when giving a code violation in that situation.

How despicable she is, a thugette of the tennis world.

Typical behavior. The only difference is that she's throwing her public tantrum on a tennis court and not the local Dollar Store.

At least she won’t play much longer. Idiot.

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:

quote:

Originally posted by jsbcody:
Basically every time she is losing she decides to self destruct and then blame it on everyone else. In 2009, she threaten the life of lines person and was suspended for two years. 2011 she was losing and acted up again.

2009, she was put on probation.

quote:

2009 US Open
In the US Open semifinal round against Kim Clijsters, Williams slammed her racquet on the court after losing the first set. She was given a warning, with a potential second violation carrying a one-point penalty. While trailing 4–6, 5–6, 15–30, Williams's second serve was called a foot fault, resulting in two match points for Clijsters. Williams gestured with her racquet to the lineswoman who had made the call and yelled at her, with profanities and a threat to shove a tennis ball down the lineswoman's throat. During the subsequent on-court conference between the chair umpire, the lineswoman, US Open officials, and Williams, a television microphone picked up Williams saying to the lineswoman, "I didn't say I would kill you! Are you serious?" The incident resulted in Williams being penalized a point for unsportsmanlike conduct‍—‌necessitated by the earlier warning for racquet abuse‍—‌meaning Clijsters won the match 6–4, 7–5. The following day, Williams was issued the maximum permissible on-site fine of $10,000 (plus $500 for racquet abuse). After further investigation, the Grand Slam Committee in November 2009 fined her $175,000 in lieu of suspending her from the 2010 US Open or other Grand Slam events. They also placed her on a two-year probation, so if Williams committed another offense in the following two years at Grand Slams, she would be suspended from participating in the following US Open. If she committed no offenses in the next two years, her fine would be reduced to $82,500.[285] Williams initially refused to apologize for her outburst, both in her post-match press conference[286] and in an official statement released the following day. She eventually did, stating "I just really wanted to apologize sincerely because I'm a very prideful person, and I'm a very intense person and a very emotional person", and "I wanted to offer my sincere apologies to anyone that I may have offended." She said she was humbled by the experience.

She’s a bitch. She is just another woman pissed off that she isn’t the hot young thing getting all the attention and she is a sore loser, thinking she deserves to win every slam or big tournament. Serena loathes Maria Sharapova and Sloane Stephens. Gee I wonder why? Serena has a diva attitude and I have loathed her since the beginning. I’ve watched tennis since the McEnroe/Navratilova days and never disliked someone like I do her, and it is certainly not the color of her skin. Sloane Stephens handles herself a universe better. And I think prime to prime, Steffi Graf would have kicked her ass, Martina as well. She has pulled this stunt before so I am glad to see this getting the attention it deserves. She can’t hide from this episode like the previous ones. All her bullshit and her opponent was half black, half Japanese. Serena’s hypocrisy knows no bounds. Fuck her. Her opponent kicked her ass even before all this bullshit which is why she temper tantrumed. She knew she was going down. I can’t believe the people and organizations backing her and this behavior. Siding with this bitch against a 20 year old winning her first Grand Slam. 4 months until the next Slam and I’ll be rooting against her with gusto.

Do you have a link to that 2009 incident? Thanks.

Regarding her complaint that men are held to a different standard, maybe it's true, but it's irrelevant in that she plays in a women's league, and the person on the other side of the net she's competing against is always a woman, and thus held to the same standards.

My post, page 3.

quote:

Originally posted by 6guns:

Do you have a link to that 2009 incident? Thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by 6guns:

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:

quote:

Originally posted by jsbcody:
Basically every time she is losing she decides to self destruct and then blame it on everyone else. In 2009, she threaten the life of lines person and was suspended for two years. 2011 she was losing and acted up again.

2009, she was put on probation.

quote:

2009 US Open
In the US Open semifinal round against Kim Clijsters, Williams slammed her racquet on the court after losing the first set. She was given a warning, with a potential second violation carrying a one-point penalty. While trailing 4–6, 5–6, 15–30, Williams's second serve was called a foot fault, resulting in two match points for Clijsters. Williams gestured with her racquet to the lineswoman who had made the call and yelled at her, with profanities and a threat to shove a tennis ball down the lineswoman's throat. During the subsequent on-court conference between the chair umpire, the lineswoman, US Open officials, and Williams, a television microphone picked up Williams saying to the lineswoman, "I didn't say I would kill you! Are you serious?" The incident resulted in Williams being penalized a point for unsportsmanlike conduct‍—‌necessitated by the earlier warning for racquet abuse‍—‌meaning Clijsters won the match 6–4, 7–5. The following day, Williams was issued the maximum permissible on-site fine of $10,000 (plus $500 for racquet abuse). After further investigation, the Grand Slam Committee in November 2009 fined her $175,000 in lieu of suspending her from the 2010 US Open or other Grand Slam events. They also placed her on a two-year probation, so if Williams committed another offense in the following two years at Grand Slams, she would be suspended from participating in the following US Open. If she committed no offenses in the next two years, her fine would be reduced to $82,500.[285] Williams initially refused to apologize for her outburst, both in her post-match press conference[286] and in an official statement released the following day. She eventually did, stating "I just really wanted to apologize sincerely because I'm a very prideful person, and I'm a very intense person and a very emotional person", and "I wanted to offer my sincere apologies to anyone that I may have offended." She said she was humbled by the experience.

She’s a bitch. She is just another woman pissed off that she isn’t the hot young thing getting all the attention and she is a sore loser, thinking she deserves to win every slam or big tournament. Serena loathes Maria Sharapova and Sloane Stephens. Gee I wonder why? Serena has a diva attitude and I have loathed her since the beginning. I’ve watched tennis since the McEnroe/Navratilova days and never disliked someone like I do her, and it is certainly not the color of her skin. Sloane Stephens handles herself a universe better. And I think prime to prime, Steffi Graf would have kicked her ass, Martina as well. She has pulled this stunt before so I am glad to see this getting the attention it deserves. She can’t hide from this episode like the previous ones. All her bullshit and her opponent was half black, half Japanese. Serena’s hypocrisy knows no bounds. Fuck her. Her opponent kicked her ass even before all this bullshit which is why she temper tantrumed. She knew she was going down. I can’t believe the people and organizations backing her and this behavior. Siding with this bitch against a 20 year old winning her first Grand Slam. 4 months until the next Slam and I’ll be rooting against her with gusto.

Do you have a link to that 2009 incident? Thanks.

I’m quite ready for her to ride off into the sunset. It’s kind of like I tell my guys at work; they pay us to be professionals. That means acting the right way all the time no matter the situation.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
The solution is simple- prohibit women from all pro sports, although I don't feel as if tennis qualifies as a sport. It's more of a backyard recreation, like pitching horse shoes or getting drunk at a cookout.

Ernest Hemingway — 'There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.'

quote:

Originally posted by Keystoner:
That initial coaching violation was ridiculous. Ramos had no concept of discretion when giving a code violation in that situation.

Except he admitted he was coaching, so it was a valid call,

https://bleacherreport.com/art...nal-amid-controversy

Williams is simply another arrogant pro athlete, she's known for pulling these stunts in order to intimidate opponents when she's getting her ass handed to her, this time the ref didn't let her get away with it, unfortunately the USTA is going to let her get away with it.

Until the associations over the programs decide the negative impact of images projected by the acts their players have outweigh the attention, advertising revenue we'll continue to have poor sportsmanship in professional sports.

It's all part of the game, Serena just wanted the cameras on her, not the girl that kicked her ass, twice....

What this boils down to is poor sportsmanship paired with feelings of entitlement. Williams was “entitled” to the record making victory, plain and simple.

The saddest part of this whole affair was Osaka seeing her lifelong role model turning out to be a total bitch.

she is forgiven,

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
The solution is simple- prohibit women from all pro sports, although I don't feel as if tennis qualifies as a sport. It's more of a backyard recreation, like pitching horse shoes or getting drunk at a cookout.

If you go to a court and play Barbie tennis like a lot of folks do who don't know how to play tennis, I would agree with you.

Those of us who know tennis, and play with skill in mind, will assume you're being sarcastic.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
I DRIVE A DODGE STRATUS!!!!

I HAVE A DAUGHTER!

quote:

Originally posted by Keystoner:
That initial coaching violation was ridiculous. Ramos had no concept of discretion when giving a code violation in that situation.

Except Serena is no ordinary player. She's been around forever and no one knows the rules better at this point than she does. She's got a well earned reputation of manipulating the game, especially when she's getting clobbered, and she deserved everything she got in this particular instance. Since her skills are waning, I expect we'll see many more examples of her entitlement and thug like behavior bubble up as she becomes a has been.

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:
I expect we'll see many more examples of her entitlement and thug like behavior bubble up as she becomes a has been.

Yes, one's true character emerges in the face of adversity.

after I get tens millions of dollars donated to charities over 15 years , I may throw a hissy fit as well ,

if thats the absolute worst she does, her hissy fit balance has a long way to go