Serena Williams suffered a crushing loss to Naomi Osaka in the 2018 US Open final. However, the match and Osaka’s maiden Grand Slam triumph was overshadowed by the discourse surrounding the American’s repeated clashes with the chair umpire.
The drama erupted in the second set of the blockbuster final when chair umpire Carlos Ramos saw Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou making hand signals toward the American. Consequently, Ramos handed the 23-time Grand Slam champion a code violation for coaching despite her protests that she would rather lose than cheat to win.
Shortly afterwards, Serena Williams smashed her racket in frustration after losing her service game, prompting Ramos to hand out another code violation and a point penalty. The American was incensed after being penalized, lashing out at Ramos in a heated outburst, during which she called him a “thief” and a “liar.” The tensions rose further as Ramos issued a costly game penalty to Williams for verbal abuse, triggering a confrontation with the tournament referee.
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Speaking to the press after her 6-2, 6-4 loss, Serena Williams defended her heated exchange with the umpire by arguing that she was taking a stand for women's rights. She contended that male players had used far harsher language towards umpires without facing similar penalties and deemed Carlos Ramos' actions to be "sexist." The American's stance found support from celebrated sports journalist S.L. Price.
"But 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,'" Serena Williams said.
In an interview with ESPN, Price validated Williams' opinion that male players had said a lot worse than "thief" to umpires and escaped any serious consequences. Illustrating his point, Price recounted when Jimmy Connors repeatedly called the umpire "an abortion" during an outburst at the 1991 US Open and did not even receive a warning, let alone a code violation or penalty.
"There are many people and, I would be among them, who would tell you that, yeah, men have said much worse things on court to officials than even "thief." Jimmy Connors, the much-celebrated Jimmy Connors, the 39-year-old hero of working-class people everywhere, during [that 1991 US Open run] repeatedly called a chair umpire "an abortion," and didn't suffer any penalty whatsoever. Now, I don't know about you, but that would be right up there with "liar" or "thief" for me," Price said.
Given the drama surrounding the incident, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic also shared their views on Serena Williams' conduct, ultimately coming to similar conclusions.
"Serena Williams went too far" - Roger Federer on American's conduct in US Open 2018 final
Following the controversy at the 2018 US Open, Roger Federer asserted that while Serena Williams' actions were somewhat excusable, she had crossed the line with the confrontation. Nevertheless, the Swiss said that the umpire shouldn't have pushed Williams to the limit.
"It’s a melange of all things, but at some point, I feel like Serena should have walked away. She did, but she went too far. She should have walked earlier. It’s a little bit excusable. The umpire maybe should not have pushed her there. It’s unfortunate, but an incredible case study," Federer told the Sunday Times.
Novak Djokovic expressed similar sentiments during a press conference at the New York Major, suggesting that the umpire had changed the course of the final with his officiating. He also empathized with the 23-time Grand Slam champion, acknowledging how high emotions could get when fighting for a Grand Slam title.
"But I have my personal opinion that maybe the chair umpire should not have pushed Serena to the limit, especially in a Grand Slam final. Just maybe changed -- not maybe, but he did change the course of the match. Was, in my opinion, maybe unnecessary. We all go through our emotions, especially when you're fighting for a Grand Slam trophy," Djokovic said.
On the tennis front, Djokovic clinched his 14th Major title at the US Open that year, beating Juan Martin del Potro 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3 in the final. Meanwhile, Federer was unexpectedly knocked out of the tournament by John Millman, who claimed a 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(7), 7-6(3) victory in their fourth-round clash.
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