Is Serena Williams right to call out sexism in tennis?

Is Serena Williams right to call out sexism in tennis?

Serena Williams’ heated dispute with the umpire during the US Open final is the latest controversy involving the tennis superstar in recent months.

Japan’s Naomi Osaka beat Williams on Saturday in a Grand Slam showdown that ended in tears for both players — for different reasons.

What was supposed to be a fairy-tale matchup for Osaka and the player she idolizes spun out of control after Williams was handed code violations that she described as unfair.

The U.S. Open hit Williams with fines totaling $17,000 for three violations, the U.S. Tennis Association said Sunday.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion has faced racist attacks for most of her career, and after the match Saturday, she said she believes sexism is rampant in the sport.

Here’s a look back at some recent times sexism has been called out on the tennis court:

Serena calls the umpire a ‘thief’

Williams accused umpire Carlos Ramos of sexism after she was handed a series of code violations during Saturday’s match.

Ramos first gave Williams a code violation warning for coaching after he ruled that her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, gave her hand signals from the stands.

Then she got a point penalty for smashing her racket, followed by a game penalty for verbal abuse after she confronted the umpire. “You stole a point from me and you are a thief,” Williams told Ramos prompting the game penalty ruling.

At a news conference following her loss, Williams said she’s seen male players 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,” she said.

“He’s never taken a game from a man because they said ‘thief.’ For me it blows my mind. But I’m going to continue to fight for women,” Williams said. The International Tennis Federation released this statement Monday:

“Carlos Ramos is one of the most experienced and respected umpires in tennis. Mr. Ramos’ decisions were in accordance with the relevant rules and were re-affirmed by the US Open’s decision to fine Serena Williams for the three offenses.

“It is understandable that this high profile and regrettable incident should provoke debate. At the same time, it is important to remember that Mr. Ramos undertook his duties as an official according to the relevant rule book and acted at all times with professionalism and integrity.”

Billie Jean King, a tennis legend and equal rights advocate, agreed with Williams. “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. Thank you, Serena Williams, for calling out this double standard. More voices are needed to do the same,” King tweeted.

For Christine Brennan, a CNN sports analyst, the clashes between Williams and the umpire show that women are not being treated equally in the tennis world.

“We know that there’s quite a history to it. Think of John McEnroe, think of Ilie Nastase, Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi. These men all berated chair umpires, famously so. Commercials have been made. McEnroe has done, ‘you can’t be serious’ and all the other tirades, top of his lungs over the years and none of them received a game penalty,” Brennan said.

“Would he (umpire) have done that with a man? History has said, no. He would not have done that with a man.” Retired US tennis star Andy Roddick tweeted, “I’ve regrettably said worse and I’ve never gotten a game penalty.”

Alize Cornet is penalized for fixing her top

Williams isn’t the only tennis player to find herself at the center of a gender-focused controversy. French tennis player Alize Cornet received a code violation a few weeks ago for briefly taking off her shirt on the court.

During a 10-minute break from the blistering heat at Flushing Meadows, Cornet rushed off-court to change her shirt. When she returned, she realized that she was wearing it the wrong way and fixed her top.

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