To not appreciate Serena using sexism in her arguments against umpire

[user1471517900]

Sorry if there is a thread, I did scan four pages to check.

Serena gets coached (which her coach admits) but claims she didn't see it. Then smashes a racquet in separate fit of temper. Then tells the umpire she can't be a cheat because she's a mother(!), he will never referee a match again with her, and he's a thief.

The punishments all seem fine to me and I really felt for Osaka having to apologise in her winners speech. Serena should be saying sorry today IMO.

To be clear - she got a warning for receiving coaching which is not allowed (coach has admitted this). A second warning for smashing her racquet and therefore automatically had a point deducted. The game was deducted because because it was her third violation when she shouted at the umpire saying he was a liar, thief etc. The umpire was absolutely correct and within the rules. Men would have been treated exactly the same if they had broken the same number of rules. It is not ‘classy’ to ask the crowd to stop booing. Classy would have been to not behave like that in the first place. And certainly not try and justify her appalling behaviour. She was just a bad loser.

And also it's relevant because- well, name anyone else who's won a grand slam during pregnancy and returned to the top level after?

She is alone in this.

She couldn’t even return to top level. She had to start again. In normal jobs women’s equivalent positions are held for them during maternity leave so they can return without being penalised. Serena was penalised.

@TheVanguardSix totally agree. I’ve often seen Male players swear at the umpire and not even receive a warning.

I don't for a moment think that a male player wouldn't be penalised for calling the umpire a thief and a liar. He might get away with saying 'are you blind?', as might a woman, but calling the umpire thief & liar, is much worse. A male player wouldn't have been penalised a full game--unless he like Williams had already been penalised twice before in the match and the third violation were as grave as this one.

I don't think much of Williams for attributing the calls, and indirectly her loss, to sexism; those calls aside Osaka's stats for the match were better than Williams' on all counts but two anyway. But then I've not thought much of Williams since she got in the face of a line judge half her size and threatened to 'shove this fucking tennis ball down your fucking throat'.

*...I was always a bit of a shouty, deranged mess when my kids were that age... She's under a hell of a lot of pressure, pressure the average person can't imagine. And when we're tired, pressured, and ranty, we say silly shit.

Serena threatened to shove a tennis ball down the throat of a line judge about ten years ago, also at the US Open if memory serves. She also told another umpire, some years ago, that if she ever saw her again "look the other way", and called her a hater, who was ugly inside and out.

She does have a lot of historical form for this. Motherhood may have changed her, but I don't think it's relevant to her tendency to run off at the mouth.

Actually I think the tennis professionals who have come out in support of Serena show that there's an issue here whether with this particular referee/umpire or with sexism in tennis.
Billie Jean King said male players are called 'outspoken' in similar circumstances and have no repercussions. But Serena has been branded hysterical and was penalised.
I think a lot of female players are finally calling time on the blatant sexism they have endured for years.

Damn, bold fail. Soz.

Serena has a right chip on her shoulder, not a fan of hers.

Lots of people here don’t know much about tennis on this thread.
For a start many men act much worse than this and I’ve never seen a set deducted
That umpire was stopped working on the men’s tour but he’s ok for the ladies!
There is plenty of sexism here

Carlos Ramos penalises Nadal for time violations as well - which is fair because he faffs around for ever between points but no one else has the guts to.

I watched it and it looked like a big fat tantrum to me which she’s now tried to make into something else. Maybe she didn’t consider the coaching warning fair - get on with it and refocus. Smashing racquets and arguing just escalated things.

She acted like an entitled brat. She’s not bigger than the game, she can’t ensure that umpire doesn’t work there again and she utterly spoiled her opponent’s winning moment. She was losing and she lost it.

I really feel sorry for Osaka. Her first Grand slam win completely overshadowed by diva Serena.
Serena's behaviour was appalling, no excuses. Sheer arrogance and unforgivable; she lost and throws a tantrum.

Osaka's moment of glory wrecked.

Yep, bad loser resorting to finding an 'ism' to blame.
She has been some player and champion but last night she let herself down badly, no class whatsoever.

I feel very sorry for Osaka who had her achievement ruined by this entitled bully.

Every time I've seen a player smash or break their racket they get a code violation. Murray got one for throwing his across the court. It is standard. Serena is an amazing player and a great champion, and it's a shame its come to this.

I watched it and she was 100% in the wrong. It was not sexism i have sern males get penalized he might be a more strict umpire but if he is following the rules to the letter its fine.

She threw a temper tantrum plain and simple, then used buzz words to get support rather then face the consequences of her actions and the shame she spioled Osaka first grand slam win with her childish behaviour.

She was warned she ignored the warnings so got the pentily she still did not stop with the rule breaking she got the correct punishment.

speakeasy you're being a bit selective in how you're presenting what Serena's coach said. He said he was coaching but he didn't think Serena saw it and that the other player's coach was doing the same thing.

Billie Jean King said male players are called 'outspoken' in similar circumstances and have no repercussions.
I don't know if that's entirely true, though obviously you have to take a broad sweep and not look anecdotally at these things. Nadal was definitely not regarded as "outspoken" when he fell out with Bernardes a few years ago for a code violation for his incessant fuckwittery timewasting on court - and he said that Bernardes would not umpire him again. AFAIK, he hasn't. Andy Murray and Nick Kyrgios are constantly being criticised in the media for their tendency to lose their rag. I completely agree that it's reported differently, but I don't think it's entirely uncritical.
Broadly, though, I don't doubt that BJK has a point, and the specific word "hysterical" is definitely problematic.

She's got a point about the being a woman thing. When Serena gets angry with the umpire she's "having a meltdown". When John McEnroe did it he got offered sponsorships.

I'm not going to judge her for that outburst. To be a female tennis player, and a black female tennis player at that, in an industry that forgets women and favours white men, she must get pig sick of fighting for the same respect that other people get handed on a plate.

I don't for a moment think that a male player wouldn't be penalised for calling the umpire a thief and a liar. He might get away with saying 'are you blind?', as might a woman, but calling the umpire thief & liar, is much worse.

This. Questioning the umpire’s competence is one thing but questioning their integrity and honesty is another thing entirely.

Lots of people here don’t know much about tennis on this thread.
For a start many men act much worse than this and I’ve never seen a set deducted

A set was not deducted

*game

But I also feel really sorry for Osaka, because the story isn't '20 year old wins first grand slam' but 'SW looses plot and grand slam' and I think that's a real shame for her in what should be the greatest couple of days of her life.
Yes, I agree with this

This. If feminism is supposed to be about supporting women, then why is SW more important to support than Naomi Osaka? What makes a woman more worthy of support over another? Is it because one of them has given birth and the other (maybe?) hasn't?

That's not supporting women.

SW allowed her temper to get the better of her. Not great behaviour but not the great sin everyone is saying it is either. It should be noted that on the podium she acknowledged Naomi’s better playing and asked the crowd to stop booing but that’s not as news worthy is it.

For a start many men act much worse than this and I’ve never seen a set deducted

Game, not set! Blimey, a set would be harsh!

Interestingly, James Blake tweeted this: "I will admit I have said worse and not gotten penalized. And I’ve also been given a “soft warning” by the ump where they tell you knock it off or I will have to give you a violation. He should have at least given her that courtesy. Sad to mar a well played final that way."

She’s not bigger than the game, she can’t ensure that umpire doesn’t work there again
She didn't say she was going to, she said she would ensure he didn't appear on the same court as her again. And I suspect she will get her way on that, since I believe Nadal has managed to avoid Bernardes on precisely the same "I'll make sure you never umpire me again" basis.