Billie Jean King, Nicki Minaj and More Show Support for Serena Williams After Controversial U.S. Open
Athletes and celebrities alike have shown support for Serena Williams on social media after an umpire gave her multiple violations during Saturday’s U.S. Open final.
They have called out his actions as being sexist, racist and just plain inappropriate at such a crucial point in a championship match.
Famous athletes, like tennis legend Billie Jean King, expressed dismay at umpire Carlos Ramos’ treatment of Williams on Twitter, writing that female players are often treated differently than male players in all kinds of sports.
“When a woman is emotional, she’s ‘hysterical’ and she’s penalized for it,” King tweeted. “When a man does the same, he’s ‘outspoken’ and there are no repercussions.”
(1/2) Several things went very wrong during the @usopen Women’s Finals today. Coaching on every point should be allowed in tennis. It isn’t, and as a result, a player was penalized for the actions of her coach. This should not happen.
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) September 9, 2018
(2/2) 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, @serenawilliams, for calling out this double standard. More voices are needed to do the same.
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) September 9, 2018
Ramos issued three violations against Williams — which will cost the tennis star $17,000 — towards the end of the U.S. open final, which she lost to 20-year-old Naomi Osaka. The violations were for coaching (supposedly Ramos saw Williams’ coach signaling to her during a game), breaking her racket and behavior Romas deemed “verbal abuse.” Many believe his violations impacted the ultimate outcome of the championship match.
His controversial calls were not only a blow to Williams’ legacy — who would have tied Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles — but also cast a shadow over Osaka’s win, which should have been a historic moment for the young athlete. She is the first Japanese player to win the U.S. Open.
Public figures on social media also pointed out that umpires have given warnings, or no violations at all, to male players who have argued similarly in the past.
To all the people that keep saying the McEnroe video was a different era... there are a plethora of examples. Here is @rogerfederer in the heat of an argument. Is what @serenawilliams said worse? pic.twitter.com/D0si0mZ9Ef
— Jay Williams (@RealJayWilliams) September 9, 2018
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. https://t.co/xhBzFZX8Wq
— James Blake (@JRBlake) September 9, 2018
Worst refereeing I’ve ever seen ...... the worst !!!
— andyroddick (@andyroddick) September 8, 2018
Others championed the camaraderie between the two players and the example of support that was shown.
A post shared by L I N D S E Y • V O N N (@lindseyvonn) on Sep 8, 2018 at 4:43pm PDT
???????????? the epitome of what it means to be a QUEEN today . QUEENS stand up for the greater good of US ALL and LEAD BY EXAMPLE every chance they get .
I love you @serenawilliams ! I’m thankful for you ! I stand with you . https://t.co/z7zZoM0ZOz— Janelle Monáe, Cindi (@JanelleMonae) September 9, 2018
Thank you for sharing this article...it’s also includes @serenawilliams post match press conference. I encourage people to listen to it...especially the very end of it if you have young daughters or granddaughters. Blessings to all.?? https://t.co/6Ab0YaYFxy
— Robin Roberts (@RobinRoberts) September 9, 2018
A post shared by Barbie® (@nickiminaj) on Sep 8, 2018 at 3:36pm PDT
Others widely shared Sally Jenkin’s op-ed in the Washington Post, in which she said that the umpire “abused his authority.”
“Ramos took what began as a minor infraction and turned it into one of the nastiest and most emotional controversies in the history of tennis, all because he couldn’t take a woman speaking sharply to him,” wrote Jenkins. “Male players have sworn and cursed at the top of their lungs, hurled and blasted their equipment into shards, and never been penalized as Williams was in the second set of the U.S. Open final.”
I think Sally Jenkins is a powerful and thoughtful writer and her piece on Serena Williams & Naomi Osaka is a must-read. I’m with her. https://t.co/qRMzxWtUwK
— Preet Bharara (@PreetBharara) September 9, 2018
It’s a great piece! Brava Sally Jenkins for articulating what that crowd and those players must have felt. We were all stolen from. https://t.co/CF49KWIEbm
— Padma Lakshmi (@PadmaLakshmi) September 9, 2018