Serena Williams lost to Naomi Osaka in the U.S. Open on September 8, preventing her from achieving a historic twenty- fourth grand slam win.
Following her loss, Serena Williams has spoken out about the controversial match. Chair umpire Carlos Ramos accused Williams of receiving signals from her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou. Williams firmly denies the claims that she was being coached, while Mouratoglou admitted after the match that he was in fact trying to send messages. Williams claims that the pair have never had signals, and she does not understand her coach’s confession.
After Ramos issued the violation, Williams approaches and says, “I don’t cheat to win, I’d rather lose.” Visibly irritated and trying to keep her composure, Williams defends herself and then returns to the court. Upset by the crowd reaction, Williams breaks her racket (which leads to her second penalty).
At this point in the match, Williams is having a difficult time maintaining her composure. She approaches Ramos again and says, “You stole a point from me. You’re a thief too.” Ramos then gives her a third penalty for “verbal abuse.” This third penalty cost her a game, snowballing into Williams’ eventual loss to Osaka.
Following her defeat, Williams behaves with grace and congratulates Osaka. At Osaka’s trophy ceremony, the audience boos while the two athletes were overcome with emotion on the stage. Williams asks for the booing to cease, and that Osaka receive the credit that she deserves.
Williams is adamant that if she was not a woman, the way she spoke to the umpire would have been tolerated. Men in tennis have been known to treat umpires much worse and call them harsher names than a “thief.” (Find some examples of Tennis player tantrums here.)
A previous act of Williams’ feminist resistance occurred in May, when she played at the French Open in a custom Nike Blank Panther suit. She claimed it made her feel “like a superhero”, and also helped prevent blood clots. However, the French Tennis Federation called it disrespectful.
The federation has decided to change its dress code for the future. Regarding the dress code change, Williams said, “If they know that some things are for health reasons, then there’s no way they wouldn’t be okay with it.”
She then appeared at the U.S. open in ultimate, maybe even sarcastic, fashion with a black, one-sleeve tutu.
Through her actions at the U.S. Open and her fashion statements, Williams truly believes in fighting gender oppression. Serena Williams truly sticks up for herself and other women in sports, pushing for gender equality in athletics and in general society.
Don’t worry, little girls of tomorrow. Serena Williams and trailblazers like her are fighting to make sports a place of equality and justice.
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