Congratulations to Naomi Osaka, the 2018 US Open Champion! I
wanted to state that up front, because unfortunately, despite her amazing
performance, she has been deprived in large measure of the recognition she so
richly deserves for her victory. Instead of celebrating her first Grand Slam
title, all our attention is being directed toward the runner-up and the umpire.
And that’s just not fair.
Anyone who ever saw me
play tennis as a teenager can attest that I have NO right to pass judgment on
the recent outburst of Serena Williams at the US Open. I threw tantrums (and
rackets) and used a lot of profanity, and yes, I’ve even smashed a racket or two,
although I don’t think I ever did it on the court during an actual match. So, I
understand the frustrations of the sport.
(On a personal note, I seriously mellowed with age, had a
bit of success (strictly amateur!), and eventually retired after multiple wrist
injuries. My payback to the sport was to teach and coach numerous players, none
of whom ever displayed the kind of outbursts of which I had been guilty.)
Having said all that, Serena Williams is possibly the best
tennis player of all time, and I find it sad to see a player of her caliber
react so poorly on the world stage. In my opinion, she is guilty of an
incredible lack of professionalism, both during the match and then afterward.
Let’s start with the on-court stuff. (If you haven’t seen the highlights, go to
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx9iT1OQMl0
for a quick recap.)
Her first violation was clear. Her own coach admitted it.
The second was even more clear. That’s a racket that will never work again! And
the third, in my opinion was also clear. You’ve already suffered two violations
and you’re going to scream insults at the umpire and demand an apology? And
then call him a thief? At some point, you have to just shut up and play. Again,
I’ve been there, done that. And lost because of it. (Maybe McEnroe could lose
his whole mind and still play incredible tennis, but I never could.)
Up to this point, I can’t be too hard on Serena. Losing your
temper, losing control of your emotions and the match, saying and doing stupid
things in the heat of the moment. Many of us have found ourselves in the same
situation. Now, maybe a professional athlete should be held to a higher
standard, but again, before we get too judgmental, remember “to err is human”
and Serena Williams is a human being like the rest of us.
I give her a lot of credit for her words during the trophy
presentation. She did her best to defuse the anger of the crowd and what she said was
sincere and honest. She made every effort to show good sportsmanship and I
applaud her for that. Her display of class at that point is why I am so
disappointed in her comments since then.
By the next day, Serena was blaming everyone but herself and
claiming to be a victim of sexism and racism. So much for the good
sportsmanship! Let’s take a look at her excuses.
Even though her coach admitted he was guilty of coaching
from the stands, and even though it a clear violation of the rules, we’re
supposed to think the umpire was unfair, because everybody does it. Did he have
to penalize her? No. Did he have every right to do so? Yes. Same with the next
two violations. He’s the umpire. His job is to make those kinds of judgment
calls and maintain order. You don’t want penalties, don’t break the rules. If
you break the rules, don’t whine and complain if the umpire holds you
accountable.
And now for the real crap. Did the umpire pick on poor
Serena because she was a woman? Or because she is African-American? Our society
has become so Politically Correct, the ugly appearance of these accusations was
a no-brainer. If Serena herself hadn’t gone there, someone else would have,
probably within days. But for the best tennis player in the world to claim she
was treated unfairly because of her sex or race. Just sad.
Chair Umpire Carlos Ramos has been made a villain for no
other reason than for doing his job. And doing it well. He is generally
considered to be an excellent and well respected umpire. He plays by the rules.
His reputation is that he is tough and doesn’t put up with players who fail to
follow the rules. There is no evidence that he is biased toward women or
minorities.
Serena claims that men routinely behave much worse than she
did and don’t get punished. True? A recently published article shows that over
the last twenty years in Grand Slam tournaments, it is the men who have been
penalized (and fined) much more frequently than the women. And the numbers
aren’t even close! https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-6165593/Carlos-Ramos-appears-receive-apology-Katrina.html
And racism? A quick look at Ramos’ history shows that he has
consistently issued code violations and penalties (even in Grand Slam events) to
many high profile players of all races, including US Open men’s champion Novak
Djokovic. (Last time I looked he was male and white.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Ramos_(umpire)
After 35 years in the field of education, I can tell you the
weakest excuse you’ll ever get for poor behavior is when the perpetrator goes
into victim mode and claims “everybody does it” or “such and such did it and
didn’t get punished” or “that mean teacher is just picking on me.” It’s a poor
excuse. Sometimes you just need to suck it up, admit you messed up, and
apologize. Serena.
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