ESPN's Pam Shriver said that the WTA Tour should have
had an Operations Official on court while Venus Williams
argued with the chair umpire after being assessed an
"obstacle" point penalty during her quarterfinal loss to
Lindsay Davenport at the Australian Open. Williams was
penalized a point after her beads fell out of her hair
during the second set of her straight set loss. After play
resumed, Shriver said, "Somebody needed to come out and
really help Venus there, not just leave her alone with a
referee to argue the situation herself. I mean ... I've got
a little ax to grind here. Venus, she chose me as her
mentor, so I have to, sort of, back off a bit." Shriver:
"Venus either needs to get beads that stay in or get rid of
them." Shriver also wondered if Williams had been
adequately warned by the chair umpire about a penalty if the
beads fell out. After Williams refused to shake the
umpire's hand after the match, Shriver said, "I don't blame
her for not doing it. You know what, I don't think we know
the full story." ESPN's Fred Stolle countered, "But it's
not his fault though, he's just following the rules."
Shriver: "Well, it depends. I think there are a few things
we need to find out" (ESPN2, 1/26). Afterward, Williams
said, "I have never had such treatment before from any other
umpire. I shouldn't have to change my hair" (Mult., 1/26).