Williams was infuriated in the final's second set after being assessed multiple code violations GETTY IMAGES
The U.S. Open culminated with 20-year-old Naomi Osaka winning her her first Grand Slam tournament, but "sadly ... all anyone is going to remember" from the tourney is Serena Williams' confrontation with the chair umpire in the women's final, according to Cindy Shmerler of TENNIS.com. Williams and her team are "wholly responsible for what happened on Saturday night." When she "demolished her racquet after the fifth game of the second set," she had to know there "would be consequences." Some 14 men and four other women in the tournament were "penalized and fined for the same transgression." Chair umpire Carlos Ramos was doing what he was "assigned to do." He followed the directives as "clearly spelled out in the Grand Slam Rule Book" (TENNIS.com, 9/10). In Boston, Kevin Paul Dupont writes Williams got "carried away, again said and did stupid stuff ... and, yes, while men have done similar and paid varying prices, she went way too far and was duly thrashed by the rule book" (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/11).
SHARE OF THE BLAME: In Toronto, Doug Smith writes Williams is "not blameless and that in no way in the world takes away from who or what she is or what she's done in her career." To think that is "ridiculous" (TORONTO STAR, 9/11). On Long Island, Cathy Young writes a look at the facts "shows that Williams was almost certainly not a victim of bias." If anyone is "doing women a disservice, it's her defenders, who are sending the message that a woman who behaves badly can find sympathy by playing the gender card" (NEWSDAY, 9/11). THE UNDEFEATED's Jerry Bembry wrote under the header, "Serena Williams Deserves Share Of Blame For Her Actions" (THEUNDEFEATED.com, 9/10).
UNDERSTANDING THE FRUSTRATION: In Detroit, Jamie Samuelsen writes, "I'm not learned enough to debate the sociological differences between men being called forceful and women being called contrarian." Or the "difference between women having 'meltdowns' and men 'making their points.'" But it is "delusional" to think the "footing is equal between men and women" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 9/11). In Philadelphia, Solomon Jones writes, "Taken in isolation, it would seem that Serena Williams overreacted." However, to understand why Williams "responded as she did," one has to understand that she "wasn't always the top tennis player in the world." Before she became one of the best known athletes in the world, Williams had to "battle both racism and sexism as she clawed her way to the top" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 9/11).
TIME TO OPINE: Martina Navratilova in a special to the N.Y. TIMES writes, "There is a huge double standard for women when it comes to how bad behavior is punished -- and not just in tennis." However, Williams "got part of it wrong." Navratilova: "I don't believe it's a good idea to apply a standard of 'If men can get away with it, women should be able to, too.' Rather, I think the question we have to ask ourselves is this: What is the right way to behave to honor our sport and to respect our opponents?" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/11). In Boston, Renée Graham writes any woman who "dares to stand up for herself is bitchy, difficult, and deserving [of] punishments few men would ever face." Yet for black women, "caught between the rock of racism and the hard place of sexism, it's exponentially worse." Graham: "Our anger is considered scary and terrifying" (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/11).
