The ITF took nearly 48 hours to defend Carlos Ramos following Saturday's match.GETTY IMAGES
Umpires "are considering refusing to officiate matches involving Serena Williams, such is the level of discontent" over the treatment of Carlos Ramos during and after the US Open final, according to Stuart Fraser of the LONDON TIMES. The Women's Tennis Association and United States Tennis Association "backed Williams' claims of sexism after she was given a game penalty." This has "further riled some umpires, who were already unhappy" with the "haphazard" organization of this year’s US Open. An anonymous official said that there was a "growing consensus" that umpires were "not supported" by the USTA on several occasions, and that Ramos was "thrown to the wolves for simply doing his job and was not willing to be abused for it." Umpires are discussing whether they could "take action to stand up for their profession." One suggestion being floated is to "refuse any match assignments involving Williams" until she apologizes for vilifying Ramos and calling him a "liar" and a "thief" (LONDON TIMES, 9/11).
'OUT TO DRY': In London, Sean Ingle reported top tennis umpires "are considering forming a union" because they believe Ramos was "hung out to dry." Many officials "were also left angry" with the fact that the Int'l Tennis Federation "took nearly 48 hours to defend Ramos," by which time the WTA and USTA had supported Williams' claims of "sexism." Umpires are "not allowed to speak out publicly under the terms of their contracts," and are employed by grand slams and men's and women's tours, which "means many are reluctant to say anything for fear of losing their jobs." However, one senior figure said that privately "there was widespread concern about how the USTA and WTA had rushed to support Williams -- which had led to vitriol and abuse on social media for Ramos." The senior figure said, "There is a lot of unhappiness in the umpiring community because no one is standing up for officials. Umpires keep asking, 'What if it was me in that chair on Saturday?' There is a widespread feeling that Carlos was hung out to dry for nearly 48 hours and that no one is standing up for officials." In the absence of any official support for Ramos, "it was left to two former senior umpires, Mike Morrissey and Richard Ings, to publicly defend" the Portuguese official. One source said, "I have had lots of messages saying this is a joke. There is a lot of anger out there" (GUARDIAN, 9/11).
BY THE BOOK: The AP reported the ITF is defending Ramos, saying his "decisions were in accordance with the relevant rules." The ITF said in a statement on Monday that Ramos' citations were "reaffirmed by the US Open's decision to fine Serena Williams for the three offences." The governing body added, "Ramos undertook his duties as an official according to the relevant rule book and acted at all times with professionalism and integrity." Meanwhile, the WTA "has called for equal treatment of all players, and for coaching from the sidelines to be allowed across the sport" (AP, 9/11).
NAVRATILOVA SPEAKS OUT: In Melbourne, Leo Schlink wrote Williams was "served an overdue dose of reality by Martina Navratilova." Navratilova "has watched Williams -- and her sycophants -- play the victim card on an unprecedented scale in the wake of her childish US Open meltdown." The "trouble for Serena and her slavish minions is that the facts -- including the rule book -- speak louder than her outrage." Writing for the N.Y. Times, Navratilova contradicted the statements by USTA President Katrina Adams and WTA CEO Steven Simon by saying that Williams behaved in a way that no one "should be engaging in on the court." Declaring "imagined claims of sexism and racism off the mark," Navratilova said, "Had I behaved like that on a tennis court, I would have expected to get everything that happened to Serena. There have been many times when I was playing that I wanted to break my racket into a thousand pieces. Then I thought about the kids watching. And I grudgingly held on to that racket" (HERALD SUN, 9/11).
SHIFTING THE FOCUS: STUFF's David Long reported New Zealand professional Erin Routliffe said that more should be made of Naomi Osaka's achievement at the US Open than Williams' "outburst." Routliffe: "Naomi Osaka didn't lose control and that's why she won the match. If all the drama didn't happen, then I think Osaka would have won the match anyway, because she was the better player on the day. It is upsetting that everyone's talking about Serena, but she's not the 20-year-old who just won the US Open" (STUFF, 9/11).
CARTOON CONTROVERSY: In London, Helen Davidson reported News Corp "has come under global condemnation for publishing a racist, sexist cartoon" depicting Williams in the Herald Sun. The cartoon by Mark Knight depicted Williams "having a tantrum on the court." The depiction of Osaka has also been criticized as making her appear as a "white woman." Condemnation of the cartoon has come from American civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, British author J.K. Rowling and "numerous sports broadcasters, journalists and activists." Australia's National Association of Black Journalists said that the cartoon was "repugnant" on many levels. Knight said that he was "amazed" at the reaction, and added that his cartoon was "not about race." Knight: "The world has gone crazy." He added that reaction on social media was "unfair." He said, "I tried to reply to these people but they just don’t listen. On any given day you are a hero and on any given day you are a pariah. And you just have to live with it" (GUARDIAN, 9/11).
NOTHING TO SEE HERE: The HERALD SUN reported Australian cartoonists backed Knight’s work on Tuesday as mainly U.S. and overseas celebrities, politicians, sports stars, news outlets, authors and social media commentators "all lined up to attack the decorated drawer." Cartoonist Michael Leunig, whose works appears in The Age and other Fairfax newspapers, said that he felt for Knight under this "deluge of punitive anger" and "strident hostility." Leunig: "I saw Knight's cartoon and was not offended or angered. I saw nothing abusive or malicious. In fact, there is truth at the heart of it. It's getting harder to be a cartoonist in this crazy anxious world -- in this fragile angry humorless environment where leniency and understanding are in dangerous decline." 3AW broadcaster Neil Mitchell said that when he looked at the cartoon, it did not even "cross his mind that it was racist." Mitchell: "He's sending Serena up, not because she's black, but because she was acting like a bully and a child. And he's right." Cartoonist Paul Zanetti said that when he saw the online comments and hate aimed toward Knight, his "jaw hit the floor." Zanetti: "All he has done, as cartoonists do, is tell the truth. All he did was depict her in satirical manner" (HERALD SUN, 9/11).
SIGN OF THE TIMES: In Melbourne, Rita Panahi wrote you "know we live in crazy times when a progressive artist from country Victoria is slandered around the world as a racist misogynist for a funny cartoon" that depicts Williams' antics at the US Open. Maybe Knight "should have portrayed Williams as a white man since that is the only race gender combination that can be mocked without triggering the outrage enthusiasts." The same people disgusted by Knight's depiction of Williams "had no issue with his cartoon a few days earlier on the equally infantile behavior of Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios." It was not bigoted to portray Kyrgios as a "ridiculous sulky baby but poking fun at the world’s biggest female sporting star having the world's biggest dummy spit is somehow out of bounds" (HERALD SUN, 9/11). In an editorial, the Herald Sun wrote Knight, "like almost every cartoonist, mocks the powerful and famous when required;" whether it be PMs like Australia's Malcolm Turnbull or presidents like Donald Trump. Regardless "of race or sex, they are lampooned" because of their behavior. A "tidal wave of ill-informed critics," from Rowling to rapper Nicki Minaj and a "barrage of twitter users," accused Knight's drawing of being racist, "with a number pointing to stature" and color distinctions between Williams and Osaka, "who is of mixed Japanese and Haitian descent." She "was drawn with a blonde ponytail because she has a blonde ponytail." To argue the Williams drawing is racist "is an attempt to defeat cartooning -- and satire -- with a politically-correct barrage" (HERALD SUN, 9/11).
