The 2018 US Open will be remembered for years to come. In the men’s singles tournament, many breathtaking five set games took place that came down to the wire, and many upsets occurred, such as Philipp Kohlschreiber’s win over the 4-seed Alexander Zverev, John Millman beating Roger Federer, and Juan Martin Del Potro beating Rafael Nadal, the current best player in the world, to make it to the finals, where he would go on to lose against Novak Djokovic. Even with all of this action on the men’s side, there is no question that the women’s side of the tournament was much more dramatic and controversial. Along with the numerous exciting games which displayed an incredible showcase of skill and talent, the finals between Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams were a spectacle that had an effect not only on the US Open, but the entirety of tennis itself.
Enter Serena Williams, the American who is arguably the best female tennis player in the world. After turning professional in 1995, Williams has fought her whole career to break records, including claiming 23 Grand Slam singles and 14 doubles titles. She has always gone above expectations, like winning the 1999 US Open when everyone thought her sister would instead.
However, because of the recent US Open, Williams has been the center of controversy in her match with Naomi Osaka. It all began with the rule that states coaches are not allowed to coach at any Grand Slam Event like the US Open, and when chair umpire Carlos Ramos noticed Williams’ coach gesturing to her from the sidelines, he gave her a code violation. This drew Williams’ ire, and she argued with Ramos throughout the whole match. However, as she was not levelheaded, the score was unsteady, and eventually went in favor of Osaka. Infuriated, Williams smashed her racket, which earned her a second code violation from Ramos, and as her temper took over, she continued to berate Ramos and call him a “thief,” demanding an apology for the prior violations. This caused Ramos to give her a third violation for verbal abuse and obscenity. Williams received a total penalty of forfeiting a game and a $17,000 fee for her violations. What seemed like mere tennis drama turned into the biggest story of the sports world when Williams speculated that Ramos was being sexist in giving her the penalty, and later when a racist cartoon was published about the incident.
Williams’ speculation that Ramos was being sexist has caused many to take a second look at the history of men’s penalties for intense verbal usage, as many argue that men historically have received lesser sentences. For instance, when Andre Agassi once got a warning for verbal obscenity and went on to get penalized, he followed his original obscenity with another slur, to which the umpire didn’t react. Another example is Novak Djokovic’s long lasting feuds with the chair umpire, and he has at times audibly berated chair umpires for what he believes to be bad calls. Despite Djokovic often being the center of controversy, he has never been penalized. Lastly, Roger Federer exclaimed “that’s a bullshit argument” this year and received no penalty at all.
An important argument in this controversy is that male players often say things much worse than what Williams said, and almost always receive lesser penalties. Billie Jean King, a female tennis legend who was instrumental in the growth of women’s tennis, believes this side of the argument. After the US Open incident, King posted on social media, “When a woman is emotional, she’s ‘hysterical’ and she’s penalized for it. When a man does the same, he’s ‘outspoken’ & there are no repercussions.” King continued to comment that there are double standards in tennis, and argues the rules are warped for women, suggesting that it’s time for a long-overdue change in the rule book. In an interview, Williams also commented, “I’ve seen other men call other umpires several things. I’m here fighting for women’s rights and for women’s equality and for all kinds of stuff.” King suggested that Ramos is more lenient to the male players, and commented that she admires Williams for using her fame to bring attention to the cause of equality.
The other side of the argument is that Williams deserved the penalties, because she was out of line in demanding an apology, and in threatening Ramos’ job and criticizing his career. An interview with Williams’ coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, could show why Williams deserved the original penalty. Mouratoglou confessed in an interview after the game, “I am honest, I was coaching. Ramos fined Williams a large sum of money for mainly her verbal usage.” Another person who agrees Williams was out of line is Martina Navratilova, an 18-time Grand Slam singles champion. She believes that people are focusing too much on the sexism, and are overlooking the possibility that Williams made things worse. “We cannot measure ourselves by what we think we should also be able to get away with,” she said, adding, “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. Had I behaved like that on a tennis court, I would have expected to get everything that happened to Serena,” Navratilova told New York Times reporter Juliet Macur in a separate story. “It should’ve ended… with the point warning, but Serena just couldn’t let it go.”
When it seemed like the US Open controversy was beginning to wind down, the Herald Sun published a cartoon of Williams by Australian artist Mark Knight. This particular cartoon shows Williams jumping on her racket, while Osaka and Ramos are in the back, with Ramos asking Osaka, “Can’t you just let her win?”. Knight has been accused of portraying black women in offensive ways before, especially in ways that resemble historical offenses to African-Americans. This particular cartoon was clearly a caricature, and Knight chose to significantly inflate Williams’ lips and facial features, which are often features used in the Jim Crow Era to depict African Americans.
Upon seeing the cartoon, cartoonist Darrin Bell commented, “. . . Caricature always exaggerates features that stand out. But that doesn’t mean ‘features that stand out when compared to white people’. . . And if you’re not purposely trying to tap into those 100-year-old stereotypes, then as a professional, you’re supposed to be aware of [your] impulse and put it in check.” There are decisions that cartoonists have to make, and sometimes they have to follow their instincts and draw what stands out to them. However, he argues that what Knight decided to draw was extremely reckless. Instead of offensively exaggerating her features, why couldn’t Knight have instead showcased her determination, or athletic ability? Furthermore, Osaka is portrayed as a slender, blonde, white woman, even though Osaka comes from Japanese and Haitian backgrounds, whereas Williams was portrayed as overweight. Knight had the opportunity to draw a much better cartoon, but instead drew an offensive depiction that downgraded Williams from a strong, athletic woman to a whiny caricature that emphasized racial stereotypes.
The 2018 US Open started a debate on a major point of controversy: whether there are double standards in tennis, and if men get lesser penalties for using vulgar language. The US Open aftermath also included a racist cartoon that has caused many people to evaluate continuing prejudices surrounding the sport of tennis. Although this controversy may be a blemish in Williams’ career, she is a fierce, renowned tennis player who faced an insurmountable amount of scrutiny and has bared through the aftermath. Osaka, too, is a determined player who defeated a tennis legend, and both will come back strong soon in their careers.