On Saturday, 20-year old Naomi Osaka defeated Serena Williams at the US Open to capture her first major title.
A tremendous accomplishment for a young player that dominated every match she played in and expressed absolute glee at the thought of playing against Serena Williams. The problem is, her victory will be overshadowed by the war of attrition taking place all game long between Williams and the chair umpire Carlos Ramos.
After being dominated in the first game, Williams worked her way back into the match only to be penalized a game because her coach was allegedly making hand signals from the stands which according to rules is a code violation. Ramos then leveled a game penalty for the coaching violation, which left Williams incensed.
Next, after a poor service game, she smashed her racket on the court, which resulted in another violation. She then demanded an apology from Ramos.
“You owe me an apology. I have never cheated in my life! I have a daughter and I stand for what’s right for her,” Williams told Ramos on the court. “I don’t cheat to win. I’d rather lose.”
Ultimately the game resumed play and Osaka went on to tearfully win against her idol. During the awards presentation, Osaka and Williams tearfully appeared while the boos rained down from the crowd. Using the moment to embrace the younger player, Williams congratulated Osaka on her win and asked the crowd to make the moment a positive one and stop booing.
Serena is known for refusing to participate in tournaments. Will she return to the US Open next year? Maybe. If she does, chances are that umpire won’t be anywhere near her.
To see Serena go off on the umpire, the award ceremony, and a touching moment between Serena and Naomi Osaka post game, flip the pages.
