Tennis legend praises Serena for calling out 'double standard'
The reactions to Serena Williams’ meltdown during the U.S. Open finals are continuing to roll in.
Tennis legend and feminist icon Billie Jean King added her take late Saturday night.
King first started by saying that she believed coaching should be allowed during a match. But because it’s currently not allowed, players could get penalised for their coach’s actions, which she believes isn’t right either.
Williams was penalised for illegal on-court coaching after her coach Patrick Mouratoglou was signalling at the 23-time Grand Slam champion to move up to net more often.
Although Williams said she did not see the coaching and denied that it happened, after the match Mouratoglou admitted he was doing so. On-court coaching is rarely called or enforced but is a rule nonetheless.
‘WHAT IS HE TALKING ABOUT’: Serena and coach in major US Open conflict
King also thanked Williams for calling out the double standard on male and female competitors.
(1/2) Several things went very wrong during the @usopen Women’s Finals today. Coaching on every point should be allowed in tennis. It isn’t, and as a result, a player was penalized for the actions of her coach. This should not happen.
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) September 9, 2018
(2/2) When a woman is emotional, she’s “hysterical” and she’s penalized for it. When a man does the same, he’s “outspoken” & and there are no repercussions. Thank you, @serenawilliams, for calling out this double standard. More voices are needed to do the same.
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) September 9, 2018
Williams believed she was unfairly penalised for calling the chair umpire Carlos Ramos a thief and saying that he would never work another one of her matches ever again.
She believed that the violation about on-court coaching implied that she was a cheater and wanted Ramos to rescind the first violation.
When he wouldn’t, she continued berating him from her chair and calling for the referees to come onto the court.
While pleading her case with U.S. Open officials, Williams said that male competitors frequently said worse, sometimes using expletives, without losing a point or a game. Williams lost a point because it was her second code violation – she received it for racket abuse – and then a game because it was her third.
She did not lose a point for her first warning.
Even after she lost the match, she demanded an apology from Ramos again as she went up to shake his hand.
#USOpen Statement on Women's Final pic.twitter.com/0h3Y3abl0H
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2018
In her news conference, she backed up her outburst, saying that it was a double standard. She also said that although she was punished tonight, her actions would make it more acceptable for athletes in the future to show their emotion and be held to the same standard regardless of their gender.
Other athletes on Twitter have agreed with King and said that it was an unnecessary violation for verbal abuse that cost Williams a game late in the second set.
Yahoo Sports