After the scandalous appearance of superstar Serena Williams in the women’s final of the US Open, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) has fully supported the referee’s decisions.
“Carlos Ramos is one of the most experienced and respected referees in tennis. His decisions were in accordance with the rules and the decision to punish Serena Williams for three offences was confirmed,” an official ITF statement said.
The ITF understood that last Saturday’s incidents triggered debate, but insisted that “Mr. Ramos had fulfilled his duties under the rules and acted professionally and with integrity at all times”.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams had accused Carlos Ramos of sexism after her lost match against the Japanese Naomi Osaka (2:6, 4:6). The Portuguese had warned the 36-year-old American three times and awarded her opponent first a point and then a game according to the rules. Williams had called Ramos a “thief” and a “liar”. It was fined 17,000 dollars (14,700 euros) for its losses.
The accusations of sexism had caused a stir, Williams was backed up by the players’ association WTA. There should be no difference in tolerance of emotional expressions between men and women on the court, according to a statement by the WTA.
The women’s final in New York “raised the question of whether there were differences in the standards of women’s and men’s games”. The WTA is prepared to work with the sport so that all players are treated equally. “We don’t think that was the case last night (Saturday),” WTA leader Steve Simon wrote in the statement.