Week 35 & 36 - US Open New York, USA - Hard

scottie1 · Futures level

Week 35 & 36 - US Open New York, USA - Hard

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Indy, Serena got a warning for coaching. Which she took much umbrage about (but the video did show Patrick making hand movements, although maybe Serena didn't see it).
Then she smashed her racket later which she didn't realise would give her a point penalty because it was cumulative. Now she lost her rag and again at the end of that game too and ended up with a game penalty

flamingowings · All-time great

indiana wrote:
Yay, Naomi Osaka wins the title 6-2 6-4 !

I just saw the last game but have evidently missed huge drama and controversy involving Serena and whatever it has been it seems theat the crowd were much on her side at the end ( though not against Naomi ) ??

A fill in, please.

Serena's coach was seen to be coaching. She got a warning. She then was broken, chucked her raquet, possibly damaged the court and received a point penalty so Naomi was 15-0 up. Serena then massively kicked off, calling Ramos a cheat, a liar. She then continued this argument and received a game penalty.

The Guardian says "Serena to chair umpire: You will never, ever, ever be on another court of mine as long as you live. You are the liar. When are you going to give me my apology? You owe me an apology. Say it. Say youre sorry. ... And you stole a point from me. Youre a thief, too!

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

She also started to cry, claimed sexual discrimination - men say much worse, this is not fair, it's because I'm a woman - and really lost the plot big-time.

flamingowings · All-time great

Shame about the Serena drama, really taking it away from Naomi who clearly played a blinder of a match. Well done to her!

indiana · Tennis legend

Yes, does seem the experience has been hugely spoiled for Naomi.

Thought she was going to totally avoid answering how the dream of playing Serena in a final matched up to reality. But she did come back to it just to say it was indeed her dream and she was grateful to have had the opportunity.

-- Edited by indiana on Sunday 9th of September 2018 12:38:33 AM

scottie1 · Futures level

Serena is a drama queen always has been if she threatened the umpire she should have been disqualified

Julia Carrot · All-time great

Serena, just worked herself up more and more, that she was so insulted that the umpire was implying she was a cheat. Amongst her lines of reasoning, one, 'she didn't need to cheat' (true), two, 'she had a daughter' (somewhat flawed logic there). She just wouldn't let it go. I think it all started in the 1st set but she was still going on throughout the second set. The umpire didn't handle it too well I thought, though you couldn't hear everything he said. Clearly Patrick did make some gestures, but probably Serena didn't see them, so if he was trying to coach her it's very unlikely she noticed it until the umpire gave her the warning or perhaps a point penalty (I can't remember which). You would have thought the umpire would have realised she was possibly oblivious of his gestures. But she just went on and on in a very childish way and it was all quite horrible for Osaka but she continued somehow to play her amazing tennis. After Serena was awarded the game penalty for verbal abuse (the second misdemeanor having been a violent racket smash on the court itself), and was serving to stay in the match, I actually thought Osaka let Serena win that one (out of respect, or wisdom possibly). She then went on to serve the match out with a close, but confident, game.

-- Edited by Julia Carrot on Saturday 8th of September 2018 11:01:51 PM

the addict · Tennis legend

Disgraceful behaviour from Serena. Maybe the coachin warning was excessive, but the racket smash and the verbal abuse deserved penalties. Not the first time Serana has exploded in a match. I feel so sorry for Naomi, no joy or celebration in the win. Hope that she gets the accolades in the morning, and that Serena hasn't stoled the headlines.

indiana · Tennis legend

Yes having watched the replay, boy did Serena not let things drop, though I think the point penalty for the racket abuse ( on top of the warning ) was the only absolutely clear penalty. I ended more sympathetic than I expected to be.

Code violation - the coaching was fairly clear and admitted post match by Moaratoglou, although he doesn't think Serena saw him but there seems quite a lot of thought that it is far from unusual and a soft between games warning may have sufficed rather than go straight to the official code violation. Effectively zero tolerance is not the norm so unless there was more going on ...

Point penalty - no argument.

Game penalty - seemed more a build up getting Ramos fed up ( the actual penalty came after the "stole point" and "thief" repetitions to a Ramos no longer actually engaging with her but it seems his mind stewing, and the problem for many including myself is that that surely didn't warrant it. She had just become tedious more than anything. It could very easily have been avoided. Not saying that this should be relevant but coming at Naomi up *4-3 to go 5-3* it could have so stoked the atmosphere and effected things to turn the match back towards Serena. It did seem unnecessary and Naomi coped so well.

She's behaved far worse, particularly re words to an umpire ( OK, not the greatest of defenses ) and Ramos, called very strong by some, in my view should adhere to when there is some doubt, which there surely was, don't become a major part of the show.

Finally though, again, most of all, congratulations to Naomi Osaka, US Open champion !

-- Edited by indiana on Sunday 9th of September 2018 01:33:32 AM

The Realist · Junior player

Huge congratulations to Osaka .

Serena's behaviour was disgraceful and a terrible example to set to young players. She should know the rules and should be aware that if she gets a code violation for coaching then it is her coach that is the cheat, not her. She should have yelled at her coach and then shut up. This is not the first time she has behaved in such a petulant way. The subsequent code violations were entirely justified - racquet abuse and abuse of an official is unacceptable.

Noone should be bigger than the game but Miss Williams seems to think that the rules don't apply to her - well they do and I hope the tennis authorities take the strongest possible action against her

She has already played the "mummy" card and the sexist card

The behaviour of the crowd was disgraceful too - obviously they would all be rooting for Serena but to boo at the end of the match was just awful for Osaka. This would never happen at Wimbledon

Serena accused the umpire of being a thief but the only thieves were Serena herself and the crowd who ruined what should have been a glorious moment for Osaka. Serena has won lots of grand slams: this was Osaka's first and maybe her only one ( although I sincerely hope not) and Serena and the crowd have taken away that special moment from her.

They should be thoroughly ashamed

Julia Carrot · All-time great

Yes, I agree with all of the above when you put it like that.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Interesting to see Serena getting support from people like Azarenka and Billie Jean King.

I think Indy has a point, and that the very first warning was rather 'zero tolerance' and could possibly have been avoided - there are many times that a player is 'unofficially' warned at changeovers as a preliminary step to the official warning. Umpires do not do things 100% by the book (and that is part of their skill, otherwise a machine could do it).

And when they had the 'nice' chat after the warning where she felt she explained her side and Ramos understood ("And he was cool. He was like, Oh, I get it. We had this great exchange. We were on the same page. We understood each other, and I felt that that was -- yeah".) - with hindsight it would have been good here, when Ramos was nodding and being ultra understanding and friendly, if he had just pointed out that the warning still stood. Not that he has to, of course, and Serena should know the rules, but it's a tense situation, and it would have been helpful if he had.

BUT from then on in I see absolutely nothing that she can complain about - and nothing that shows sexism or racism or anything else. Billie Jean King says a woman is not allowed to be 'strong', Vika says a man's match would never have been handled that way. But I don't see it. The racket abuse was obvious and clear-cut. The first sounding off was not too over the top and was not sanctioned. But the second one was where she completely lost it, sort of threatened him, called him a thief and a liar - I've never seen a man do that and not be sanctioned. She was completely and utterly out of order. It was only a simple warning, just like any other. But coming on the back of the other two meant there was a game penalty.

Osaka was simply brilliant in how she handled it and Carlos just possibly could have handled things better at the start. But Serena was utterly our of order and it was disgraceful.

seagull · Hall of fame

Lost all respect for Serena last night.

The coach got her the first warning so don't have a go at the umpire.

She served 2 double faults to hand back break and smashed her racket so that's all her fault

What followed was just an embarrassment both for her and the crowd. Really saw the ugly side of America there.

Can you imagine Federer or Nadal behaving like that? No way so don't play the sexism card.

She has made it all about her rather than Osaka

TomTraubert · Futures level

1st 'rena was all wrong last night no excuse

lost all respect for her tho

kyrios mucks about tanks does all sorts of genral crap over and over and everyone is like he complicated he sensitive he got so much talent he a good soul give him a chance he good for the game
evo the same to some extent and does drugs but welcome back in adoration

'rena tho, one night undoes 20 years of GOAT play aparently
lost all respect

mebbe there is double standards