Serena Williams had a run-in with chair umpire Carlos Ramos, who flagged her for three penalties –– for receiving coaching from her coach, for calling Ramos a ‘thief’ and for breaking her racket. Williams has been penalised a total of $17,000 which will have to be paid from her cheque from the tournament.
After Ramos gave Williams a code violation for receiving coaching, Williams came to him, clarified that she did not receive coaching and asked him to make an announcement. Thereafter, the conversation flared up between Williams and Ramos.
At the post-match press-conference Serena said that male tennis players go unpunished even when they argue and use bad words on court all the time.
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. For me to say ‘thief’ and for him to take a game, it made me feel like it was a sexist remark. He’s never taken a game from a man because they said ‘thief.Serena Williams
Here’s a look at five male tennis players, who lost their cool on the court and the repercussions that followed.
Roger Federer's at US Open 2009
"Don't you have any rules for this? I wasn't allowed to challenge after two seconds. The guy takes, like, 10. You can't allow that stuff to happen," Roger Federer had told the umpire when Juan Martin del Potro took a long time before he decided to take a challenge during the US Open final in 2009.
Federer went on to tell the umpire, "Don't tell me to be quiet, OK? When I want to talk, I talk. I don't give a s*** what he said."
The 20-time Grand Slam champion wasn’t penalised for this outburst.
Reprimand: Roger Federer didn’t face any punishment for his behaviour.
Nick Kyrgios Swears at Umpire During Loss to Rafael Nadal in China Open Final
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Infamous for allowing his temper to get the best of him, Nick Kyrgios, was already on a warning from umpire Mohamed Lahyani for something he said in disputing a call in the first game of the match.
Then 22-year-old Nick Kyrgios collected a penalty point in October 2017 for swearing at the umpire.
Reprimand: Nick Kyrgios was docked one point.
Nick Kyrgios Unleashes Wrath on Umpire During Cincinnati Masters
This time around, the Australian player not only hit the ball into the stands when a call went against him in the second set during Cincinnati Masters but also landed himself with a penalty point for doing so.
ABC news had reported that Kyrgios further engaged with the crowd during the match, as he ranted about the umpire.
"Where the hell do you find these guys?" he asked the crowd.
"You want to be a referee? You're all eligible."
Reprimand: Nick Kyrgios was docked one point.
Roger Federer Lashes Out at Chair Umpire at the Australian Open
Roger Federer had a run in with a chair umpire during the Australian Open semi-final showdown in January 2018, where he was playing Korean Hyeon Chung.
A serve by Chung was called out by the line judge in the second set, which was later overruled by the chair umpire.
When Federer showed his frustration towards the decision, the umpire told him, “The call did not hinder you. The call was out and you missed the shot.”
To which Federer replied with, 'That's a bulls**** argument, it was during the shot.'
For this outburst, Federer wasn’t fined.
Reprimand: Roger Federer didn’t face any punishment for his behaviour.
American Player Jared Donaldson Asks Umpire to "Show Him the Mark"
Earlier in April 2018, during the Monte Carlo Masters, American player Jared Donaldson had asked the umpire to tell him where is the ball’s mark on the court after his opponent’s serve was called in. Donaldson showed the umpire another mark which was outside the line, believing his opponent’s serve to be out.
After the umpire refused to change his decision, the player Donaldson lashed out at him, for which he was fined $6200.
Reprimand: Jared Donaldson was fined $6200.
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