Tennis Umpires reportedly considering Boycott of Serena Williams Matches
Tennis umpires are reportedly considering a boycott of matches involving Serena Williams after her outburst in the US Open final against Naomi Osaka.
Serena had received a warning, a point penalty, and a game penalty after an outburst that saw her call the umpire Carlos Ramos a thief.
Although the International Tennis Federation (ITF) had come to Ramos’ defense, saying that his decisions were in accordance with the relevant rules. The umpires are according to The Times considering to boycott future Serena Williams matches.
This is said to be because the CEO of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), Steve Simon, and the U.S. Tennis Association President Katrina Adams, had released statements in support of Serena.
The umpires feel that Ramos was “thrown to the wolves for simply doing his job and was not willing to be abused for it.”
According to “a senior figure” who spoke to Guardian:
“There is a lot of unhappiness in the umpiring community because no one is standing up for officials. Umpires keep asking: ‘What if it was me in that chair on Saturday?’ There is a widespread feeling that Carlos was hung out to dry for nearly 48 hours and that no one is standing up for officials.”
