Blowing Water | Serena Williams’ outburst at the US Open final was a misguided way to tackle sexism in tennis

Luisa Tam says if Williams truly believes sexism is prevalent in tennis and wants to fight for equality, she should have chosen a better moment

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Tennis player Serena Williams arguing with chair umpire Carlos Ramos in the 2018 US Open women's singles final against Naomi Osaka on September 8, 2018. Photo: USA TODAY

Published: 7:53pm, 17 Sep 2018Updated: 8:48pm, 17 Sep 2018

I am going to ignore political correctness and say it unequivocally: Serena Williams’ outburst at the recent US Open women’s singles final was utterly misguided.

Fighting sexism is a worthy cause, but the way Williams raised the issue created no meaningful impact because it was fought in the wrong court at the wrong time.

Williams called the umpire ‘a thief’, leading to her being assessed a game penalty in the match. Photo: USA TODAY

If Williams truly believes sexism is prevalent in tennis and wants to fight for equality, she should have chosen a better moment than accusing an umpire of sexism in such an abrasive and impromptu manner. She has given critics an excuse to attack her for using sexism as a cover for her tantrum.

The dispute began when chair umpire Carlos Ramos gave Williams a warning because her coach was seen giving her instructions courtside. Williams protested, and in her anger she broke her racket, which led Ramos to deduct her a game point.

Later, she called the umpire “a thief” which led Ramos to assess a game penalty, helping seal Williams’ defeat to Japan’s Naomi Osaka.

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