Serena Williams has been fined $17 000 dollars for
her outburst during the US Open final on Saturday night, the US
Tennis Association (USTA) said Sunday.
The American lost the final to Naomi Osaka of Japan 6-2, 6-4, but it
was her controversial outburst over chair umpire Carlos Ramos'
assessment of penalties, for receiving coaching from the box, then
for racquet abuse and verbal abuse, that got most of the attention.
Williams was fined $4 000 for the coaching violation, $3 000 for
destroying her racquet and $10 000 for verbal abuse, a USTA official
said. The fines are in accordance with the grand slam rule book, the
official added.
Williams defended her outburst in her post-match press conference as
necessary to point out a double standard between the way women are
treated when they complain compared to the way men are treated.
Former US tennis star Billie Jean King weighed in on the matter late
Saturday, defending Williams on Twitter and thanking her for calling
out a double standard and said coaching should be allowed as it is in
World Team Tennis, a US league that she helped found.
"Several things went very wrong during the @usopen Women's Finals
today," King said. "Coaching on every point should be allowed in
tennis. It isn't, and as a result, a player was penalized for the
actions of her coach. This should not happen."
King, a women's right pioneer on and off the court, said when a woman
is emotional, she's "hysterical" and she's penalized for it, but when
a man does the same, "he's 'outspoken' & and there are no
repercussions."
Williams turned her attention to her baby on Sunday. She posted a
photo of Alexis Olympia, 1, wearing a black tutu-style dress almost
identical to the one Williams wore on Saturday during the final and
tennis shoes.
Osaka acknowledged that "there's been a lot going on," but said in a
tweet that she just wanted to say she was grateful to have the
opportunity to play on the US Open stage.