Serena Williams was fined $17,000 over her losing match against Naomi Osaka at the U.S. Open women’s final on Saturday, September 8, following a heated exchanged with umpire Carlos Ramos.
According to Reuters, the United States Tennis Association said on Sunday, September 9, that the tournament referee’s office fined Williams, 36, $10,000 for the verbal abuse of Ramos, $4,000 for being warned for coaching and $3,000 for smashing her racket.
Williams was argumentative on the court after Ramos accused her of receiving illegal coaching from her player box after being given a thumbs up. She was given a violation.
“I don’t cheat to win. I’d rather lose,” she told the umpire, smashing her racket and being given a second violation that led to a point penalty.
“I didn’t get coaching. You owe me an apology,” she ranted. “I have never cheated in my life. I have a daughter and I stand for what’s right for her. I have never cheated. You owe me an apology.”
After a continued exchange, she was given a game penalty.
Still, Williams did not back down, demanding the tournament umpire be brought onto the court. “This is not fair. This has happened to me too many times,” she told him. “Do you know how many other men do things that are a lot worse than that … It’s because I’m a woman.”
Later, her voice broke as she gave a gracious runner-up speech, defending her opponent’s skills from the crowd’s boos and saying, “Let’s not boo. Let’s be positive. Congratulations, Naomi. No more booing.”
She addressed gender inequality on the court in a press conference following the match. “I’m going to continue to fight for women and to fight for us to have equal,” she said. “Maybe it didn’t work out for me but it’s going to work out for the next person.”
By Saturday night, however, the athlete was gushing over 1-year-old daughter’s sequined shoes.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion shared a video to Instagram Stories of the toddler hugging a baby doll close before running to present it to her daddy and Williams’ husband, Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian.
“Sweetie, where you get them shoes from?” the tennis star can be heard saying of Alexis’ sparkly kicks. “Them shoes cute, girl! Where you get them shoes from?”
