Serena Williams Victim of 'Double Standard' at U.S. Open Final
*By Amanda Weston*
A controversial series of calls penalizing tennis legend Serena Williams during Saturday's U.S. Open women's final may have been the latest sign of a sexist double standard in the sport.
"I can point to at least two men who have gotten into altercations with chair umpires, including Roger Federer of all people, who dropped a number of curse words on an umpire a few years back at the Open," Cindy Boren, sports reporter for the Washington Post, said Monday in an interview on Cheddar. "Jimmy Connors referred to an umpire 25 years ago at the Open as an abortion multiple times. Neither of them have been punished."
This weekend's drama unfolded as chair umpire Carlos Ramos cited Williams for separate code violations during her championship match against Japan's Naomi Osaka on Saturday. Her infractions ー coaching during the match, breaking her racket on the court, and "verbal abuse" ー resulted in progressively harsher punishments: first a warning, then a point penalty, and finally a whole game. Williams ultimately lost the contest in straight sets and was fined $17,000 for her behavior.
But as many pointed out, in-game coaching, while not allowed, is commonplace in tennis and rarely results in any action. And while Ramos appeared to take exception to being called a "thief" for docking Williams a point, many players are caught on mic saying much worse. Williams didn't hesitate to point out the discrepancy to the official, accusing Ramos of sexism.
While some suggested Williams chose the wrong moment to raise the issue, supporters like former pro Billie Jean King applauded her. The winner of the famous [Battle of the Sexes](https://www.billiejeanking.com/battle-of-the-sexes/) [tweeted](https://twitter.com/BillieJeanKing/status/1038613218296569856), "When a woman is emotional, she’s 'hysterical' and she’s penalized for it. When a man does the same, he’s 'outspoken' & and *(sic)* there are no repercussions. Thank you, @serenawilliams, for calling out this double standard. More voices are needed to do the same."
But this was not the only match this year to prompt accusations of sexism. French women's tennis player Alizé Cornet received a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct at the start of the U.S. Open after briefly taking off her shirt, which was on backwards, [on the court](http://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/24513634/us-open-clarifies-changing-shirt-rule-alize-cornet-penalty). The Grand Slam rule book says women should only change between sets in a bathroom. Men do not face the same rule.
The U.S. Open later said it regretted issuing the violation to Cornet.
Despite all the outrage on social media, Boren doubts change will be immediate, since the tennis tour "goes into hibernation" until the Australian Open in January.
"If this had happened, say, during the French Open just as the summer of Grand Slams was gearing up, I might have been a little more inclined to say that something might change," she said.
"Get back to me in January when we see where Carlos Ramos is."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/critics-point-to-double-standard-after-serenas-us-open-loss).
Today, Apolo Ohno is much more than a former Olympian. He's an entrepreneur, sports analyst, speaker, and New York Times bestseller. His latest book, 'Hard Pivot,' is a guide for any person learning to adapt or wanting to reinvent themselves, just as Ohno did over a decade ago. Ohno joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Dr. Brian Moore, CEO & Co-founder of sports performance and technology company Orrecco, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how the @thlete platform is helping pro athletes and Olympians improve their performance, and what the future of tech in the world of sports may look like.
A six-year battle over equal pay has finally come to an end-- as U.S. Soccer and The United States Women's Soccer Team have agreed to settle their lawsuit. Under the terms of the deal, the athletes will receive $24 million from U.S. Soccer, and a pledge from the federation to equalize pay for the men's and women's national teams. Lily Roberts, Managing Director of the Poverty to Prosperity Team at the Center for American Progress joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
In a thrilling overtime finish, 23-year old NASCAR driver Austin Cindric clinched the 64th annual Daytona 500 win. Narrowly beating out legendary race car driver Bubba Wallace, Cindric earned his very first NASCAR cup series victory, and became the second youngest driver to win The Great American Race. Daytona 500 Champ Austin Cindric joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss his historic victory.
As we celebrate Black History Month, Cheddar is highlighting prominent Black Americans who are carving their own historic paths and trailblazing in their fields. Today we feature athlete and activist Colin Kaepernick.
The NBA's Golden State Warriors recently announced a relaunch of their SuiteXchange platform, which allows owners to resell luxury suites or rent them out for individual games. Brandon Schneider, team president and COO, joined Cheddar to relay the details of the renewed program and what buyers and sellers can expect. "The Warriors don't determine the price. The seller and the buyer really do. And that's actually one of the unique features on SuiteXChange," he said. "So, if the seller wants to set the price at $10,000, making up a number, the buyer can buy it for $10,000 or they can make an offer for something less than that."
The horse known as Medina Spirit has been stripped of its first-place title at the 2021 Kentucky Derby after testing positive for a banned substance with trainer Bob Baffert receiving a 90-day suspension. Second place finisher Mandaloun has been named the winner instead.
Jamaican Olympic alpine skier Benjamin Alexander joins Cheddar News to discuss his first Olympic appearance and creating more opportunities for diversity in the sport.
While the United States were once again among the top nations in 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics to medal, with the games just ended, the focus turns to the athletes coming home and the mental toll the competition take on them. Lauren Gibbs, the 2018 Team USA silver medalist in bobsledding, joined Cheddar News to give her perspective on this year's games and what the competitors have gone through. “Its definitely a mixed bag, you know? It's like I just had the most incredible athletic experience of my life, but then its like its over in a flash," Gibbs said about the feelings an athlete can go through after finishing. She noted that it's important for them to be vocal and reach out to support networks after the rush of competition ends.
