Serena reminded me SO much of her idol Hillary Clinton. Both expected to win, both got their asses kicked, both screamed like b*tches about sexism and racism..it was like reliving the 2016 election all over again :-)
The part that I don't get in all these articles is that Williams was playing against a WOMAN. How can it be sexism? A man didn't win the match, a woman did. Whether the call was wrong or not, Williams whining and crying about sexism is complete BS.
Putting that aside, Naratilova is right -- its never a good argument to say that you should get away with something because someone else did. That's an argument made by people with no character, which describes Williams well. Another commentator called Williams a bully. That is an apt description of what she did to the young lady who won.
At least she gives a little balance to the story. Serena acted horribly.
honor and respect is not the Nike way. And she is sponsored by Nike.
Does this count as one tennis pro mansplaining to another?
Williams problem was playing while entitled. Her bad game, cheating, and attitude finally caught up with her. Good riddance, hopefully she retires and moves on.
At this point, Serena Williams has entered non-person territory.
You made the actual WINNER cry and not enjoy HER MOMENT, HER TIME !!! You needed to congratulate her for her FIRST major win.
Serena...you make me sick. The sight of you makes me sick because you have ZERO manners or class !!!!
Martina is obviously racist.
Serena got her butt kicked in straight sets by a lady much, much younger than her. This day was inevitable. She has dominated her sport longer than any athlete I can think of in any major sport. She should not sully that achievement by whining about officiating, injecting political and social issues and denigrating the achievement of her opponent.
It happens. None of us like it, but we all age. Even Tom Brady will see his day come.
Williams coach admitted she was coaching through hand signals. She is a liar as well as a cheat
I prefer the way baseball umpires manage the game. Players are allowed maybe a look and an oblique mention that they saw something different, and then they are expected to move on. If they press further or use the pronoun ‘you’ with the umpire, they’re gone.
I thought Navratilova would think Serena’s biggest mistake is having sex with men.
yeah, the time to address an issue is AFTER and/or BEFORE a match...not in the middle of it.
Frankly, after reading what she said to the official back in 2009, I think she should have been banned from competition.
I remember a baseball player (Roberto Alomar? I think it was a catcher...) SPITTING in the face of an umpire. Why that guy was allowed to continue in the big leagues I have NO IDEA. You just DON’T abuse an official like that.
Some pitcher in the 80s for the NY Mets (Bob something or another I think...can’t remember the last name) got busted SEVERAL times for cocaine. He, too, should’ve been booted. Maybe the first time is a “I screwed up” but numerous times? The leagues shouldn’t tolerate these athletes abusing their position, bodies and the reputation of the game.
Serena should never be allowed to walk on the court.
And yes, John McEnroe should’ve been booted too. Very wrong to address officials in a nasty manner during a game.
After a game, the league ought to have ways for the players to have a grievance. I do believe officials can go overboard. But during a match, one should act like a professional—not like a four year old.
Sports simply are no fun to watch anymore.
Let Williams rage
This is a very fair and reasonable assessment.
Martina’s fair take on William’s behavior (in The NY Times no less) is a stake to the heart of William’s attempts to make this about race, or feminism, or motherhood, or take your pick.
Only women are allowed to officiate at women's tennis matches.
There are two things Navratilova overlooked here, and since she was writing this in the NYT instead of a sports publication I'll cut her some slack:
1. Serena Williams has a habit of throwing these tantrums when she's losing a match. She came into this tournament overweight and out of shape, and by the time she reached the finals she was clearly out of gas. Whenever she performs badly on the court she goes into these childish rants to accomplish two things: (A) get herself a break in the action to catch her wind, and (B) pretend she's losing for reasons that have nothing to do with her own miserable performance.
2. I'm going to go with "'Roid Rage" for $400, Alex.
At least Venus had more class when her day in the sun was over.