Serena: ‘ I would probably be in jail’ if she raged like Zverev”
Serena believes that she would have received much heavier fines and claims there is a double standard within tennis
Tennis legend Serena Williams accused tennis of a “double standard” as she feels she would have received a much harsher punishment than the sanctions Alexander Zverev received for striking a chair umpire’s stand.
Last week, World number three Zverev was ejected from the Mexican Open after he swung his racket at the Chair Umpire a total of four times, narrowly missing the umpire’s foot on the second swing.
As a result, defending winner Zverev was booted from the tournament, fined $40,000 (£30,000) and was docked of all ranking points and prize money earned at the Acapulco event.
However, 23-time Grand Slam champion believes that she would have received much heavier fines and claims there is a double standard within tennis.
In an interview with American news network CNN, 14-time doubles Slam victor Serena said “there is absolutely a double standard.
“I would probably be in jail if I did that – like, literally, no joke.
“You see that [double standard] when you see other things happening on the tour, like, ‘wait – if I had done that?’ Hmm.
“But it is okay, At the end of the day, I am who I am, and I love who I am.”
In the interview, Serena recalled how fined $175,000 (£130,000) and was on probation for two years after she launched a tirade towards a line judge in her 2009 US Open semi-final match against Kim Clijsters.
Her tirade included threats of violence when she said “If I could, I would take this ball and shove it down your throat.” The line judge also claimed Serena threatened to kill her, which she denied.
Williams then accused chair umpire Carlos Ramos of double standards after her 2018 US Open final defeat to four-time Slam victor Naomi Osaka.
Serena called Ramos a “thief” and as such was docked a game. After the loss, Serena went on to accuse Ramos of sexism, hypothesising he wouldn’t do that if it was a male player.
Alexander Zverev was recently withdrawn from the Mexican Open after he attacked the umpire’s chair with his racket. As a Black athlete and a woman, @serenawilliams tells me there is a double standard. “I would probably be in jail if I did that,” she says.
