Serena Deserved Better. And So Did Osaka.
In 2018, a 20-year-old girl from Japan beat her hero at the U.S. Open to win a Grand Slam. Naomi Osaka, who is also half-Haitian, is the first Japanese person to win the U.S. Open. She won against Serena Williams, a tennis legend.
But Osaka is being treated by many as hardly a footnote, after a disagreement between Serena and the umpire spiraled out of control. Serena’s coach signaled her from the stands—he admitted as much—and the umpire, Carlos Ramos, issued Serena a violation. Coaching is rarely penalized and some believe it’s a spurious rule that ought be to changed. Billie Jean King herself said on Twitter, “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 is what appeared to gall Serena. Even if her coach did signal to her, Serena wanted to be clear that she didn’t seek it out. “I don’t cheat to win,” she argued. “I’d rather lose than cheat.”