Martina Navratilova criticizes Serena Williams' behavior at US Open final By Samuel Chamberlain | Fox News Facebook Twitter Flipboard Print Email Martina Navratilova applauding Serena Williams after Williams' victory in the 2015 French Open women's singles final. (Getty/EMPICS Sport, File) Eighteen-time Grand Slam singles champion Martina Navratilova criticized Serena Williams' conduct during her U.S. Open defeat in the pages of The New York Times Monday, writing that Williams engaged in behavior "that no one should be engaging in on the court." Williams was cited three times by chair umpire Carlos Ramos during the second set of her 6-2, 6-4 loss to Naomi Osaka in Saturday's singles final. The first penalty, for getting coaching signals, earned her a warning. The second penalty, for breaking her racket, cost her a point. The third penalty, for berating Ramos and calling him a thief, cost her a game. Williams argued that Ramos would not have penalized her so harshly if she were a man. WTA CEO Steve Simon agreed, saying in a statement that the organization "believes that there should be no difference in the standards of tolerance provided to the emotions expressed by men vs. women ... We do not believe that this was done [Saturday] night." However, Navratilova wrote that the focus on the sexism controversy "is missing the point." "[W]e cannot measure ourselves by what we think we should also be able to get away with," she said, adding, "There have been many times when I was playing that I wanted to break my racket into a thousand pieces. Then I thought about the kids watching. And I grudgingly held on to that racket." "Had I behaved like that on a tennis court, I would have expected to get everything that happened to Serena," Navratilova told Times reporter Juliet Macur in a separate story. "It should've ended ... with the point warning, but Serena just couldn’t let it go." In her op-ed, Navratilova said that Williams was correct when she claimed that "[t]here is a huge double standard for women when it comes to how bad behavior is punished — and not just in tennis." However, she added, "I don't believe it's a good idea to apply a standard of 'If men can get away with it, women should be able to, too.' Rather, I think the question we have to ask ourselves is this: What is the right way to behave to honor our sport and to respect our opponents?" Navratilova's comments were backed by longtime player-turned-broadcaster Mary Carillo. "At her very best — and she is very often at her very best — I respect and admire Serena beyond measure," Carillo told MSNBC on Monday. "...But at her very worst, as she was on [Saturday] night, she acts like a bully." "If you follow tennis at all, you know those rules. They are inviolate," Carillo added. "A lot of these people that are weighing in and saying double standard. I'm saying, you know what? This is not the hill you want to die on." Also Monday, the International Tennis Federation backed Ramos, saying his "decisions were in accordance with the relevant rules" and "reaffirmed by the U.S. Open's decision to fine Serena Williams for the three offenses." On Sunday, tournament referee Brian Earley docked Williams a total of $17,000: $10,000 for "verbal abuse" of Ramos, $4,000 for being warned for coaching and $3,000 for breaking her racket. The ITF added that "Ramos undertook his duties as an official according to the relevant rule book and acted at all times with professionalism and integrity." The Associated Press contributed to this report.
So does that mean you support black people being murdered? I said fuck the cops wife and you and LiarsOut said I support white cops being murdered by black people
He’s in denial. Like most libtards... The most racist among us do this all the time. Scum of the earth.
Yes, you support cops being murdered and their wives should fuck off. You even support BLM which supports the same. Scum of the earth.
The individuals and institutions you mentioned are hardly outstanding examples of fine people or organizations. I would love to hear your reasoning why you support these people and groups. I was in Memphis, TN last week and visited a large local business. It was one of the most efficently run businesses I've seen out of a great many and several of its employees were unusually proactive and helpful. One of my business ventures is business consulting. I have observed a lot of business operations in my life and almost always come up with multiple ideas for them to improve various aspects of their operations. The other thing that stood out in this large, local business in a very competative industry was it appeared to be run only by black people. By "only", I mean 100% of the people I observed, numbering several dozen, from hourly workers to salaried management were black. I respect these people more than career "community organizing" politicians, protest groups that seem to promote racial division, a rich, yet incompetent whining sports "star", and a young criminal. The people I met at this business were hard working and presumably don't have time or the inclination to play the victim game. They were about getting things done, kind of like President Trump. Don't get me wrong, I am not so naive to think there are no issues facing the poor and minorities in the US. In addition to visiting this company in Memphis, I also did some local shopping at a Home Depot in a less "touristy" part of town. I observed a great number of minorities of various ages with disabilities of some sort. I talking nearly 50% of those outside that afternoon in the particular neighborhood I visited had an physical disability. There were also a fair number of people who were not friendly and didn't seem happy. Immediately after parking my rental car, I was approached by a young black man of about 13 years old. He was looking for a donation for a school trip to Seattle for a basketball tournament. He showed me a laminated flyer showing details of the proposed trip. Although I thought to myself it was unlikely this individual played basketball because of his unsteady gait and apparent lack of alertness, I gave him $5.00. His smile showed me his bad teeth and gum disease. My next thought was that he was on crack. This youth's life is probably over before it really has begun. He was destined to join the other people I saw on the street that day, physically broken and angry or depressed. If he lived long enough, that is. The Democrats politically control most of the inner cities in the United States. Other than convincing locals that productive people are the cause of their problems, these Democratic "leaders" have not done anything to help improve their situation even over decades of power. It is like "thank you for your vote, when you are needed again we will tell you more stories how the White man is screwing you". At least Trump is creating opportunities for people to improve their situation through a truly strong economy. If the drug crisis in the US ever gets sincerely addressed, we will finally start making progress in helping minorities in bad situations live better lives. Then again, I wonder if the Radical Left would be in fear of losing a large part of their base and would actively oppose needed reforms for this reason? I saw CNN today where the anchor "skillfully" pointed out to the viewership that the police officer was White and the shooting victim was Black with a large clear photo of both the police officer and the shooting victim displayed. What does that say about CNN opinion of its viewers intelligence or observation skills? If CNN's viewership is mostly minorities, would it be proper to call CNN news anchors racists? Why would the CNN anchor even think to point out race in the first place? It must be they are supporting a racial narrative for political purposes. Perhaps their goal is to influence an upcoming election. Democrats are skilled talkers and obstructionists. They are about getting power in any way possible. Although the Democratic track record of improving the lives of their constituents is weak, they are a powerful political force that appears to be growing in influence through mass media by taking advantage of inexperienced young, vulnerable, or dull people. There are definately smart people here on ET who are all along the political spectrum. I guess part of it is personal philosophy. The Democratic Party is a rolling, multi-generational disaster, but they are still supported by people because the alternative is philosophically painful. Trump has his issues, but his supporters obviously see him as the lesser of two evils. Fortunately for our society, the majority of people get along with each other fine, regardless of what their political philosophy is. This is in spite of what the media would have us believe. There are certainly mindless parrots on both sides, but the majority of people I meet, and I meet a lot, are fair, balanced, and not racists.
Serena always plays the victim You have taken over the crown from GWB for your Bullshit story telling, give it a rest. Jesus, doesn’t it ever end for you Cons.
Serena is an embarrassment. Isn't she supposed to be a Jehovah Witness? They are not supposed to be boastful, be too prideful, or feel entitled as I understand their rules. You say I make up stories but you don't either ask for support of specific points or are able to refute anything I am saying? Weak and pathetic are two words that come to my mind. Then all Tony Stark can do is like your pathetic post? I was responding to his post and he has no counterpoint? Well that was an easy balloon to pop. At least you were are to squeeze out three lines of "thought" this time instead of your usual two. Yes I'm giving you full credit to your short first line. I only post in politcs in response to hysteria, mischaracterations, spin, inappropriate use of statistics, and false accusations of other posters. I have started zero (0) threads in the politics section of ET or any other social media site. Go ahead and search. As I said before, I only post in response to BS on the other side. Now go to bed. It will do you no good to be sleepy in school tomorrow. And no more pot smoking either. Save your allowance for a trading account.
Stephen A gets it right an odd percentage of the time. There are times I expect him to get it right and he does and times he does not. (As long as LeBron is not involved) It is almost like the harder politically it is to make the call the less likely he will be SJW. He has some core integrity that prevents him from lying about important things. This was probably not not easy for him given his peer groups. (not really talking about his race here... I imagine he knows the same people the Williams do and most of his writer friends are probably SJWs.)