RhodeIslandOne (2,234 posts)
Hundreds of white fans jeered a biracial woman representing Japan after win at US Open
There's no clear way to a racial angle on this. The Japanese lady won over Serena Williams, a black lady. The umpire whose
correct calls against Williams is Portuguese, basically Hispanic.
In a nutshell:* Williams' coach was caught using hand signals to advise her, a violation of tournament rules; he admitted to this after it was all over; Williams was given a warning for this;
* Later in the match, frustrated that her serve had been broken, Williams smashed her racket; besides being a rules violation, this is also dangerous, as shards fly, endangering players and spectators nearby; Williams received a point penalty for this;
* Still later, Williams initiated an argument with the umpire about the point penalty; when she accused the umpire of cheating, a rules violation, she received a game penalty.
I get that Serena and Venus Williams have been crazy-great tennis players for many years. That does not entitle her to break rules, nor does it entitle her to wrist-slap-grade consequences when called on those violations. The really sad thing is that she is late in her career, and this may come to overshadow her career to some degree.