Tennis chair umpires are discussing boycotting matches by Serena Williams following her meltdown at the US Open final.
The umpires are talking about unionizing following the outburst last weekend.
Yahoo Sports reported:
As fallout continues from Saturday’s heated U.S. Open final that saw Naomi Osaka defeat Serena Williams in a match marred by conflict and controversy, tennis umpires are having their say.
They’re not pleased with Williams or what they see as a lack of support from the tennis world for chair umpire Carlos Ramos, who was on the receiving end of a heated outburst from the 23-time Grand Slam champion.
Report: Umpires considering boycott
The Times of London reports that there is a growing consensus that umpires feel they were “not supported by the USTA” on several occasions and cite one anonymous source claiming that umpires are considering boycotting matches played by Williams.
The source tells The Times that some umpires believe that Ramos was “thrown to the wolves for simply doing his job and was not willing to be abused for it” and that they are considering “to refuse any match assignments involving Williams until she apologizes for vilifying Ramos and calling him a ‘liar’ and a ‘thief.’”
Williams was assessed three code violations during the the loss to Osaka. Ramos warned her against receiving coaching early in the second set, which Williams protested.
