Last updated on .From the section Tennis Serena Williams' claims of sexism in the US Open final have been backed by the governing body of women's tennis. WTA chief executive Steve Simon said the umpire showed Williams a different level of tolerance over Saturday's outbursts than if she had been a man. She got a code violation for coaching, a penalty point for racquet abuse and a game penalty for calling the umpire a "thief" in the defeat by Naomi Osaka. The American said it was "sexist" to have been penalised a game. "The WTA believes that there should be no difference in the standards of tolerance provided to the emotions expressed by men versus women," Simon said in a statement. "We do not believe that this was done last night." He also called for coaching to be allowed "across the sport". Umpire Carlos Ramos penalised Williams after seeing her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, making a hand gesture. The Frenchman later admitted he was trying to coach his player. The head of the United States Tennis Association (USTA), which organises the US Open, said men "are badgering the umpire on the changeovers and nothing happens". "We watch the guys do this all the time," USTA chief Katrina Adams said. "There's no equality when it comes to what the men are doing to the chair umpires and what the women are doing, and I think there has to be some consistency across the board. "I'm all about gender equality and I think when you look at that situation these are conversations that will be imposed in the next weeks. We have to treat each other fairly and the same." BBC tennis presenter Sue Barker, who said: "I've sat courtside watching the men ranting at umpires and they haven't been given a violation." Williams, 36, was fined $17,000 (£13,100) for code violations that included calling Ramos a "liar" and "thief". She earned $1.85m (£1.43m) in prize money for reaching the final. British former player Andrew Castle said Simon should be "ashamed" of his comments. "The accusation of sexism which was levelled by Serena Williams in her press conference after the woman's final needs to be backed up," he told BBC Radio Four's Today programme. "Otherwise she could be accused of bringing the game into disrepute." Zimbabwean Cara Black, winner of 10 Grand Slam titles in doubles and mixed doubles, said she felt sorry for Ramos. "He was just doing his job out there and calling Serena on what he saw. She lost control of her emotions. I don't think sexism was a part in it," she said. "She had a match on her hands against Naomi. I've seen it happen a few times where she starts to bully the situation and try to intimidate her opponents a little bit and she comes with these outbursts." What do the stats say? Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion, was one of 10 women punished for code violations at this year's US Open, while 26 men were fined. Most of the fines issued were for racquet violations - 14 men and five women. Three men and three women were penalised for an audible obscenity, five men were fined for time delays, while four men and one woman were penalised for unsportsmanlike conduct. Williams was one of only two women punished for on-court coaching, alongside Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova, while no men were penalised for this offence. Former world number one Williams was the only player punished for verbal abuse, which landed her a $10,000 (£7,732) fine - the largest issued at this year's tournament. Code violations at the 2018 US Open tournament Williams' previous US Open controversies 2009 US Open semi-final: Already on a warning for racquet abuse earlier in the match, Williams launched into an angry outburst at a lineswoman after she was called for a foot fault which gave Kim Clijsters two match points. She was penalised a point for unsportsmanlike conduct and Clijsters won the match. Williams was placed on a two-year probation period and fined $175,000 (£135,000), reduced to $82,500 (£63,750) if she committed no further major offence through 2011. 2011 US Open final: Williams shouts "come on" as Sam Stosur attempts to return a shot and the point was awarded to the Australian. Williams then verbally abused umpire Eva Asderak and was fined $2,000 (£1,265). Umpire should not have pushed Williams to the limit - Djokovic Novak Djokovic, who won a third men's US Open title on Sunday, said the interventions by Ramos were "unnecessary" and that they "changed the course of the match". "I have my personal opinion that maybe the chair umpire should not have pushed Serena to the limit, especially in a Grand Slam final," the Serb said. But Djokovic said he did not agree with Simon's comments, adding: "I don't understand from where he's coming with that statement." The 14-time Grand Slam champion also described the situation as "tough" for the umpire and said "we have to empathise with him". Controversy in women's doubles American CoCo Vandeweghe says she hopes to "get another moment" at the Australian Open Grand Slam A day after Osaka was left in tears during an awkward and toxic trophy presentation in which Williams urged booing to stop, there was more controversy in the women's doubles. American Coco Vandeweghe and Ashleigh Barty of Australia said they were hustled off court shortly before the men's final, unable to deliver a victory speech after receiving their trophy. "We couldn't thank anyone. I think that was poor form," said Vandeweghe. "Maybe they'll do us right in Australia since the US couldn't do me right." Barty added they were rushed off because "the men needed to start". "To be honest, I don't think they [Djokovic and Del Potro] would have worried if they were 10 or 15 minutes delayed," the Australian said. Inconsistency 'bothers' Azarenka Williams' coach Patrick Mouratoglou later admitted he was coaching during the second set Williams was given a code violation in the final after Ramos ruled that her coach Patrick Mouratoglou was signalling tactics from the stands. After the match, Mouratoglou admitted he had been coaching, but added "I don't think she looked at me" and "everybody does it". The incident has raised debate on the consistency of the coaching rules which state: Players can not receive coaching during a Grand Slam match (including the warm-up). Communications of any kind, audible or visible, between a player and a coach may be construed as coaching. On-court coaching is allowed by the WTA at its Tour-level events. Coaching from the stands is allowed in the US Open qualifying rounds between points. Simon said: "We think the issue of coaching needs to be addressed and should be allowed across the sport. The WTA supports coaching through its on-court coaching rule, but further review is needed." Belarusian two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka said it "bothers" her that there is "too much of a grey area" in these rules. "The umpire can choose to exercise it or not," she said in a live video on her Instagram page. "We either have a rule for all times or we don't. That is my problem with it. "Why is there so much difference? I don't get that. There has to be a clear rule to it. If it happened in the men's match, it would not happen again. That is the problem. It is the inconsistency."<doc-sep>Photo : Julian Finney ( Getty ) Through a series of statements, tennis’s governing bodies (the Women’s Tennis Association, the U.S. Tennis Association, and the International Tennis Federations) are staking out their positions on the sad and entirely avoidable debacle that was the U.S. Open women’s final. Advertisement After 20-year-old Naomi Osaka won the match on Saturday, USTA president Katrina Adams released a statement praising Serena Williams for her sportsmanship. On ESPN, Adams, talking about Williams’s comments to the chair umpire, said: “We watch the guys do this all the time, they’re badgering the umpire on the changeovers. Nothing happens. There’s no equality. I think there has to be some consistency across the board. These are conversations that will be imposed in the next weeks. “I know what Serena did and her behaviour was not welcome. A line could have been drawn, but when you look at Carlos in this situation, it’s a judgment call to give that last penalty because she called him a thief. They’ve been called a lot more. “[He could have said]: ‘Hey, we’re getting out of hand here, let’s tone it down.’ I think he would have [said that to a male player], I think it’s a bond that they have and they way they communicate, and maybe not understanding they can have that same conversation with the women.” Yesterday, WTA CEO Steve Simon (who earlier this summer carelessly discussed a Williams doping test on the phone at a public airport, thus launching weeks of scrutiny into Williams’s drug testing history), released a statement decrying the double standard of umpire calls. “Yesterday’s US Open final resulted in the crowning of a deserving new champion, Naomi Osaka. The WTA applauds Naomi for her tremendous accomplishment. “Yesterday also brought to the forefront the question of whether different standards are applied to men and women in the officiating of matches. The WTA believes that there should be no difference in the standards of tolerance provided to the emotions expressed by men vs. women and is committed to working with the sport to ensure that all players are treated the same. We do not believe that this was done last night. “We also think the issue of coaching needs to be addressed and should be allowed across the sport. The WTA supports coaching through its on-court coaching rule, but further review is needed. “Yesterday’s match showcased one of tennis’s new stars as well as one of the greatest players of the game. We look forward to more thrilling matches between these great athletes and hope that what we all witnessed yesterday never happens again.” Advertisement Today, under pressure to defend chair umpire Carlos Ramos, the ITF released a statement saying he had correctly enforced the rules: “Carlos Ramos is one of the most experienced and respected umpires in tennis. Mr. Ramos’ decisions were in accordance with the relevant rules and were re-affirmed by the US Open’s decision to fine Serena Williams for the three offences.” “It is understandable that this high profile and regrettable incident should provoke debate. At the same time, it is important to remember that Mr. Ramos undertook his duties as an official according to the relevant rule book and acted at all times with professionalism and integrity.” Advertisement With the USTA and WTA so firmly in Williams’s corner and the ITF backing Ramos, we can all continue to fight about the match and who’s to blame.<doc-sep>Serena Williams of the United States argues with umpire Carlos Ramos during her Women's Singles finals match against Naomi Osaka of Japan on Day Thirteen of the 2018 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 8, 2018 in New York City. The fine of $17,000 handed to Serena Williams was relatively insignificant compared with the $1.85 million she received for finishing as runner-up at the U.S. Open. But, the ramifications of what caused it continue to divide the world of tennis. During Saturday's controversial final, in which Naomi Osaka provided Japan with its first tennis Grand Slam singles champion, Williams was cited three times for code violations in which she called chair umpire Carlos Ramos a "liar" and a "thief." She also alleged he treated her differently than male players. Williams, who is still seeking a record-equaling 24th Grand Slam singles title, was handed a warning for a coaching violation, before being deducted a point for smashing her racket in another violation. She then had a heated argument with Ramos, resulting in her being docked a game during the second set in a third violation. As the first violation was announced, Williams approached the umpire's chair to say she never takes coaching when on a competitive court and would rather lose than "cheat to win." "I'm here fighting for women's rights and for women's equality and for all kinds of stuff and for me to say 'thief' and for him to take a game, it made me feel like it was a sexist remark," said Williams after the final. "He's never took a game from a man 'cause they said 'thief,' for me it blows my mind!" Tennis great Billie Jean King, who won 12 Grand Slam titles of her own, said on social media: "When a woman is emotional, she's 'hysterical' and she's penalized for it. When a man does the same, he's 'outspoken' and there are no repercussions."<doc-sep>
Serena Williams’s claim that the code violations that sparked her meltdown in the US Open final were sexist stirred debate, with WTA Tour chief executive Steve Simon backing her on Sunday. Williams was handed three code violations — and docked a point and then a game — in her 6-2, 6-4 loss to Naomi Osaka in the Flushing Meadows final. Osaka out-played her childhood hero to become the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam, but her accomplishment was swamped in the controversy surrounding 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams. The American superstar claimed that chair umpire Carlos Ramos meted out penalties for infractions that male players could have gotten away with, specifically a violation for verbal abuse after she called him a “thief” and a “liar” for warning her for coaching from her players’ box, then docking her a point when a racquet abuse violation followed. Eventually she was docked a game — putting Osaka on the brink of victory. Simon said the affair brought to the forefront the question of whether different standards are applied to men and women in the officiating of matches. “The WTA believes that there should be no difference in the standards of tolerance provided to the emotions expressed by men vs. women and is committed to working with the sport to ensure that all players are treated the same,” he said. “We do not believe that this was done last night.” Williams was most incensed by the first code violation she received — for coaching from her box. It’s not clear if she even saw the hand gestures by coach Patrick Mouratoglou sitting her box, although he admitted in an interview with ESPN that he was trying to advise her — and said all coaches do it. – Coaching ‘hypocrisy’ – “Yes, I was coaching just like everybody else. We have to stop this hypocrisy. Furthermore, Serena didn’t even see my gestures. She felt humiliated by the warning,” said the Frenchman. Simon said the sport as a whole should examine the rules on coaching, noting that the WTA already allows on-court coaching during regular tour events — if a player requests it. US great Billie Jean King addressed both issues, also seeing things Williams’s way. “When a woman is emotional, she’s ‘hysterical’ and she’s penalized for it,” King tweeted. “When a man does the same, he’s ‘outspoken’ & and there are no repercussions. Thank you, @serenawilliams, for calling out this double standard. More voices are needed to do the same.” National Organization of Women president Toni Van Pelt weighed in with a statement calling for the USTA to sever any ties to Ramos for “a blatantly racist and sexist move”. Williams’s pleas to referee Brian Earley and a Grand Slam supervisor — called to the court after she failed to get satisfaction from Ramos — were to no avail. The USTA said in a statement after the match that the decision to hand out the final code violation and game penalty was “not reviewable”. “Because I’m a woman you’re going to do this to me,” she fumed on court and after the match Williams didn’t walk back that charge. “I’ve seen other men call other umpires several things,” she said. “I’m here fighting for women’s rights and for women’s equality and for all kinds of stuff.” Men’s champion Novak Djokovic treaded warily when asked to weigh in on matter. Djokovic noted that it was an “awkward situation” for both competitors and “tough” for the umpire. “I have my personal opinion that maybe the chair umpire should not have pushed Serena to the limit, especially in a Grand Slam final,” he said. “He did change the course of the match. It was, in my opinion, maybe unnecessary. We all go through our emotions, especially when you’re fighting for a Grand Slam trophy. However, he said he wasn’t sure sexism was at the root of Ramos’s decisions. “It’s hard to generalize things,” he said.