Last updated on .From the section Tennis 2018 US Open Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 27 August-9 September Coverage: Live radio coverage on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra; live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website Serena Williams was fined $17,000 (£13,100) for the code violations that included calling the umpire a "liar" and "thief" in her US Open final loss. Williams, beaten by Naomi Osaka, was docked a game for verbal abuse and had a point penalty for racquet smashing and a code violation for coaching. She later said it was "sexist" to have been penalised a game. BBC tennis presenter Sue Barker said: "The umpire was following the rules by the book but Serena has a point." Barker, a former world number three and 1976 French Open champion, added that "tennis was the loser" from Saturday's events. Williams' fine for the code violations, imposed by the United States Tennis Association (USTA), will be deducted from the $1.85 million the American won as the runner-up. "I've sat courtside watching the men ranting at umpires and they haven't been given a violation," Barker said. "The fact that it was to be a game violation then robbed the crowd of what potentially could've been a third set." Osaka, 20, won the match 6-2 6-4 to become the first Japanese Grand Slam champion. Williams, who was aiming to equal Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles, refused to shake hands with umpire Ramos after the match. She later accused him of sexism, saying: "He's never taken a game from a man because they said 'thief'." Barker told BBC Radio 5 live's Sportsweek programme: "Both have a point - Serena saying the male players can say what they want to umpires. "Earlier in the tournament we saw Alize Cornet being given a code violation for changing her shirt on court and then in the same tournament Mohamed Lahyani gets down from his chair to talk to Nick Kyrgios and persuade him not to give up on a match. "He [Ramos] was following the rules by the book but sometimes the book has to be rewritten. "You can't have one rule for some players and some umpires don't adhere to it and allow players to get away with things. They've just got to be fair to the players. "Tennis was the loser and we lost what was potentially a fantastic match. "I've never seen anything like it since I have been watching tennis. It was sad for the game." Marion Bartoli, the 2013 Wimbledon champion, echoed Barker's stance on the difference between how male and female players are treated. "What the umpire did is totally not acceptable and I hope that we are going to have a sanction because we just can't let that happen," she said. "When there is absolutely no curse or verbal abuse from Serena then giving her a game penalty is insane. You can't do that. It is impossible. "She's right when she says the men say 10 times worse and don't even get a warning." Ramos has given Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray code violations in the past two years. He also accused Serena's sister, Venus, of receiving coaching during a 2016 French Open match, although she wasn't penalised. "I think she [Serena] went a little bit too far," said 18-time Grand Slam singles champion Chris Evert. "What she was saying, she had every right to say but she kept repeating herself. "After a while it is like 'you have to stop'. "Just because of the enormity of the moment, the umpire should have given her a bit of break but, instead, went right for the jugular." What happened? Williams was given a first code violation after Ramos judged a gesture from coach Patrick Mouratoglou to be coaching. She said she had not received any tactics from Mouratoglou, telling the umpire she would "never cheat to win and would rather lose". The Frenchman later admitted that he had been coaching from the box but that Williams had not seen him doing so. Williams then received another code violation for a racquet smash at 3-2 in the second set, leading to Ramos docking her a point. With Osaka leading 4-3, Williams told the umpire: "You are a liar. You will never be on a court of mine as long as you live. When are you going to give me my apology? Say you are sorry." That led to Ramos docking her the next game to leave Osaka just one game away from victory at 5-3 up. Williams refused to take to the court and demanded an intervention from the tournament referee. Eventually she returned to the baseline, serving out a game to love before Osaka held serve to win her first Grand Slam win. In her post-match news conference Williams said she was she "was not being coached" and that she "did not understand" why Mouratoglou would say he was doing so. American 12-time Grand Slam singles champion Billie Jean King, one of the founders of the Women's Tennis Association, backed Williams, saying: "When a woman is emotional, she's 'hysterical' and she's penalised for it. When a man does the same, he's 'outspoken' and there are no repercussions. "Thank you, Serena Williams, for calling out this double standard. More voices are needed to do the same." 'I feel so sorry for Naomi Osaka' Osaka (left) became Japan's first Grand Slam singles winner with victory in the US Open final against Serena Williams At the end of the match, security staff ran on to the perimeter of the court as Ramos walked off and the Portuguese did not return, as he would usually have done, for the trophy presentation. Osaka, who describes Williams as her idol, pulled her visor down over her eyes to hide her tears when there was booing from the 24,000 crowd in the Arthur Ashe Stadium prior to the Japanese player being given the trophy. The jeers were not aimed at her, with the fans instead expressing a sense of injustice at the way home favourite Williams had been treated.<doc-sep>Matthew Stockman/Getty Images Tennis umpires are reportedly considering forming a union after Serena Williams' confrontation with Carlos Ramos in the U.S. Open final and her subsequent accusations he had been sexist. According to the Guardian's Sean Ingle, many umpires believe Ramos was "hung out to dry" by authorities such as the International Tennis Federation, who did not come to the official's defence until almost two days after the final. Williams was penalised a game and hit with three code violations in the event. Ramos upheld the rules in his sanctions against Williams, but her accusations of sexism were supported by both the Women's Tennis Association and the United States Tennis Association before the ITF came to his defence. In her press conference after the match, Williams said she was treated more harshly than a man would have been in the same situation. "The WTA believes that there should be no difference in the standards of tolerance provided to the emotions expressed by men versus women," WTA chief executive Steve Simon said in a statement. A senior umpire told Ingle: "There is a lot of unhappiness in the umpiring community because no one is standing up for officials. Umpires keep asking, 'What if it was me in that chair on Saturday?' There is a widespread feeling that Carlos was hung out to dry for nearly 48 hours and that no one is standing up for officials." Video Play Button Videos you might like Speaking to ESPN.com's Peter Bodo, former elite Gold Badge umpire Richard Ings echoed that statement: "The umpiring fraternity is thoroughly disturbed at being abandoned by the WTA. They are all fearful that they could be the next Ramos. They feel that no one has their back when they have to make unpopular calls." The ITF eventually put out a statement supporting Ramos on Monday, per Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times: Umpires—who are contractually forbidden from publicly speaking out—are reportedly discussing the possibility of an union as a "matter of urgency." "Umpires don't have any independent means of representation and are employed by the governing bodies," a source involved in such talks told Ingle. "If talking to the media is not allowed and governing bodies are speaking out against them, what are umpires supposed to do?" Twelve-time singles Grand Slam winner Billie Jean King supported Williams after the final, which Williams lost in straight sets to Naomi Osaka: She also told CNN that "Serena was out of line" when she confronted Ramos but that the official "aggravated the situation." Williams was penalised for receiving on-court coaching when Patrick Mouratoglou made a hand gesture toward her from the stands, for breaking her racket in frustration and for calling Ramos a "thief" after he docked her a point after the second offence. The Times' Stuart Fraser felt Ramos was let down by the lack of support he received: Ramos, who has officiated at all four Grand Slam tournaments, will referee Croatia's clash with the United States in the semi-final of the Davis Cup, which starts Friday.<doc-sep>Martina Navratilova agreed that Williams deserved much of the blame for the incident, writing in a New York Times op-ed piece that, in complaining that Ramos would not have reacted the same way to an argumentative male player, Williams was “missing the point” and would have been better served conducting herself with “respect for the sport we love so dearly.” The 18-time Grand Slam winner said that “we cannot measure ourselves by what we think we should also be able to get away with,” adding, “In fact, this is the sort of behavior that no one should be engaging in on the court.”<doc-sep>Last updated on .From the section Tennis Serena Williams was "totally out of line" for her US Open final outburst, but umpire Carlos Ramos "blew it", says tennis legend Billie Jean King. Williams, beaten in straight sets by Naomi Osaka, was docked a game for verbal abuse, having already had a point penalty for smashing her racquet and a code violation for coaching. The American, 36, later said it was "sexist" to have been penalised a game. "Serena was out of line, there's no question," said compatriot King. King, one of the founders of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), initially backed the 23-time Grand Slam champion, saying in the aftermath of Saturday's final: "When a woman is emotional, she's 'hysterical' and she's penalised for it. When a man does the same, he's 'outspoken' and there are no repercussions. "Thank you, Serena Williams, for calling out this double standard. More voices are needed to do the same." However, in an interview with CNN external-link on Tuesday, King's stance softened. "No-one was saying she was a good sport, if they are they're crazy," added the 74-year-old, who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles. "The point is he [Ramos] aggravated the situation, instead of 'I'm not attacking your character' which is the most important thing he could have said." Williams' claims of sexism were backed by the WTA, but the International Tennis Federation said Ramos acted "at all times with professionalism and integrity". "I felt like he blew it," said King. "First of all as an umpire you're supposed to keep the flow of the match going and he did just the opposite. "He needed to tell Serena he can't apologise, he did the right thing there, he's got to be the boss - but all he had to say to Serena is: 'I am not attacking your character.' "Character is the essence of what was going on there, she was so upset about that. Those kids [Serena and her sister Venus] have been brought up to play by the rules. "The character was the biggest issue here. This is a human being you're talking to. If he had said 'I'm not attacking your character' everything would have been different." Umpire says he is 'fine' The umpire at the centre of the controversy insists he is fine - and says it is not possible to umpire a tennis match "a la carte". Ramos spoke very briefly about the US Open final to Tribuna Expresso in his native Portugal. He is expected to be on duty as planned for this week's Davis Cup semi-final in Zadar, where Croatia are hosting the United States. "It's a delicate situation," Ramos said. "But umpiring a la carte is something that does not exist. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."<doc-sep>
Umpires are reportedly considering boycotting Serena Williams matches as they fear the don’t have the backing of the tennis world after a contentious U.S. Open final. (AP) 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. "I don't cheat to win. I'd rather lose." —Serena to the chair umpire after receiving a coaching violation pic.twitter.com/v6Q2GWYYOn — espnW (@espnW) September 8, 2018 Williams accused Ramos of sexism, called him a thief A frustrated Williams later smashed her racket and accused Ramos of sexism for assessing penalties that she believes he would not have given to a man. Williams called Ramos a thief and demanded an apology. The third code violation resulted in a game penalty for Williams. Williams explained her anger in the post-match media conference. “He never took a game from a man because he said ‘thief,'” Williams said. “For me it blows my mind, but I’m going to continue to fight for women. The fact that I have to go through this is just an example for the next person.” Story continues Williams was later fined $17,000 for her outburst. Retired umpire: Officials feel ‘abandoned by the WTA’ A former umpire echoed the concerns of The Times’ source with ESPN Tuesday. Richard Ings, a retired elite Gold Badge umpire described as having close ties with active umpires told ESPN that officials feel like the WTA doesn’t have their back. “The umpiring fraternity is thoroughly disturbed at being abandoned by the WTA,” Ings told ESPN. “They are all fearful that they could be the next Ramos. They feel that no one has their back when they have to make unpopular calls.” ITA supported Ramos Ramos did receive the backing of the International Tennis Federation, which released a statement Monday in his support. “Carlos Ramos is one of the most experienced and respected umpires in tennis,” the statement reads. “Mr. Ramos’ decisions were in accordance with the relevant rules and were re-affirmed by the U.S. Open’s decision to fine Serena Williams for the three offenses.” Ramos speaks Ramos spoke publicly Tuesday for the first time since the match in an interview with Tribuna Expresso in his native Portugal. “I’m fine, given the circumstances,” Ramos said. “It’s a delicate situation, but a la carte arbitration does not exist. Do not worry about me.” More from Yahoo Sports: • You won’t believe what Marshawn Lynch looked like in H.S. • Pat Forde: College FB games to split contenders from pretenders • Jets embarrass Lions in Coach Patricia’s debut • NFL Power Rankings: Defense is the key