Serena Williams’ Biggest Controversies

Serena Williams is someone who has fought through many obstacles in her life. Williams retired last year, ending her career at her final US Open stint. During her prime, she was one of the most daunting players. She hasn’t been called the Queen of the Court for no reason. Her dominance in the Open Era, particularly in the women’s circuit, has put her on a par with other legends of the sport like Martina Navratilova. Williams has won a total of 39 Grand Slam titles, including 23 singles and 14 doubles titles with her sister, Venus Williams, and 2 in mixed doubles.

However, despite all her accomplishments, Williams’ career has had many controversial moments. She has been prone to be rash on the court. Additionally, her anger with the chair umpire in the 2004 US Open quarterfinal showed that she does not take cheating lightly.

Serena Williams was gutsy enough to call a chair umpire ‘loser’

Williams faced Samantha Stosur in the 2011 US Open final. The 23-time Grand Slam champion lost the match in straight sets. However, another incident put Williams in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. During a rally, Williams had shouted ‘come on’ which led to the umpire penalizing her. She was docked a point for deliberate hindrance.

Williams did not take the penalty lightly. She lashed out and even called the chair umpire, Eva Asderaki, a loser, and went as far as to call her a hater. “You’re totally out of control. You’re a hater and you’re unattractive inside. What a loser,” Williams shouted at Asderaki, according to a report by the Atlantic. She was consequently fined $2000 for her behavior and later issued an apology.

Serena Williams is well known for her outbursts during tournaments

‘Meka’ calling the umpire a loser is not the only outburst of her career. Williams is infamous for being a player who has had bursts of anger during her matches. In addition to her outbursts in the match against Samantha Stosur, Williams has also lashed out in other matches.

She faced Kim Clijsters in the 2009 US Open semifinal. During the match, Williams lost a point which led her to break her racquet in frustration. She received a penalty for the act. In the same match, Williams was warned a second time for shouting at the referee.

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Williams had also lashed out against the chair umpire, and with good reason, in the 2004 US Open quarterfinal against Jennifer Capriati. Several of her shots, which either landed on the line or inside the baseline, were called out both by the chair umpire and the linespeople. Although Serena tried to maintain her composure, the barrage of ridiculous calls, which eventually led to the introduction of Hawk-eye in tennis, made Serena approach the chair umpire for clarification.

Additionally, Williams also spoke harshly to the chair umpire in the infamous 2018 US Open final. While playing against Naomi Osaka, the chair umpire penalized Serena for on-court coaching. This forced Serena to approach the umpire in a fit of rage. Later, Serena’s coach at the time, Patrick Mouratoglou, revealed that he indeed tried to guide the 6-time US Open champion mid-match.

Issues with her clothing line in 2018

The Queen of the Court went through a childbirth that was followed by intense agony. She underwent four surgeries in the span of a week. Unsurprisingly, the procedure left her weak and traumatized. However, Williams bounced back quickly. She participated in the 2018 French Open, where she wore a catsuit in her first-round match. As per Williams, she wore the suit because it made her feel like a superhero, but more importantly it was designed to combat her medical condition with blood clots.

She also added that she wore the suit in order to give hope to every woman in the world. It was also a symbol to those who have bounced back from grave circumstances, be it their mental or physical health.

However, her outfit wasn’t perceived in good faith by the president of the French Tennis Federation, Bernard Giudicelli. According to him, the costume exceeded their rules concerning accepted attires at the French Open. He also said that both the game and the location should be respected. Williams spoke out against the decision and claimed that the restriction was sexist and prejudiced.

The controversial final showdown between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka

Who can forget the infamous 2018 US Open final when Serena Williams faced Naomi Osaka? The two battled it out in Arthur Ashe Stadium, with Serena on the verge of making history as he was just one Grand Slam title away from the all-time record. Defying expectations, Osaka triumphed over her idol to win her first Major title. However, she wasn’t able to bask in the glory of winning the biggest title of her career. Instead, the crowd threw boos and jeers at her.

However, Osaka was not the one at fault in the match. Williams, in between the match, received signals from her then coach, Patrick Mouratoglou. Due to the move, she was given a code violation. She smashed her racquet later, which led to another violation. Eventually, Williams’ frustration got the better of her and she lashed out at the chair umpire, Carlos Ramos.

Her anger escalated so much that she received a third violation. All the violations cost Williams a point and a game. Williams’ anger did not stop there. She kept bashing Ramos and called him a ‘thief’ and a ‘liar’.

Martina Navratilova’s criticism of Serena Williams’ father

Serena Williams has been lauded by the tennis legend Martina Navratilova on numerous occasions. She has praised both Williams sisters for their dominance on the WTA Tour. However, Navratilova does not admire all members of the Williams family. In the past, Navratilova has expressed her grievances concerning Richard Williams’ antics on the court regarding his daughters.

As per Navratilova, Richard was an overbearing father who needed to change his behavior. She pointed it out when Venus Williams won against Lindsay Davenport and discouraged his overzealous celebration. She even added that if he did that in front of her after she lost a match to one of the Williams sisters, she would have hit him.

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However, Navratilova does not have a negative outlook on Richard’s impact on his daughters’ careers. She believes that King Richard has done a phenomenal job of raising the two and rearing them to be great players.

Serena Williams has experienced many controversies over the course of her almost three-decade-long career. However, she has never let adversity pull her down. She has triumphed in tennis and will look to continue her dominance in her business endeavors as well.