via Getty
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 08: 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 the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
via Getty
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 08: 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 the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Serena Williams has retired with 23 grand slam titles under her name. Her resilience and tenacity on the court led her to become the best amongst the best. She practiced a lot and knew her challenges and faced them head-on. But that also made her confident about her gameplay. So, when in 2004, the chair umpire went against Serena Williams in the US Open quarter-finals, she did not hold back.
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It eventually turned out that Williams was right and the chair umpire had given a wrong call.
Serena Williams lashed out at the chair umpire for ‘robbing’ her of her chance at the US Open in 2004
The quarter-finals of the US Open 2004 were between Jennifer Capriati and Serena Williams. The latter had won six grand slam titles till that time in her career, and the former had three. She had hit a backhand that was inside the line as confirmed by the line judge. However, the chair umpire, Mariana Alves, announced it as Capriati’s advantage. To this, Williams replied startled, “What happened? That’s my point. That ball was in. It’s my advantage.” She added to prove her point, “That ball was so in. What the heck is this?”
via Reuters
Tennis – French Open – Roland Garros, Paris, France – May 31, 2021 Serena Williams of the U.S. in action during her first round match against Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
This led to Capriati winning the first game of the decider. Later on, it was pointed out that the umpire had called wrongly twice against Williams. The former world no. 1, later on, expressed her agitation toward the umpire and said, “I guess she went temporary insane.” Furthermore, she said, “I’d prefer she not umpire at my court anymore. She’s obviously anti-Serena.”
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They obstructed the umpire from officiating any other match on the tour after that. The player scoffed at the decision and stated, “I’m very angry and bitter right now. I felt cheated. Shall I go on? I just feel robbed.”
The arduous journey of Williams to the top
The 23-time grand slam champion had to face a lot of criticism from the people during her career. People criticized her gameplay, attitude, and issues irrelevant to the sport, like her looks. However, Williams believed in her capabilities and concentrated solely on her game. In 2004, she did not know how many more grand slam titles she will win in the future.
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WATCH THIS STORY: ‘Doesn’t Understand That Connection’- When Serena Williams Lashed Out at Ex-Coach Patrick Mouratoglou Over His Strict Rule Involving Olympia
The player clinched her last grand slam title in 2017 at the Australian Open while she was pregnant. This shows the tenacity of the player that led her to be the best, irrespective of the situation.
