"I have no problem w players yelling at umpires — but let them *all* do it — not just the white guys" - Serena Williams's husband on Daniil Medvedev's Australian Open outburst
Daniil Medvedev's outburst during his 2022 Australian Open semifinal encounter against Stefanos Tsitsipas has drawn a range of varied reactions from the tennis fraternity.
Alexis Ohanian, Serena Williams' husband, joined the likes of Justine Henin and John McEnroe in putting forth his opinion on the Russian's latest rant.
Ohanian took to Twitter on Saturday to retweet a video showing Medvedev lashing out at the chair umpire and compared it to Williams' 2018 US Open final controversy.
The 38-year-old recalled strong on and off-court reactions to Williams' outburst -- which included a game penalty, media outrage and satirical cartoons -- at the chair umpire during her match against Naomi Osaka.
A penalty... media outrage... satirical cartoons... those are all coming, right? No, of course they're not. (I have no problem w players yelling at umpires — but let them *all* do it — not just the white guys). twitter.com/tennisgifsmedi…
Ohanian questioned the tennis fraternity for letting Medvedev off the hook so easily, pointing out the privilege awarded to "white men."
He also expressed disappointment at the apparent silence of media houses on Medvedev's behavior, saying that media outrage seemed to apply only to specific demographics.
The 38-year-old steered clear of criticizing Medvedev for the actual outburst, instead taking issue with the actions, or the lack thereof, taken against the Russian.
"A penalty... media outrage... satirical cartoons... those are all coming, right? No, of course they're not. (I have no problem w players yelling at umpires — but let them *all* do it — not just the white guys)," Ohanian wrote in his Twitter post.
Notably, Williams faced widespread backlash for her "you're a thief" rant targeted at Carlos Ramos during the 2018 US Open final.
Several members of the tennis fraternity, including Osaka, Williams' opponent from the encounter, have since pointed out the sexist undertones of the controversy and the global reactions to it.
Serena Williams to drop to No. 246 in world rankings
Serena Williams' continued absence from the tour has taken a toll on her ranking as she is set to drop down to No. 246.
Williams will drop 1,061 ranking points, earned with a semifinal showing at the 2021 Australian Open. This will result in her slipping a massive 187 spots when the rankings are updated on Monday.
The American will find herself out of the top 100 in the world rankings for the first time since July 2011, when she slipped to No. 175.