"Serena Williams should have walked away, she went too far" - When Roger Federer spoke on American's contentious dispute with umpire in US Open final
Roger Federer once shared his thoughts on Serena Williams' contentious exchange with the chair umpire in the 2018 US Open final. The American was attempting to equal Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles in the blockbuster title clash against Naomi Osaka.
The then 20-year-old Osaka stunned the six-time US Open champion in the final, claiming a 6-2, 6-4 victory in an hour and 19 minutes to clinch her maiden Major title. However, the Japanese's victory was overshadowed by Williams' heated altercation with chair umpire Carlos Ramos.
The match took a controversial turn in the opening game of the second set, when the American received a code violation for coaching after Ramos spotted her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, making hand signals.
However, Serena Williams vehemently opposed the call, asserting that she would rather lose than cheat.
"I don’t cheat to win. I’d rather lose," she shouted at the umpire.
Williams' frustration mounted after she received a second violation for smashing her racquet, which resulted in a point penalty. Infuriated, the American accused Ramos of being a "thief" and a "cheat" for penalizing her.
Ramos then handed Serena Williams a game penalty for verbal abuse, prompting a lengthy heated exchange that brought tournament referee Brian Earley to the court.
Despite the American pleading with Earley that her punishment was "not fair" and an "attack" on her character, the game penalty stood, contributing to Osaka's dominant win.
Roger Federer shared his thoughts on the controversy in an interview with the Sunday Times, expressing his belief that while Serena Williams' actions were a "little excusable," she had crossed the line.
Federer asserted that the American should have walked away from the contentious situation earlier than she did, calling it an "unfortunate" incident.
"It’s a melange of all things, but at some point, I feel like Serena should have walked away. She did, but she went too far. She should have walked earlier. It’s a little bit excusable. The umpire maybe should not have pushed her there. It’s unfortunate, but an incredible case study," Federer said.
Roger Federer: "I dove into the situation on so many levels, to understand the perspectives of the umpire, Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams, the crowd"
The controversial 2018 US Open final ignited a discourse about sexism in the sport, with Serena Williams claiming that male players faced lesser consequences for more egregious actions.
The American also suggested that chair umpire Carlos Ramos wouldn't have penalized a man so harshly for calling him a "thief."
"He's never taken a game from a man because they said 'thief.' But I've seen other men call other umpires several things. I'm here fighting for women's rights and for women's equality and for all kinds of stuff," she said in her post-match press conference.
Roger Federer welcomed the debate in the sport, considering it to be good for society. The Swiss also disclosed that he delved deep into the controversy to understand the perspectives of Naomi Osaka, the umpire, the crowd and Williams.
"Anything that’s good for society and gets the ball rolling, I’m all for it. We do so well in tennis; our sport is so well behaved. You see the UFC guy (the boxer Conor McGregor) throw a railing, or in other sports they spit and swear at each other on a regular basis," Federer said.
"I dove into the situation with Serena on so many levels, to understand (from the perspectives of) the umpire, Osaka, Serena, the crowd," he added.
Federer also had a less than ideal campaign at the US Open that year, suffering a shock 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(7), 7-6(3) defeat to John Millman in the fourth round.