Tennis

[12footrim]

Roger wins grand slam # 20. Amazing.

This is just getting absurd. Roger just ending the GOAT conversation. Pretty good chance he gets another this year. World #1 is doable as well.

It is amazing especially when you consider his real peer class of guys like Leyton Hewitt, Ferrero and Andy Roddick all probably hall of famers and former world #1 have been done for years. Doing it in an Era with two other all timer greats like Nadal and Dojokovic with 28 slams themselves is amazing. How many more could any of these guys have had if just one came up at another time.

Honestly I don't see him slowing down anytime soon assuming he can stay healthy. Clearly he still loves the game where as a lot of these stars are burnt out with it at some point. He actually seems to be healthier and better shape than the rest of the other big 3 & Wrawinka and they are all 30+ now as well, they may all breakdown or fall off like most typical players. I think Federer's game ages better than Nadals too.

As far at the rest of tennis looking out 2 or 3 years even, other than Zverev I don't even see a real obvious challenger and he may be 2 or 3 years away even. Cilic is almost 30 too he's probably not going to get better.

Really interested to see if he plays the French this year. I get his thinking but the way he's played the last year why not give yourself a chance with Murry and Djokovic down. Yeah Nadal is the best ever on clay but funny things can happen. He might get upset.

What's funny is I remember playing my Tennis video game in Career mode from about 2011 on xbox and Federer was still winning at 36 with no drop off and thinking this isn't realistic.

[Popovich]

People !!! If it may be that some of you are gambling or like to place some small sport bets like I use to do occasionally , just for fun, be aware of strange things which can happen in world of sport.

Particularly I will be talking about the great sport of tennis this time and let me use this opportunity to criticize this great forum for not having a major thread about tennis in main board.

If it turns out that you are a bettor, a punter etc, just be cautious on who are you gonna place your bets.

US Open 2018 , second round , match: Nick Kyrgios vs Pierre-Hugues Herbert

https://www.news.com.au/sport/tennis/us-open-plunged-into-bizarre-scenes-as-nick-kyrgios-given-midmatch-pep-talk-by-chair-umpire/news-story/605b68f269fbc008265f437078bb159e

https://www.news.com.au/sport/tennis/nick-kyrgios-caught-in-a-storm-and-tennis-officials-make-it-worse/news-story/13f9653562131ca3aa84966d2bb43bf5



Because it can occur that player who is favored by bookies simply does not show any effort or will in trying to achieve win.

Have you heard what happened at Nick Kyrgios match?

I am still confused, this is also how matches which are fixed can be recognized. At the end the underdog did not win but at one point it seemed that a big surprise is about to happen and then Mohamed Lahyani did something which can be by all accounts described only as a precedent.
Maybe chair umpire Mohamed placed some big bet on Australian tennis player so he did not want to lose his money , therefore he had an urge to react, to try to motivate Nick. I really don't know, but what was motivation behind his deed ? I first heard about this at the press conference after the match of Novak Djokovic in the second round of the tournament. Novak was asked to give a comment upon this matter but he really did not declare his stand, he said that first he needs to take a look at the recordings of conversation which you guys can hear in the video below this text.

This strange incident raises plenty of questions in my mind:

-Should umpires cheer and have biases?
-Is this a part of umpire job?
-What is motivation behind umpires deed ?
-Are they allowed do advice the players on the court?
-How is this interfering with chair umpires decisions during matches?
-Will ATP , USTA , US Open or some other tennis organisation react to this so far unseen situation?
-Is this all alright and in consent with the rules?
-Have you ever before saw a similar situation regarding tennis or any other sport?

In my opinion:

*All this is very controversial
*Strange intervention from chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani is less strange and more like a ridiculous one.
*Kyrgios is completely innocent here as he did not ask umpire for anything.


I thought this situation might be interesting to some of you so I have decided to show you this video which might explain what is this all about.

Take a look at the video below and please make some comments, I am very eager to hear your opinions guys!

Watch on YouTube

[G R E Y]

U.S. OPEN WOMEN'S FINAL - WILLIAMS VS. OSAKA

What. just. Happened?!

Some points, I haven't yet wrapped my mind around level of culpability, but these intersect:

Naomi Osaka on the whole more than held her own and outplayed Serena Williams.

Williams got a code violation for coaching - first violation. Coaching is against the rules, all coaches coach, and it is hardly ever enforced. The ump, Carlos Ramos, umps mostly men's finals, and Nadal's coach coaches all game long (Roger has complained about it during games), yet I'd like to see the consistency of enforcement. So a double standard, yet the rules in place are the rules in place. Tough when they are enforced seemingly arbitrarily.

At this point, there was some discussion by commentators that Williams may not have heard or understood that a coaching violation counts as a violation against her. But I have no doubt that being in tennis for so long she understands the rules.

Williams got a code violation for racket abuse - second violation - point given to Osaka.

Williams made a good point that men berate umps to a far greater degree and they do not get any violations. But she also knew that she had TWO violations already. She kept going at the ump, kept telling him that he owes her an apology for insinuating she cheated (he didn't, it was against the coach, but it was an emotional exchange and she lost composure).

Williams angrily told the ump that he stole a point from her. Third code violation for verbal abuse - game given to Osaka. I guess it was cumulative. But honestly the things men have said to this and other umps dwarf Serena's outburst. Perhaps it's like a baseball ump with strike zones and when it's tight the player has to adjust.

It doesn't sound as if Serena understood the first violation and it set her off. Her coach admitted after the match that he was coaching, and the ump called it, even if Serena said she didn't notice his gestures, BUT the coach gestured for her to go up to the net, and then coincidentally she started going to the net. I'm not sure of the rule: is it solely if the coach is caught coaching, or do both coach coaching and player noticing have to be in place? How can an ump tell?

Serena misunderstood, took things too far (perhaps, as commentators said, her approach - finger pointing, tone, etc., - pushed the words that much farther for the ump?). The ump followed the rules, but there's a discrepancy between how he has applied them in men's and women's finals. The commentators just brought up that on the one hand, men are far more vulgar, on the other, Serena didn't let it go and kept going at the ump for accusing her of cheating.

I agree with the commentators who said that the ump should have warned her to stop and reminded her that the next violation is a game violation. It's not all on him, but he is an experienced enough ump to not interject himself into the game like that. Some may argue that Serena's ongoing arguing prompted him, but I think they're both culpable. An ump interjecting him or herself into the outcome of the game should be the absolute last resort, and I really didn't think we were at that point yet.

Just unfortunate that Osaka's first final and first major is shadowed by this situation. She deserved it, but the game needs either rule changes about coaching and showing emotions, or more consistent enforcement.

[LordCovington33]

U.S. OPEN WOMEN'S FINAL - WILLIAMS VS. OSAKA

What. just. Happened?!

Some points, I haven't yet wrapped my mind around level of culpability, but these intersect:

Naomi Osaka on the whole more than held her own and outplayed Serena Williams.

Williams got a code violation for coaching - first violation. Coaching is against the rules, all coaches coach, and it is hardly ever enforced. The ump, Carlos Ramos, umps mostly men's finals, and Nadal's coach coaches all game long (Roger has complained about it during games), yet I'd like to see the consistency of enforcement. So a double standard, yet the rules in place are the rules in place. Tough when they are enforced seemingly arbitrarily.

At this point, there was some discussion by commentators that Williams may not have heard or understood that a coaching violation counts as a violation against her. But I have no doubt that being in tennis for so long she understands the rules.

Williams got a code violation for racket abuse - second violation - point given to Osaka.

Williams made a good point that men berate umps to a far greater degree and they do not get any violations. But she also knew that she had TWO violations already. She kept going at the ump, kept telling him that he owes her an apology for insinuating she cheated (he didn't, it was against the coach, but it was an emotional exchange and she lost composure).

Williams angrily told the ump that he stole a point from her. Third code violation for verbal abuse - game given to Osaka. I guess it was cumulative. But honestly the things men have said to this and other umps dwarf Serena's outburst. Perhaps it's like a baseball ump with strike zones and when it's tight the player has to adjust.

It doesn't sound as if Serena understood the first violation and it set her off. Her coach admitted after the match that he was coaching, and the ump called it, even if Serena said she didn't notice his gestures, BUT the coach gestured for her to go up to the net, and then coincidentally she started going to the net. I'm not sure of the rule: is it solely if the coach is caught coaching, or do both coach coaching and player noticing have to be in place? How can an ump tell?

Serena misunderstood, took things too far (perhaps, as commentators said, her approach - finger pointing, tone, etc., - pushed the words that much farther for the ump?). The ump followed the rules, but there's a discrepancy between how he has applied them in men's and women's finals. The commentators just brought up that on the one hand, men are far more vulgar, on the other, Serena didn't let it go and kept going at the ump for accusing her of cheating.

I agree with the commentators who said that the ump should have warned her to stop and reminded her that the next violation is a game violation. It's not all on him, but he is an experienced enough ump to not interject himself into the game like that. Some may argue that Serena's ongoing arguing prompted him, but I think they're both culpable. An ump interjecting him or herself into the outcome of the game should be the absolute last resort, and I really didn't think we were at that point yet.

Just unfortunate that Osaka's first final and first major is shadowed by this situation. She deserved it, but the game needs either rule changes about coaching and showing emotions, or more consistent enforcement.

Serena is one of the all time greats, but when things goes against her, she is the sorest of losers. I cannot believe anybody could possibly justify her embarrassing behaviour out there. To pull the sexism and mother card is laughable. She owes an apology to the winner for making it all about her, but we will never see that. Classless individual.

For the WTA to come out and say she always plays with class is so far from the truth that it is hideously funny. This incident aside, are their memories so short that they forget her bully tactics in the 2009 semis, telling the linesperson: "If I could, I would take this fxxx ball and shove it down your fxxx throat". She is a bully and thinks she is above the rules and the ump never stood for it. Bad for tennis and a bad example for the many young fans hoping to follow in her footsteps.

If she is unaware of the rules, that is on her. They are publicly available, and the WTA rulebook in section xv1 "code of conduct" clearly states that the 3rd offence is a game deduction. She is not aware of this simple 3-step process? Give me a break. It also provides a detailed explanation of different offences. She called him a liar and a thief, which is a clear violation of one offence in particular that says you cannot question an official's integrity by suggesting he is dishonest. She never swore, but her finger pointing and accusations are verbally abusive. She also said they would never share a court again, which is a further violation. They are put in place to protect the umpire, who should be treated with respect. Junior players know that, and understand the consequences. She doesn't? Her racquet abuse (2nd offence) was a clear violation and needs no further explanation. Her first for being coached, proved to be correct, since he later admitted to coaching post-match. Whether she saw it is debatable, but the umpire saw it and acted accordingly.

[G R E Y]

U.S. OPEN WOMEN'S FINAL - WILLIAMS VS. OSAKA

What. just. Happened?!

Some points, I haven't yet wrapped my mind around level of culpability, but these intersect:

Naomi Osaka on the whole more than held her own and outplayed Serena Williams.

Williams got a code violation for coaching - first violation. Coaching is against the rules, all coaches coach, and it is hardly ever enforced. The ump, Carlos Ramos, umps mostly men's finals, and Nadal's coach coaches all game long (Roger has complained about it during games), yet I'd like to see the consistency of enforcement. So a double standard, yet the rules in place are the rules in place. Tough when they are enforced seemingly arbitrarily.

At this point, there was some discussion by commentators that Williams may not have heard or understood that a coaching violation counts as a violation against her. But I have no doubt that being in tennis for so long she understands the rules.

Williams got a code violation for racket abuse - second violation - point given to Osaka.

Williams made a good point that men berate umps to a far greater degree and they do not get any violations. But she also knew that she had TWO violations already. She kept going at the ump, kept telling him that he owes her an apology for insinuating she cheated (he didn't, it was against the coach, but it was an emotional exchange and she lost composure).

Williams angrily told the ump that he stole a point from her. Third code violation for verbal abuse - game given to Osaka. I guess it was cumulative. But honestly the things men have said to this and other umps dwarf Serena's outburst. Perhaps it's like a baseball ump with strike zones and when it's tight the player has to adjust.

It doesn't sound as if Serena understood the first violation and it set her off. Her coach admitted after the match that he was coaching, and the ump called it, even if Serena said she didn't notice his gestures, BUT the coach gestured for her to go up to the net, and then coincidentally she started going to the net. I'm not sure of the rule: is it solely if the coach is caught coaching, or do both coach coaching and player noticing have to be in place? How can an ump tell?

Serena misunderstood, took things too far (perhaps, as commentators said, her approach - finger pointing, tone, etc., - pushed the words that much farther for the ump?). The ump followed the rules, but there's a discrepancy between how he has applied them in men's and women's finals. The commentators just brought up that on the one hand, men are far more vulgar, on the other, Serena didn't let it go and kept going at the ump for accusing her of cheating.

I agree with the commentators who said that the ump should have warned her to stop and reminded her that the next violation is a game violation. It's not all on him, but he is an experienced enough ump to not interject himself into the game like that. Some may argue that Serena's ongoing arguing prompted him, but I think they're both culpable. An ump interjecting him or herself into the outcome of the game should be the absolute last resort, and I really didn't think we were at that point yet.

Just unfortunate that Osaka's first final and first major is shadowed by this situation. She deserved it, but the game needs either rule changes about coaching and showing emotions, or more consistent enforcement.

Serena is one of the all time greats, but when things goes against her, she is the sorest of losers. I cannot believe anybody could possibly justify her embarrassing behaviour out there. To pull the sexism and mother card is laughable. She owes an apology to the winner for making it all about her, but we will never see that. Classless individual.

For the WTA to come out and say she always plays with class is so far from the truth that it is hideously funny. This incident aside, are their memories so short that they forget her bully tactics in the 2009 semis, telling the linesperson: "If I could, I would take this fxxx ball and shove it down your fxxx throat". She is a bully and thinks she is above the rules and the ump never stood for it. Bad for tennis and a bad example for the many young fans hoping to follow in her footsteps.

If she is unaware of the rules, that is on her. They are publicly available, and the WTA rulebook in section xv1 "code of conduct" clearly states that the 3rd offence is a game deduction. She is not aware of this simple 3-step process? Give me a break. It also provides a detailed explanation of different offences. She called him a liar and a thief, which is a clear violation of one offence in particular that says you cannot question an official's integrity by suggesting he is dishonest. She never swore, but her finger pointing and accusations are verbally abusive. She also said they would never share a court again, which is a further violation. They are put in place to protect the umpire, who should be treated with respect. Junior players know that, and understand the consequences. She doesn't? Her racquet abuse (2nd offence) was a clear violation and needs no further explanation. Her first for being coached, proved to be correct, since he later admitted to coaching post-match. Whether she saw it is debatable, but the umpire saw it and acted accordingly.

Yeah, you know what, I agree with just about everything here -- from her culpability. The thing is, and this is the other side of the coin, that ump has presided over many a men's match, Nadal's in particular, in which the opponents complained to him about coaching, and it hasn't nearly as stringently or consistently enforced. This is the first time ever that Serena's coach was called for it, ever. Is the rule in place? Yes. But either change it or enforce it consistently.

The other thing is that men have berated the umps, even this one, far more aggressively and with actual vulgarity, and there haven't been near the same repercussions. I think given the gravity of the moment, such an experienced ump ought to have at least given a fair reminder that a game penalty was coming up next if she continued, just so as to not insert himself into the outcome unless as an absolute last resort. Unless he did that and it just wasn't audible, I don't think we were at the game penalty level yet, especially with men berating the same ump as a reference point. I guess it's a judgement call, but the commentators, many of whom were pro players once themselves, were also surprised at the disproportion of leeway. USTA has to look into it, because things like this and the violation that the other female tennis player got for changing her shirt on court isn't helping the game.

I though Serena's reaction was ugly and spun out of control, and it was when she was flat out getting outplayed. But I've been watching tennis for decades, and it's clear to those who watch men's and women's tennis regularly, and the commentators have said this, too, that this was a double standard in terms of rule enforcement, and this was hopefully a turning point in the governing bodies finally looking into it. It shouldn't have come to this point. They're slow in making changes ie/ Nadal has gone over the time limit for years with his weirdo routine before every serve, and somehow still complains that a - there's now a timer on court and b - it's being enforced. Don't wait so long to make obvious changes or things will come to a head at the worst times.

[G R E Y]

Also, interesting reference points for discussion:

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

[LordCovington33]

It was her third offence, so the punishment matches the crime. If she does not understand the rule implications of a third offence, then she must revisit the rule book. He was within his rights to do what he did. She was losing badly, and lost her temper. I am glad he did what he did. Need to outlaw this type of boorish behaviour. Absolutely hate it, and can have an effect on the opponent who can lost their concentration. Bad sportsmanship. She will go down in history as a legend of the sport, but she is in the wrong here. Another female player received a code violation earlier in the week for coaching. She got on with it. Serena has anger issues. It helps fuel her competitive nature, but she is an absolute sore loser when things are not going to plan.

[G R E Y]

It was her third offence, so the punishment matches the crime. If she does not understand the rule implications of a third offence, then she must revisit the rule book. He was within his rights to do what he did. She was losing badly, and lost her temper. I am glad he did what he did. Need to outlaw this type of boorish behaviour. Absolutely hate it, and can have an effect on the opponent who can lost their concentration. Bad sportsmanship. She will go down in history as a legend of the sport, but she is in the wrong here. Another female player received a code violation earlier in the week for coaching. She got on with it. Serena has anger issues. It helps fuel her competitive nature, but she is an absolute sore loser when things are not going to plan.

But look at the examples in the post above yours for reference. Yes it was the third offense, and I see your point about the other female player getting on with it after a coaching violation. But why is that reference point valid and men getting far more leeway not a factor? THAT'S really the issue here, the extent to which some are allowed to take it, and others are not and there's no reasonable explanation for it. Rules should be applied consistently.

[G R E Y]

Another POV and context:

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[Mags FTW]

Also, interesting reference points for discussion:

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Did Boone break any equipment?

[G R E Y]

Also, interesting reference points for discussion:

Read on Twitter

Did Boone break any equipment?

That's not the crux of the point about their yelling. Serena was justly punished for breaking her racket. Nobody is criticizing that point, including Serena. See the post above yours for further context.

[Mags FTW]

Also, interesting reference points for discussion:

Read on Twitter

Did Boone break any equipment?

That's not the crux of the point about their yelling. Serena was justly punished for breaking her racket. Nobody is criticizing that point, including Serena. See the post above yours for further context.

The NY Post tweet was likely including the racquet smash as part of her “meltdown”.

[LordCovington33]

Also, interesting reference points for discussion:

Read on Twitter

Did Boone break any equipment?

Terrible example, right? Unfortunately, we live in a society where bullies are now the victims, and every means is taken by some to rationalise their disgusting behaviour. Get used to it. She handled herself poorly and stole Osaka’s moment - the girl who had her measure. Instead of being sportsmanlike, she chose to be the aggressor and was appropriately punished. She didn’t like being called out for it through code violations, so she played the victim. I hate this mentality. Yet so predictable.

[G R E Y]

Also, interesting reference points for discussion:

Read on Twitter

Did Boone break any equipment?

Terrible example, right? Unfortunately, we live in a society where bullies are now the victims, and every means is taken by some to rationalise their disgusting behaviour. Get used to it. She handled herself poorly and stole Osaka’s moment - the girl who had her measure. Instead of being sportsmanlike, she chose to be the aggressor and was appropriately punished. She didn’t like being called out for it through code violations, so she played the victim. I hate this mentality. Yet so predictable.

Except they're two DIFFERENT examples. She got rightfully penalized for racket abuse. Nobody is debating that, Serena included. If two separate instances have to be used to make a point because the argument can't be made well with the similar ones then clearly it's not as cut and dry as some would like it to be.

That she handled herself poorly is NOT the point. The issue is the ump not handling the situation well compared to how he has handled WORSE treatment from men. Johnny Mack just reiterated umps needing to stay out of it. You're ignoring the opinions of players who dished out poor treatment to umps and got away with it and are calling it out now. Double standard.

[G R E Y]

Congratulations to Novak for winning this year's US Open! This is his 14th Grand Slam.

For a long time, Sampras was alone atop the Grand Slam mountain with fourteen, but now Novak is the third player to join him in reaching the pinnacle. He's had a dip in performance for a while, so credit to him for the comeback.

I was cheering for Juan Martin, though, such a tough grind to even get back to a GS final. Some commentators were saying his camp is encouraging him to be more positive and not be thinking about the wrist be an impediment, but I think it was his legs that gave out today. It's hard for a big guy, and Novak had him running side to side and forward and back, clever.

Juan Martin comes across as such a nice guy I can't help but cheer for him. Novak isn't always a crowd favourite, but he's been honest about struggling to deal with his mercurial side, and his ongoing search and perseverance are endearing.

Great to see such wonderful sportsmanship between them.

[DarkoNeedsAfro]

I think the term “meltdown” was more related to her being on the verge of tears.

[LordCovington33]

John McEnroe was booted out of the Aussie Open for bad sportsmanship. If this happened to Williams, we would never hear the end of it.That said, saying that xyz player from 30 years ago was not treated this way is an odd way of looking at it. Different rules, different eras. It is like saying JR Smith should not have been ejected because Bird was not ejected for a similar offence thirty years back. She showed her true colors out there, and her supporters are trying to rid of her blame to ensure it does not tarnish her legacy.

[ElectricMayhem]

I don't watch much tennis - I did when I was younger, though. Seeing the replay of Williams/Osaka, I would say that Serena acted shamefully entitled. The judge? Yes, giving a soft warning would have been a good de-escalating move, but I file that under something that would be appreciated rather than expected. Serena Williams' coach admitted to coaching. Is the fact that it is called seemingly arbitrarily a problem in the sport? Definitely. But if you get called out for it, you take the warning and the coach stops doing hand gestures. Problem solved. No points or games lost.

When Serena was berating the judge, she did so with a shocking level of entitlement. It was the equivalent of a celebrity getting pulled over for a traffic violation and yelling at the office, "DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? I WILL END YOUR CAREER!" A lot of celebs have gone that route, and it's always a horrible look. She was threatening his livelihood. She felt she could do so because of the power she holds as a tennis legend. That's power harassment. To me, Serena says that she will make sure he never judges on her court again was more egregious than calling him a thief. That was just her venting frustration with a call she disagreed with. The rest was just vindictive.

In the end, we have Naomi Osaka apologizing to everyone for being a champion, Serena making everything about her, and also the USTA president making everything about Serena. Watch the awards ceremony. Does Osaka, at any time, have the facial expression that somebody who just won the US Open should have? She had that taken away from her by the behavior of her opponent, the clumsy operation of a ref, and a crowd and USTA system that cared more for their legend than for sportsmanship. Serena making everything about herself is what led the crowd and everyone else to do the same. She doesn't have the right to comfort Osaka after that.

Seriously, that awards ceremony was like the twilight zone. All in front of Naomi Osaka, who was clearly the better tennis player that day:
USTA President: "Perhaps it's not the finish we were looking for today."
ESPN Interviewer: "Not the result that we wanted tonight."
Serena: "Let's make this moment the best moment we can, but we'll get through it."
Crowd: "Boooooooooooooo!"
It's like a tragedy happened. No wonder Osaka apologized.

This seems like one of those psychological experiments that researchers did back in the old days before research ethics were more standardized. It's like a researcher decided to put together this event and say "How awful can we make a champion feel when she achieves her dream?" Well, you got your answer. "Put-your-visor-down-over-your-face-and-bawl-your-eyes-out-while-apologizing level awful." Shame on you, Naomi Osaka. Shame on your for playing your best and winning with grace.

The fact that the judge was an older white male and Serena is a black woman who HAS endured unfair conditions within the often racist and sexist tennis world makes this an incredibly difficult conversation. It allows people to latch onto the story from so many different angles. Does the historical context, especially with the factors of race, sex, and class, illuminate and clarify the situation or does is cloud a simple incident?

[KTM_2813]

Perhaps I'm overthinking this, but I think that the Serena situation is more complicated than most people are admitting. It's not just that she was robbed or that she was a brat. There are several things that need cleaning up:

1. Umpires need to be consistent on when they call coaching violations. In giving Williams a coaching violation, Ramos followed the "de jure" practice, but he ignored the "de facto" practice. It is very rare for players to receive that violation, as Mouratoglou stated in his post-match interview. For umpires to never crack down on coaching, only for Ramos to issue a violation in the US Open final, is really confusing. Either allow it or don't.

2. Williams' eventual explosion seemed over-the-top to me. I understand why she was angry, but calling Ramos a "thief" was pretty weak. He had every right to protect himself and penalize her. At the same time, I hate to see a full game penalty because now there are legions of people who are making excuses for Serena even though Osaka was clearly the better player. I think that the powers that be should require umpires to clearly say "Unless you stop, I will give you a game penalty", and if the player doesn't, then they have zero excuses.

3. Many people have referenced examples of male players getting penalized for their outbursts. Many people have referenced examples of male players getting away with worse than what Serena did. I'll leave that stuff to the crusaders on both sides. This is a recurring theme, but the powers that be just need to come out and establish incredibly clear, no-room-for-interpretation guidelines on how this crap should be refereed. If a player is berating an official after an otherwise spotless match, should that impact the penalty? If the player already has one warning, how does that affect things? What about two? What responsibility do umpires have to warn players? It's too subjective right now.

Hopefully this sparks some real change in terms of umpire communication and consistency.

P.S. Djoker was a beast yesterday. This next year will be huge in his quest to catch Federer's grand slam record.

[Mickey8]

Serena is such a bad loser, this is not the first time that she was pulling similar things with the umpires, line peoples etc, few years ago she was physically threatening one of the line ladies , she ruined Osaka's moment, the player who clearly outclassed her and 100 % deserved that title, and then she blamed it on sexism , as if she was playing the man in that match, she was pathetic, only more pathetic than her is the country's main stream media, who is defending her shameful behavior. She should have been suspended for some time by WTA, but they are corrupted as any other big sport organisations.