Browsing Tag: NBC News

The US Open’s women’s finals on Saturday took
a political turn when second place finisher Serena Williams went apoplectic over controversial
calls against her by umpire Carlos Ramos, whom she absurdly smeared as a sexist. While Williams was immediately backed by the
Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and
hailed as a hero by countless feminists and the establishment media, Ramos kept quiet,
as International Tennis Federation (ITF) rules bar umpires from commenting on their matches. But Ramos has finally broken his silence regarding
the backlash, speaking to Portugal’s Tribuna Expresso. “I am good, under the circumstances,” he told
the paper. “It’s an unhappy situation but à la carte
refereeing doesn’t exist,” added the 47-year-old seasoned umpire. “Don’t you worry about me!” Ramos told the paper that he avoided hitting
the streets of New York after the controversial match to sidestep any potential “complicated
situations.” Other umpires are reportedly not so cool with
the outrageous smearing of Ramos. According to a report from The London Times,
an anonymous official said there’s “a growing consensus that umpires were ‘not supported’
by the USTA on several occasions, and that Ramos was ‘thrown to the wolves for simply
doing his job and was not willing to be abused for it.'” They are reportedly considering a boycott
of Williams’ matches “until she apologises for vilifying Ramos and calling him a ‘liar’
and a ‘thief,'” says the report. Moreover, a source identified as a tennis
“senior figure” told The Guardian, “There is a lot of unhappiness in the umpiring community
because no one is standing up for officials. Umpires keep asking: ‘What if it was me in
that chair on Saturday?’ There is a widespread feeling that Carlos
was hung out to dry for nearly 48 hours and that no one is standing up for officials.” On Monday, the ITF finally backed Ramos via
a statement. “Carlos Ramos is one of the most experienced
and respected umpires in tennis,” it said. “Mr Ramos’s decisions were in accordance
with the relevant rules and were reaffirmed by the US Open’s decision to fine Ms Williams
for the three offences. … It is understandable that this high-profile
and regrettable incident should provoke debate. At the same time, it is important to remember
that Mr Ramos undertook his duties as an official according to the relevant rulebook and acted
at all times with professionalism and integrity.” Ramos will return to the chair on Friday,
officiating the men’s semi-final of the Davis Cup, he confirmed.