Inequality in Tennis

ELON, N.C – There’s a saying that sports have no gender. That sports in itself can unite people of different races, religions, genders and even nationalities. Yet, in light of the recent US Open events this unity of gender seems to have been completely disregarded. Within the week of the 2018 US Open, recent events have led to controversies related to the debate of sexism and double standards present between men and women in tennis.

The first incident to occur happened only 2 days after the main draw commenced play. Alizé Cornet, a French player, was given a code violation for briefly taking off her shirt.

This incident immediately sparked a debate about sexism.

Cornet had taken off her top after realizing she had put it on the wrong way and was immediately handed a code by the umpire, Christian Rask, even though she was behind the baseline at the time of the change.

This happened during a 10-minute heat rule break between the second and third set.

Numerous players and coaches have spoken out expressing outrage about the supposed violation Cornet committed, as male players were free to take shirts off during play without the risk of a code.

Judy Murray, a former tennis coach and mother to Andy Murray, tweeted out a response to the incident, in which she mentioned the double standard visible between men and women players.

Although the Cornet incident sparked the sexism debate, it was ultimately the 2018 US Open Women’s Finals between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka that really brought the issue of double standards to the forefront of both the tennis and global world.

The head to head of the players showed a 1-0 win to Osaka before the finals, so expectations for a legendary match was high.

Yet this match turned legendary for completely different reasons, mainly due to the three code violations issued by the umpire, Carlos Ramos, to Serena during an important game in the second set.

The code was for coaching, which Williams denied, and the second was for racquet abuse when Williams smashed her racquet. A point deduction was issued after the second violation which Serena then argued over with the umpire, calling him a ‘thief’ as well as claiming that the coaching violation was wrong as she’s, “never cheated in my life” and that Ramos, “owed her an apology.”

Immediately she was issued a third violation and game deduction.

In the press conference, Williams talked about the violations.

“But I've seen other men call other umpires several things. For me to say 'thief' and for him to take a game, it made me feel like it was a sexist remark. He's never taken a game from a man because they said 'thief'.”

Many players, male and females alike, and others have since come out after the finals to add to the double standards and sexism debate that has emerged from the 2018 US Open.

Tennis journalist Richard Deitsch tweeted his response that if Serena had been a male, the actions taken by the umpire would have been different.

Billie Jean King, one of the most influential female tennis player who helped lessen the wage gap between men and women players, also took to twitter to wrote about the double standards between men and women players.

However, there are those who disagree that gender and double standards played into this situation. Ricardo Fort, the head of global sponsorship for Coca-Cola, came out on the issue by tweeting that the actions against Williams had nothing to do with gender equality.

Although some did agree with his point, the greater majority wasn’t content to accept this as an explanation.

Especially with more male players responding that there was a clear double standard associated with this incident.

James Blake, a former top-ranked US professional player, confessed that he had gotten off with less for worse actions.