The Tennis Thread - Part 5

[DarthSkywalker]

How can it have anything to do with women's rights anyway when her opponents are all women?

Oh, the argument is that if she was a man, they wouldn't have penalized her for yelling at the ref. She wouldn't stop. Just kept doing it, demanding an apology, calling him a cheater and then using her daughter as a shield once she got penalized. I dislike her so much, and this meltdown was like the perfect example of why. She ignored the rules, she got aggressive in her complaining about it and then used being a woman and a mother as a shield.

 

[Iceman]

Oh, the argument is that if she was a man, they wouldn't have penalized her for yelling at the ref. She wouldn't stop. Just kept doing it, demanding an apology, calling him a cheater and then using her daughter as a shield once she got penalized. I dislike her so much, and this meltdown was like the perfect example of way. She ignored the rules, she got aggressive in her complaining about it and then used being a woman and a mother as a shield.

I don't think any sportsman has the right to do what she did, even if the umpire/ref is wrong. It undermines the authority of officials in general if it goes unpunished and allows the prima donnas and loud players of the game to have extra influence (which lower profile quieter players won't have) and an unfair advantage. It's also a bad example to set and tacky to watch. And as far as women's rights go here, I would be more interested in defending Osaka's rights to a fair match.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I don't think any sportsman has the right to do what she did, even if the umpire/ref is wrong. It undermines the authority of officials in general if it goes unpunished and allows the prima donnas and loud players of the game to have extra influence (which lower profile quieter players won't have) and an unfair advantage. It's also a bad example to set and tacky to watch. And as far as women's rights go here, I would be more interested in defending Osaka's rights to a fair match.

Yep. And the thing was, he was right. Her coach admitted he was coaching her after the match. Then she broke her racket. Then she kept berating him. It was all her own fault. It's lunacy.

 

[Iceman]

Yep. And the thing was, he was right. Her coach admitted he was coaching her after the match. Then she broke her racket. Then she kept berating him. It was all her own fault. It's lunacy.

Yeah, I really think she would be best of apologising for it. People can lose their cool but there isn't much excuse to let it lie when you've had time to think about it.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Yeah, I really think she would be best of apologising for it. People can lose their cool but there isn't much excuse to let it lie when you've had time to think about it.

No way she will. She is being praised for this. Just like all the other times she has done things like this.

 

[Dr. Evil]

Osaka wins the first major for a Japanese woman against Serena Williams who has a big argument with the umpire.

I take it she's mixed race. That is rare in Japan.

 

[jmc]

Rugby coaches always told me when I was young no matter whether the call is right or not you always accept the referees decision as final. And never imply the ref is a cheat. That's red card territory.

 

[Iceman]

No way she will. She is being praised for this. Just like all the other times she has done things like this.

Oh that's pathetic. Seems there's an issue with a chunk of her fans then. I mean I an definitely a fan of her ability and interested in seeing her going for the all time record but still want certain sportsmanship standards.

 

[Iceman]

Rugby coaches always told me when I was young no matter whether the call is right or not you always accept the referees decision as final. And never imply the ref is a cheat. That's red card territory.

I definitely agree with that and would tell my team the same if I were a manager. Then after the game I would make a complaint in the correct way rather than lashing out. Luckily the way it works there seems to be much less dissent in rugby than other sports. I really like the ref having a mic so that we are clear on what they are thinking and using to justify for certain decisions as it gives them a level of respect that refs in some other sports don't get.

 

[Iceman]

I take it she's mixed race. That is rare in Japan.

On wiki it says she has a Japanese mother and a Haitian father.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Oh that's pathetic. Seems there's an issue with a chunk of her fans then. I mean I an definitely a fan of her ability and interested in seeing her going for the all time record but still want certain sportsmanship standards.

Not just her fans. Honestly I feel like a large chunk of the media are afraid to point out just how bad she is in these situations. She is an awful loser, who gets patted on the back for it.

 

[kit1982]

I never realised the cult like fanbase Serena has. I just find some of the comments of support incredible. That outburst had absolutely nothing to do with Cornet being penalized or the issues in tennis.

 

[jmc]

It must be a cultural thing because down here if we had a sports star act like she did to a referee they’d be called out for their bull **** by the public and rightfully told to pull their head in. Some officials are more hardline with the rules than others. You play to what ever referee/umpire you’ve got, you don’t demand they accommodate you.

 

[jmc]

Man, I just watched the trophy presentation, Osaka couldn’t have looked more miserable if she tried. And apologising for winning? This incident really ruined this moment for her. I’ve never seen anyone look that depressed winning millions of dollars before.

 

[RockSP]

Yeah, I really think she would be best of apologising for it. People can lose their cool but there isn't much excuse to let it lie when you've had time to think about it.

Angry outbursts from tennis players are not unique to Williams. For example McEnroe, Agassi, etc. They didn't apologize.

 

[RockSP]

I take it she's mixed race. That is rare in Japan.

On wiki it says she has a Japanese mother and a Haitian father.

She grew up in America and has dual citizenship. Playing for Japan is the smart move for her career wise.

 

[Brutikus]

For me a player does not get more support from me when they behave like McEnroe,Agassi or Williams have.

As @jmc said in Australia we do not have much time for that stuff.

I see Football players regularly get frustrated with the refs call but they know if they push it they can be fined etc under the NRL charter.

As it should be too.

S Williams is not a champion in the true sense given her way of handling when losing.

 

[Iceman]

It must be a cultural thing because down here if we had a sports star act like she did to a referee they’d be called out for their bull **** by the public and rightfully told to pull their head in. Some officials are more hardline with the rules than others. You play to what ever referee/umpire you’ve got, you don’t demand they accommodate you.

I really like the Aussie mentality on this. If their team cheats or dies something like this they will be the first and harshest critics of their team without anyone else needing to get involved. I have a very similar mentality.

 

[Iceman]

She grew up in America and has dual citizenship. Playing for Japan is the smart move for her career wise.

Oh right, thanks for that.

 

[Iceman]

Angry outbursts from tennis players are not unique to Williams. For example McEnroe, Agassi, etc. They didn't apologize.

And they definitely should have. I think much less of McEnroe’s achievements as a result.

 

[Manasrepublic]

Terrible Diva behavior. Terrible sportsmanship and sore loser. What happened to the whole learn how to be graceful in losing a game? It’s a sport at the end of the day and being competitive is healthy but this sort of behavior is that of a toddler. To be a sore sorry ass loser of an athlete that can’t take loss with grace and pride is extremely cringeworthy. Shame on her

 

[Iceman]

How did the crowd react during the trophy ceremony? Usually they are very supportivr of any acts of sportsmanship and friendliness between the finalists.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

How did the crowd react during the trophy ceremony? Usually they are very supportivr of any acts of sportsmanship and friendliness between the finalists.

 

[Aximili86]

Glad to see the officials/authorities stood firm and backed the ref once the dust settled. The fine means jack-all to her, wealthy as she is, but nice to see on principle the association backed the guy on-court who made the call.

Even if Serena was somehow in the right (she's not - the coach admitted he was trying to coach her from the stands - doesn't matter whether she saw him or not, that's illegal in the game. She can fire her coach instead), you don't behave like that. She literally pulled a Reese Witherspoon with the cops.

I just feel bad for the other kid that won, having that whole experience ruined by a tantrum. The Japanese chick looked so upset and bewildered by the whole thing, something that should basically be one of the best days of her life.

I guess at least Serena shook her hand at the end, didn't just storm off and fly home in a huff like that Australian chick a couple years back. But still.

EDIT: Yeah, love the "anti-woman" accusations too. Might hold weight if she were playing a man, but...yyyeaaahhhh. This was a hissy-fit plain and simple, if she weren't Serena Williams there'd be universal condemnation for that type of conduct.

 

[Iceman]

WTA backs Williams' sexism claim



This is tainting Serena's achievements for me and it would be every bit as bad if any of the male tennis players did it. I hate that McEnroe became so well known amongst non-tennis fans for his "You cannot be serious" and it somehow became a cool thing. I hope Osaka can win more tournaments.