The International Tennis Federation has released a statement defending umpire Carlos Ramos for his decision to hit Serena Williams with a game penalty during her women’s U.S. Open final defeat to Naomi Osaka on Saturday.
Williams was fined $17,000 for three code violations, one of which was after she referred to Ramos as a “thief,” but the ITF said their representative “acted at all times with professionalism and integrity”
One could argue Osaka would have beaten Williams even without any of the penalties on Saturday, but the ITF has stood out in defence of its referee to establish a line in the sand of sorts.
To do so infers Williams acted wrongly in her actions and was therefore right to be fined also, though it remains to be seen whether the 23-time major winner will come around to that reasoning.
