Serena Williams Addresses Sexism in Tennis Following US Open Loss

Williams was penalized a full game for calling an umpire thief during her finals match with Naomi Osaka

Last night's US Open final between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka got muddy in a hurry.

Williams, returning for a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title, was penalized a game during her finals match with Osaka, after a war of words with umpire Carlos Ramos. What was initially a minor violation, erupted into a full spate with the umpire, following the issuing of a warning for accepting coaching. A historically emotional player, Williams was beyond herself, smashing her racket on the court and calling Ramos thief when he delivered the heavy-handed final game penalty. It cost her the match.

After the tournament, Williams fought through tears in explaining her reaction:

"I don’t know, you definitely can’t go back in time, but, I can’t sit here and say I wouldn’t say he’s a thief because I thought he took a game from me, but I’ve seen other men call other umpires several things, and I’m here fighting for women’s rights and for women’s equality and for all kinds of stuff. And 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 took a game from a man because they said thief. For me it blows my mind."

On-court, she can be heard stating that "I don’t cheat to win; I’d rather lose." According to The New York Times, Williams is the rare player that's never employed on-court coaching. It was this remark that triggered the umpire's "verbal abuse" penalty. Williams demanded an apology.

Watch Serena Williams address the plague of sexism in tennis at the press conference following the match below.