The Serena Williams/US Open Debacle

I did not watch the US Open women’s final match between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka. After several outbursts by Williams, resulting in penalty points, Osaka won the match in a huge upset.

https://nypost.com/2018/09/08/its-shameful-what-us-open-did-to-naomi-osaka/

Having watched video of the outbursts, I don’t think her behavior, while regrettable, was as bad as what I used to watch from John McEnroe. And he routinely got away with it. So Williams has a point there.

When the Williams sisters burst on the scene, it was their father, Richard Williams, who really acted like a jerk. Over the years, I think the sisters have comported themselves pretty well. While others disgraced themselves, Serena regained her composure and was gracious during the awards ceremony.

But it was the reaction to the winner, Osaka, by the crowd that really was disgraceful, During the awards ceremony, the crowd booed, and the head of the  USTA, Katrina Adams, expressed disappointment that Williams had lost. What a statement to make.  Osaka actually was reduced to tears instead of experiencing the joy she was entitled to.

To sum it up, Serena’s outburst was not pretty. Much uglier was what happened during the awards ceremony by others.