The chair umpire that Serena Williams called a thief in Saturday’s United States Open women’s final has long been one of the on-court officials willing to enforce the rules without fear or favor on the game’s biggest stars, male and female. The umpire, Carlos Ramos, a 47-year-old from Portugal, was the focus of Williams’s ire during her 6-2, 6-4 loss to Naomi Osaka. After the match, Williams was fined a total of $17,000: $10,000 for verbal abuse, the largest single fine of the U.S. Open so far; $4,000 for the coaching violation, and $3,000 for racket abuse. According to the rule book, players are subject to fines up to $20,000 for each of those offenses. Players chase the career Grand Slam by trying to win all four of the major titles.

Source: New York Times September 09, 2018 18:11 UTC