Greg Rusedski: Serena Williams actually owes Naomi Osaka an apology

Greg Rusedski says Serena Williams’ sexism claims “are just not justified” and feels the American “owes Naomi Osaka an apology”.
Osaka won her maiden Grand Slam title when she beat the 23-time major winner 6-2, 6-4 in the final at Flushing Meadows on Sunday.
However, the match was overshadowed by some controversial calls from chair umpire Carlos Ramos as he gave Williams code violations for coaching and racket abuse and also docked her a game after she called him a “liar” and “thief”.
During her post-match press conference she claimed she would have been treated differently if she was a man, but Rusedski told Sky Sports News that Ramos followed the code.
“She was going after the umpire from the first game in the second set all the way through to when she was down a break 4-3, so from my point of view he did the right thing and you knew the referee was going to be very strong because of what happened with Nick Kyrgios earlier in the tournament,” he said.
“Umpire Mohamed Lahyani came down from his chair and gave Kyrgios a pep talk, telling him ‘I want you to do well’, ‘don’t tank’ and all the players were upset with that, so there was a strict law put in force for the rest of the tournament where chair umpires were not allowed to talk to players as well as following the code and that’s what Ramos did throughout the match.
“I think all these claims of sexism are just not justified and if I look at it in retrospect I’d say Serena actually owes Naomi Osaka an apology because she was the better player on the day, she would have won the match fair and square without all of the hoopla. I just feel sorry for Naomi Osaka.”
More from Tennis365:
Tennis Today: No end in sight to Serena Williams debate as tennis lies at a crossroads
Why US Open champion Novak Djokovic still faces a fight to claim the respect he is due
Relentless Novak Djokovic wears down Juan Martin del Potro to win US Open
Meet Marian Vajda, the man who has put Novak Djokovic back at the top of the tennis world
Latest
-
Tennis Features
The 13 WTA players whose last title was remarkably a Grand Slam: Coco Gauff, Emma Raducanu and more…
There are four active players whose last title was a Grand Slam.
-
Tennis News
Jannik Sinner underlines Darren Cahill’s key contribution to his sensational growth
Jannik Sinner praises Darren Cahill for giving him confidence.
-
Davis Cup
‘Mr Novak Djokovic must be suspended. You don’t have the right to refuse testing’
Novak Djokovic under fire for refusing to provide a sample before one of his matches.
-
Tennis News
Former partner of David Nalbandian breaks her silence in explosive stalking and sexual harassment case
Nalbandian is back in the headlines once again after it emerged he is being sued by ex-girlfriend Araceli Torrado.
-
Tennis News
‘Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer always accepted defeat better than Novak Djokovic’, claims former star
A retired ATP star has weighed in on the GOAT debate and claimed “the true champion is seen in defeat”
-
News
Why Novak Djokovic’s young protégé Miomir Kecmanovic is a player to watch in 2024
Kecmanovic may only be ranked at No 55 in the current ATP list, but Kecmanovic looks ready to take his career to the next level.
-
Tennis News
Tennis legend backs Coco Gauff to win 2024 Wimbledon in Carlos Alcaraz comparison
A tennis legend would be surprised if Coco Gauff does not win another Grand Slam title next year.
-
Tennis News
Italian tennis legends and media forced into rapid backtrack after brutal Jannik Sinner criticism
Sinner’s decision to pull out of Italy’s Davis Cup squad for the Group Stage Finals in September was widely crticised by the Italian media
-
Tennis News
Carlos Alcaraz’s coach makes admission about watching ‘outrageous’ Novak Djokovic
Carlos Alcaraz’s coach Juan Carlos Ferrero has spoken about watching Novak Djokovic perform.
-
Tennis News
Renowned coach offers to make Emma Raducanu ‘bulletproof’ and help her win ‘again and again’
A coach who has worked with some huge names has made Emma Raducanu a bold offer.