This is exhausting! I’ll try one last time to explain things to you as I watched the match unfold. This is how I saw things.
Serena entered the match exuding confidence. And why shouldn’t she? She is the greatest women’s tennis player in history. Osaka was a comparative unknown. She had worked her way into the finals by beating delicate young white country club girls. But now she was facing a black woman that is built like an NFL line backer. Nobody gave her a chance.
IMO Serena saw this as her “I’m back!” moment. She is the grand dame of the circuit, beloved by the New York crowd, playing in front of people deliriously rooting for her. After over a year’s absence having a baby she was rounding into form at the perfect time. Another GS championship would be hers. All she had to do was show up and Osaka would fold like a cheap tent in a high wind. You could see the confidence oozing out of her.
Only things didn’t work out that way. Osaka, it turned out, wasn’t intimidated. She neutralized Serena’s power, chased her all over the court, got to balls in time to hit winners. In the first set she completely dismantled her opponent. She was playing truly inspired tennis.
You could see the shock in Serena’s face. This was not going like she had expected. The surprising thing for me to witness was the slow disintegration of her demeanor. You could see resignation sinking in. You could see the anger and frustration setting in. You knew she knew she was beat. The determination to succeed, which she has exhibited throughout her career withered away.
Then completely out of the blue the chair accused her of cheating, getting coaching from the sideline. The chair’s accusation came after the coach had given her a thumb’s up and she had turned away. As a poster on the Corral said, it was the equivalent of the umpire taking away a home run from George Brett because he had too much pine tar on his bat.
Serena went into a full-blown melt down. First she was being humiliated on her own court in her own country in front of her adoring fans. And now this. She behaved like a spoiled brat. She broke her racket after a blown shot. Deduct a point. She berated the chair. I have no idea what he was saying to her, but the more he talked the more upset she became. Deduct a game.
Now this whole thread started when the OP said she claimed she lost because of “sexism.” I explained that was not the case. And I repeatedly returned to that point as the only thing I was arguing.
From there the thread disintegrated into an argument over the chair’s actions. Most of you have argued that rules are rules, Serena broke the rules, she deserved what she got. I never once disagreed with you. I said over and over that she was wrong to act the way she did.
My only point regarding the chair was that none of this would have happened if he had not instigated it. What he did was totally unnecessary. She was beat. Whipped like a naughty puppy. He didn’t need to add insult to humiliation. He accused her of something every tennis player and coach does. Technically he was correct. But his timing was selective. Why did he wait until that moment to drive the stake in her heart? He didn’t need to do it, and, I believe he shouldn’t have done it.
That’s my opinion. You disagree. Fine.