Report: Umpires considering boycott of Serena Williams’ matches

Female tennis star Serena Williams comments after a controversial ending to her match as the US Open.

Tennis umpires are considering a boycott of matches involving Serena Williams, according to The Times of London.

The discontent comes in the wake of Williams’ heated confrontation with chair umpire Carlos Ramos during the U.S. Open final on Saturday against Naomi Osaka.

The 23-time grand slam singles champ picked up three code violations, the third costing her a game, and proceeded to call Ramos a “thief.”

She was fined $17,000 for the ordeal.

Officials from the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) backed Williams’ claim of sexism by Ramos, and such support from those organizations has angered tennis umpires, the Times reports.

One anonymous umpire told the news outlet that the USTA had not supported umpires and that Ramos had been “thrown to the wolves for simply doing his job and was not willing to be abused for it.”

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