Long-standing tennis world number one Serena Williams is convinced that she would have been punished much more severely if she had freaked out like Olympic champion Alexander Zverev. “There is absolutely a double standard. I probably would have gone to jail if I did that. For real. No joke,” said the 23-time Grand Slam winner in a CNN interview. “I am who I am – on and off the pitch, and I’m also very passionate, but there are definitely different standards.”
Zverev (24) recently hit the referee’s chair with his racket several times at the tournament in Acapulco, Mexico, after a defeat in doubles, on which the referee was still sitting. He was disqualified and had to pay a $40,000 fine. In addition, the Hamburger has to pay back the prize money of more than 30,000 dollars and loses the points for the world rankings. There should also be a further investigation.
Tennis: Serena Williams criticizes the mild punishment of Alexander Zverev
Williams (40) also had outbursts of anger from time to time in her exceptional career. She was even on probation, as she recalled in the interview of an incident more than twelve years old.
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During her semifinals at the 2009 US Open against eventual winner Kim Clijsters, Williams verbally attacked a linesman who ruled a faulty serve on a serve. She received a two-year suspended sentence and a $175,000 fine.
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In 2018 in Madison Square Garden, she presented herself as a bad loser in the final against Naomi Osaka and constantly insulted the referee. “At the end of the day, I am who I am and I love who I am,” she said. (dpa/jvd)
