AFP, New York :
Martina Navratilova, an 18-time Grand Slam singles champion, says Serena Williams was wrong in her outburst at the US Open women’s finals even though she agreed there is a double standard.
Writing in an opinion article for the New York Times, the 61-year-old Czech-born American said a higher standard needed to be observed when Williams called chair umpire Carlos Ramos a “thief” and was penalized a key game in the second set.
“We cannot measure ourselves by what we think we should also be able to get away with,” Navratilova wrote. “In fact, this is the sort of behavior that no one should be engaging in on the court.”
Williams, who was thwarted in her bid for a record-tying 24th Slam singles crown in losing to Japan’s Naomi Osaka, said she was punished for saying something where men have said far worse without incurring such a penalty.
