Novak Djokovic once sympathized with Serena Williams over her contentious dispute with chair umpire Carlos Ramos in the 2018 US Open final. The Serb shared his thoughts on the controversy after beating Juan Martin del Potro 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3 in the men’s final to clinch his third title at the New York Major.

Naomi Osaka’s commanding 6-2, 6-4 win over Serena Williams in the 2018 US Open final to clinch her maiden Grand Slam title was marred by the American’s heated confrontation with the chair umpire. The match turned controversial in the second set when Williams lashed out at Carlos Ramos after receiving a code violation for coaching, asserting that she would rather lose than “cheat.”

The situation escalated when the American, incensed after picking up a second code violation for smashing her racket, vehemently protested her point penalty and accused Ramos of being a “thief.”

Serena Williams’ outburst resulted in a costly game penalty, sparking a heated argument that brought the tournament referee to the court. Despite Williams’ pleas that the penalty was an unjust “attack” on her character, the referee upheld the umpire’s decision.

Amid the controversy surrounding the American’s conduct, Novak Djokovic extended his sympathy to Serena Williams for the emotional and “awkward” situation, which left both her and Naomi Osaka in tears. Speaking in his post-match press conference, the Serb also empathized with the chair umpire for having to manage the “tough” incident.

“Look, I love Serena, first of all. I really felt for her yesterday. Tough thing for a chair umpire to deal with, as well. We have to empathize with him. Everyone was in a very awkward situation yesterday. A lot of emotions. Serena was crying. Naomi was crying. It was really, really tough,” Novak Djokovic said.

However, Djokovic criticized Carlos Ramos for pushing the American to her breaking point, arguing that the umpire’s “unnecessary” calls had changed the course of the Grand Slam final.

“But I have my personal opinion that maybe the chair umpire should not have pushed Serena to the limit, especially in a Grand Slam final. Just maybe changed — not maybe, but he did change the course of the match. Was, in my opinion, maybe unnecessary. We all go through our emotions, especially when you’re fighting for a Grand Slam trophy,” he added.

“Serena Williams knows I love her, she really inspires everyone” – Novak Djokovic

While Novak Djokovic lent his support to Serena Williams after the 2018 US Open final, he disagreed with WTA CEO Steve Simon’s claim that female players were treated more harshly than their male counterparts by umpires.

“But I don’t think it’s time and place really to get into other subjects. I don’t see things as Mr. Simon does. I really don’t. I think men and women are, you know, treated in this way or the other way depending on the situation. It’s hard to generalize things, really. I don’t see it’s necessary really to debate that,” Djokovic said in the same press conference.

Djokovic then redirected the conversation towards Naomi Osaka, asserting that the Japanese deserved to enjoy her moment in the spotlight. He also expressed his love for Williams, hailing her as an inspiration.

“I just feel like, as Serena said yesterday in the closing ceremonies, Osaka deserves to have her moment. As for Serena, she knows I love her. She really inspires everyone. To see her still being so dedicated and so committed to this sport, it’s inspiring really to me and to many tennis players, both men and women, around the world,” he added.

Roger Federer shared a similar opinion regarding the contentious incident, asserting that the umpire “should not have pushed Serena Williams there.” However, Federer also expressed his belief that the American had “crossed the line” with her outburst.

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Edited by Urvi Mehra