Serena Williams: 'I would probably be in jail' for Alexander Zverev's umpire chair attack in Acapulco

ByEurosport

Published 05/03/2022 at 08:51 GMT

Serena Williams says she would "probably be in jail" if she smashed her racquet close to the feet of the umpire in his/her chair like Alexander Zverev did in Acapulco last week. Zverev was punished and apologised, but Williams believes the world No. 3 got off lightly and thinks that harsher sanctions would have been imposed if she had committed the same act.

Watch the shocking moment Zverev attacks umpire’s chair with racquet

Serena Williams says she would "probably be in jail" if she behaved the same way as Alexander Zverev did in Acapulco last week.

Zverev was thrown out of the ATP 500 tournament in Mexico and fined $40,000 (£30,000) for smashing his racquet against umpire Alessandro Germani's chair after losing his first round doubles match against Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara while partnering Marcelo Melo. He also went on an expletive-laden rant while swinging his racquet.

Zverev released an apology but has not yet been sanctioned further over the incident.

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Eurosport expert Mats Wilander believes the punishment was nowhere near strong enough while Alex Corretja felt he crossed the line.

Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam winner, sees a "double standard" and says she would have been given a far harsher punishment had it been her.

"There is absolutely a double standard," Williams told CNN.

"I would probably be in jail if I did that – like, literally, no joke.

"You see that [double standard] when you see other things happening on the tour, like, 'wait – if I had done that?' Hmm,” she added.

"But it is okay. At the end of the day, I am who I am, and I love who I am."

Williams mentioned how she was on probation for two years when she aimed a tirade at a line judge during the 2009 US Open semi-final against eventual champion Kim Clijsters. The Grand Slam committee said it was "aggravated behaviour" and Williams was fined $175,000. Any further incidents would have led to a suspension.

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Williams then accused umpire Carlos Ramos of double standards after her 2018 US Open final defeat to Naomi Osaka when she was docked a game.

She said in her post-match press conference: “For me to say ‘thief’, and for him to take a game, it made me feel like it was a sexist remark. He has never taken a game from a man because they said ‘thief’.”

Williams has not played in a Grand Slam since retiring from the first round at Wimbledon last year at 3-3 in the opening set with a hamstring injury.

The American is still one Grand Slam singles win behind Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 titles. The 40-year-old still believes she can equal Court's record and has her sights set on the French Open in May.

“I should have been at like 30 or 32 [Grand Slams],” Williams said jokingly.

"I should have had it [the record], really. I’ve had many opportunities to have it, but I’m not giving up."