NEW YORK — Tennis star Serena Williams was fined $17,000 Sunday for three code violations during her loss in Saturday's U.S. Open women's singles final, ESPN reported.
Williams was fined $4,000 for receiving coaching, $3,000 for racket abuse and $10,000 for verbal abuse.
Naomi Osaka, 20, won her first Grand Slam title, defeating Williams 6-2, 6-4. It was the first time a player from Japan had won a Grand Slam event. Williams, a six-time champion at the U.S. Open, was docked a point and then a game for her second and third code violations during the second set by chair umpire Carlos Ramos, Newsday reported.
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Ramos penalized Williams for a coaching violation in the second game of the second set. Patrick Mouratoglou, Williams' coach, told ESPN that he was coaching.
"Well, I mean, I'm honest, I was coaching. I mean, I don't think (Williams) looked at me, so that's why she didn't even think I was. I was like 100 percent of the coaches on 100 percent of the matches, so we have to stop this hypocrite thing," Mouratoglou told ESPN. "Sascha (Bajin, Osaka's coach) was coaching every point, too."
"I don't cheat. I'd rather lose," Williams told Ramos, Newsday reported.
The second violation was called after Williams smashed her racket after Osaka broke her in the fifth game of the second set. During the changeover, Williams confronted Ramos, ESPN reported.
“You are a liar. You are never going to be on my court ever again,” Williams said. “Say you are sorry. How dare you insinuate I was cheating. You stole a point from me. You are a thief, too.”
She was issued a third violation for verbal abuse, a game penalty. That meant Williams was serving trailing 5-3, instead of 4-3. Osaka soon closed out the match to defeat her childhood hero and win her first Grand Slam event.
Although Williams was gracious in defeat and praised Osaka to the crowd, she was still seething during her post-match news conference.
"To lose a game for saying that is not fair," Williams said. "There's a lot of men out here that have said a lot of things, and because they are men, that doesn't happen."
Cox Media Group