J.K. Rowling has come out in support of Serena Williams after was depicted in a newspaper cartoon that has been labelled by some as ‘racist’.
It was only revealed yesterday the tennis star will have to pay $17,000 for three code violations made during a US Open match.
The referee’s office decided to fine Williams $10,000 for ‘verbal abuse’ against chair umpire Carlos Ramos, $4,000 for being warned for coaching and a further $3,000 for breaking her racket.
She had clashed with Ramos after she was issued a code violation warning in the second set’s second game for receiving coaching.
Now, her argument with the umpire has been parodied by the Herald Sun’s Mark Knight who hasn’t painted Williams in the most positive light. It’s kinda my job to stay on the fence about these things but this does scream Jim Crow doesn’t it?
The image, which Knight proudly shared on his Twitter has been getting roasted all day, by normies and celebs alike. Harry Potter don J.K. Rowling slated the drawing writing, ‘Well done on reducing one of the greatest sportswomen alive to racist and sexist tropes and turning a second great sportswoman into a faceless prop.’
ESPN’s Jemele Hill added that it was ‘About as subtle as Fran Drescher’s voice.’
Williams had opposed calls of her cheating in a relatively mature but heated manner. Nothing like we see in Knight’s picture.
Following the match, Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou told ESPN he had tried to signal Williams but said he didn’t think she had seen him and added that he believes every player gets coaching during matches, the Independent reports.
Williams said:
I have never cheated in my life! You owe me an apology.
You stole a point from me. You’re a thief, too.
Ramos responded by issuing a third code violation, which results in a lost game. He immediately called both players over to explain his ruling. Laughing, Williams said, ‘Are you kidding me?’ before asking to tournament referee Brian Earley who walked onto the court with a Grand Slam supervisor.
Williams said the whole incident ‘is not fair’ and that ‘this has happened to me too many times’.
‘To lose a game for saying that is not fair,’ she added. ‘There’s a lot of men out here that have said a lot of things and because they are men that doesn’t happen.’
Japan’s Naomi Osaka went on to win the US Open to become the first Grand Slam champion from the country, beating Williams 6-2, 6-4.
Only recently the 23-time Grand Slam winner was banned by French Open officials from sporting her standard black catsuit. Williams shunned the move and responded by donning a black tutu during her first-round victory over Carina Witthoft at the US Open on Monday.
Williams had been wearing the catsuit after she suffered life-threatening blood clots last year following the birth of her daughter Olympia.
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