(Disclaimer: this is a work of fiction. Learn to take a joke; you’ll live longer.)
NEW YORK – The women’s final of the recently concluded US Open was marred by a series of unfortunate incidents after 23-time major winner Serena Williams became the target of racist and sexist discrimination.
The discriminatory act came at the start of the first test when Williams’ serve was called wide by a linesperson. After reconfirming that the person was white and appeared to be a man, he was deemed racist and sexist, with his call confirmed as such as well following the match.
As Williams eventually went on to lose the final to the Japanese Naomi Osaka, the incident remains the talking point and regularly cited cause of Williams’ defeat.
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has issued a statement against the discrimination that benefitted a female person of colour at the expense of another female person of colour.
The act has been criticised on social media as well, with the assertion that people belonging to other demographics have long benefitted from leeway given by sexist and racist adjudication through tennis.
87% of these allegations came from people – as found out after this scribe reached out to them – by those could not name the four tennis majors, with 98% unable to name any of the current top five ranked female tennis players in the world.
As the debate on whether or not the linesperson was right in making that call continues, this scribe got hold of the man in question.
“I just called the ball out because to me it looked as though it landed outside the service box,” the racist, sexist linesperson said. “Unfortunately, while making that call, the history of persecution against the underlined demographics wasn’t in my mind.”