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Meghan Markle loves three things: flower sprinkles, fame, and Meghan Markle. But if you missed the part about how she’s basically in a long-term relationship with her own handwriting, we tapped an expert to weigh in on what Meghan’s calligraphy reveals about her soul. 
If you’re expecting a heart of gold, brace yourself. This is the real Meghan Markle. Not even her fake-<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DXWQDhnDDMt/">empathetic eyebrows</a> can save her now.
It’s not like I was anticipating a glowing review, but I grabbed a bucket of popcorn when I got the results. “It is pretty damning stuff, but I&#8217;m afraid this is what I am seeing in the handwriting,” a leading analyst from the British Institute of Graphologists, Tracey Trussell, told The Daily Wire. “I&#8217;ve found that the handwriting never lies!” 
After Markle’s latest newsletter from her As ever lifestyle brand dropped into my inbox, teasing a <a href="https://asever.com/products/the-signature-chocolate-box?variant=52205256081689&amp;country=US&amp;currency=USD&amp;utm_medium=product_sync&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_content=sag_organic&amp;utm_campaign=sag_organic&amp;tw_source=google&amp;tw_adid=806107494616&amp;tw_campaign=23767648557&amp;tw_kwdid=pla-354277681847&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=23767648557&amp;gbraid=0AAAABDQG_0G8ZZ6Vu5Gg1mO5Edv5MA2OO&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjw_IXQBhCkARIsADqELbIsMnrGCMCKj6dNeFWdvZLffFd3mz8JV-hcwS0DH7VUtzwtm7J9vBYaAvN0EALw_wcB">$58 box of chocolates</a>, each truffle impressed with “A-s e-v-e-r” in tight gold letters, I could no longer ignore the situation. The rigid unevenness of her handwriting pierced my heart. Why was the Duchess of Montecito doing this to us?
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Every As ever <a href="https://asever.com/collections/shop-all/products/signature-candle-no-506">candle</a>, <a href="https://asever.com/collections/shop-all/products/signature-fruit-spread-gift-box-raspberry-orange-marmalade-and-strawberry">jam</a>, and <a href="https://asever.com/collections/shop-all/products/when-the-day-slows-set">tea</a> canister is tortured by her signature script. But I wouldn’t care about Megligraphy, except for this: Along with her rinse-and-repeat story about demanding that an allegedly misogynist <a href="https://x.com/NickRewind/status/1125399474048839681">dish soap company</a> change its TV ad when she was 12 (<a href="https://www.newsweek.com/meghan-markle-famous-feminist-dish-soap-story-questioned-vanity-fair-revenge-tom-bower-1725559">Vanity Fair</a> couldn’t even verify the whole story), she’s been talking about her handwriting for decades — and loving every minute of it.
Meghan appeared on <a href="https://youtu.be/ivBc4VeTubg?t=1">&#8220;Larry King Now&#8221;</a> in 2013, two years into unremarkably starring on “<a href="https://suits.fandom.com/wiki/Meghan_Markle">Suits</a>” and three years before landing Prince <a href="https://www.instyle.com/meghan-markle-prince-harry-relationship-11834849">Harry</a>. When King inquired as to whether Meghan was a calligrapher, she replied with characteristic pseudo-humility, “I, I, I … I used to be, yes. That was, um … I went to all-girls Catholic school. Handwriting class was one of those lost arts.” King held up the writing sample for the camera (it said “I Love Larry King”) while Meghan appeared pleased with the extra flourishes she added to drugstore cursive.
In 2016, she told <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@dinosorr5/video/7485563017799699743">AOL Build</a> that she paid the bills with commissioned calligraphy while struggling as an actress. “I just had always had nice penmanship,” she bragged. “I’d done, I don’t know, celebrity correspondence for Dolce &amp; Gabbana or The Four Seasons. I did Paula Patton and Robin Thicke’s wedding.” Oh, here, Meghan, it looks like you might have accidentally dropped these names.
Are you a survivor of the Netflix series “With Love, Meghan”? Then you saw her fawn over her own handwriting there, too. Lamenting an A-minus in penmanship class from like 100 years ago, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reels/DHWGbPyIxva/">she said</a> of the “little swirls” she’s still obsessed with including, “You know what, I’ll take the ‘minus’ for a little bit of character.” So relatable, your majesty. 
Unlike butter churning or lute playing, calligraphy isn’t some sort of ancient skillset we don’t see very much. Proving the writing style’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/29/style/calligraphy-handwriting-revival.html">revived popularity</a>, Etsy hosts <a href="https://www.etsy.com/market/calligraphy_on_etsy">thousands of shops</a> peddling custom designs by crafters powering a <a href="https://www.intelmarketresearch.com/calligraphy-pen-market-28985">$1.28 billion</a> global calligraphy pen market. But these are gestural, flowing expressions of art. Meghan’s is the opposite of that. 
“We know that Meghan is obsessed with appearances,” Trussell observed. “Everything in her world is hyper-controlled and super focused on perfectionism, which means she is forever teetering on the brink.” 
Maybe you’ve heard of handwriting analysis helping to <a href="https://forensicexpertinvestigation.com/handwriting-of-serial-killers/">solve crimes</a>. In the civilian lane, graphology can uncover roughly <a href="https://www.pens.com/blog/handwriting-infographic/">5,000 personality traits</a> by studying the spacing between words, the sizing of letters, and slanting and looping patterns, among other things. “Our handwriting is the unique pattern of our psychology expressed in symbols on the page, and graphology is the science of deciphering these symbols,” Trussell said. Of course I happily unleashed this resource on forensically dissecting the celebrated founder of <a href="https://asever.com/collections/spreads">fruit spread</a>.
Trussell kindly accepted my request to analyze Meghan’s calligraphy from <a href="https://asever.com/">As ever</a> brand packaging, along with Meghan’s handwritten notes that often accompany celebrity gift basket swag. Here’s what Trussell read between the lines.
“Meghan may be producing a polished performance, but from a graphologist’s perspective, it’s style over substance — a type of ephemeral pseudo sophistication that lacks soul,” Trussel shared, describing a style that functions like a tourniquet to natural flow.
You could say that someone who just teased a photo of their <a href="https://people.com/meghan-markle-celebrates-prince-archie-7th-birthday-new-photos-princess-lilibet-11967353">son Archie</a> to possibly distract from less flattering headlines about how she&#8217;s <a href="https://www.aol.com/articles/meghan-markle-prince-harry-living-085815874.html">living a separate life from her prince husband</a> might be lacking in the soul department. At least when it comes to publicity.  
Noting the stiffness and rigidity I saw on the chocolates, Trussell said of the “clockwork” nature of Meghan’s lettering, “This reflects her intolerant and inflexible approach to life, her affected, contrived and disingenuous nature, and further conceals underlying feelings of inadequacy.” That inflexibility is not at all shocking, considering how Meghan forced the Kardashians to delete <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/DlistedRoyals/comments/1oudnid/kim_kardashian_and_kris_jenner_quietly_delete/">photos of Harry</a> staring at Kris Jenner’s chest from Instagram, when it was obvious guests would be photographed at the party. 
Trussell also didn’t let Meghan off the hook when it came to the smoke-and-mirror messaging of her excessively flattering and flowery gift notes. “Whatever the truth, the fact that she feels the need to construct and project something so flawless is telling.” As we can see from the following message, there&#8217;s not enough zhuzh on Earth to obscure the main message that she was <a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/meghan-markle-guest-editor-september-issue-british-vogue-2019">guest-editing British Vogue</a>.
<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Handwriting/comments/eo8qmc/meghan_markles_handwriting/"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-1093585 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/meghan-markles-handwriting-v0-pgrs2v1fila41-651x576.webp" alt="" width="651" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/meghan-markles-handwriting-v0-pgrs2v1fila41-651x576.webp 651w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/meghan-markles-handwriting-v0-pgrs2v1fila41-300x265.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/meghan-markles-handwriting-v0-pgrs2v1fila41-768x679.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/meghan-markles-handwriting-v0-pgrs2v1fila41.webp 1080w" sizes=" (max-width: 651px) 100vw, 651px" /></a>
Getting into the nitty-gritty, Trussell sees specific details in Meghan’s penmanship that tell the real story. “The way the writing tumbles forward obliquely reveals Meghan’s passion and obsession, and her acute sensitivity. Plus, the letters are nearly all joined, so interrupt her at your peril!” Mirroring the line-crossing intimacy of the time Meghan awkwardly <a href="https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/2184421/meghan-markle-latest-kelly-mckee-zajfen">cradled her friend’s baby bump</a> on a red carpet, her oversized lettering indicates manufactured confidence, Trussell says: “This is merely attention-seeking and an overcompensation for feelings of inferiority and anxiety, which are all lurking under wraps.”
While upturned strokes signal good intentions, Trussell says the fact that those lines always hook backward in the opposite direction reveals Meghan’s inflated ego and greed. “It’s all for applause and effect, without any real feeling or emotion behind the intention,” she shared. Those little frills Meghan compulsively adds reveal anxiousness, a desire for protection, and apprehension about the unknown.  
This was all extraordinarily delicious. But my guiltiest pleasure in this analysis of Meghan’s handwriting might be best portrayed via the sweeping letter “A” in As ever. “Meghan’s consciously drawn large (disproportionately oversized) capitals tell of her immense personal pride and vanity, her arrogance and presumptuousness, whilst disclosing her craving for respect and approval,” Trussell says. “She’s got her head in the clouds.”
Case closed. Vain, insecure, and calculating, Meghan Markle’s calligraphy proves she’s thirsty as ever to be loved with a cursive capital L.

A Handwriting Expert Just Dissected Meghan Markle — And It Got Brutal Fast

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Retired tennis star Serena Williams found apparently racist cotton decor at a New York City hotel this past week, and complained about it on Instagram.
Williams, who&#8217;s in NYC for a Kim Kardashian <a href="https://pagesix.com/2025/09/25/celebrity-news/serena-williams-calls-out-nyc-hotels-cotton-plant-decoration/">event</a>, shared video of her examining a vase filled with faux cotton stems and asking her followers how they &#8220;feel&#8221; about it. She said, &#8220;it doesn&#8217;t feel great,&#8221; and visibly shivered over the sight of it.
Williams shared the video via Instagram Stories, where the athlete has 18 million followers.
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Serena Williams gets triggered by a cotton plant at her luxury hotel
These people are so fu#%ing insufferable and performative
Acting triggered with a $250m net worth and a long blonde wig is wild
You crip-walked at the Super Bowl and your sister was killed by crips
Sit down <a href="https://t.co/Ej1yDaDl6u">pic.twitter.com/Ej1yDaDl6u</a>
— Amiri King (@AmiriKing) <a href="https://twitter.com/AmiriKing/status/1971634415395803144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
Journalist Megyn Kelly reacted to the video, noting Williams&#8217; tremendous success in America.
&#8220;Serena Williams is triggered by cotton, I guess because it used to be picked by slaves, and she&#8217;s a black American? It&#8217;s 2025,&#8221; Kelly said. &#8220;Serena Williams is estimated by Forbes to be worth $350 million. She&#8217;s married to a very, very rich man, too.&#8221;
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&#8220;But she is an oppressed, direct descendant of slaves, I guess, and that&#8217;s how she sees herself to this day, because, I guess, &#8216;generational trauma,&#8217; as the kids call it,&#8221; Kelly continued. &#8220;She can&#8217;t walk by a cotton plant in a luxury hotel to go promote Kim Kardashian&#8217;s Skims line without feeling &#8216;trauma&#8217; that she has to videotape and post on [Instagram].&#8221;
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Megyn Kelly reacts to Serena Williams&#8217; bizarre post on cotton at a luxury hotel.
&#8220;Serena Williams is triggered by cotton I guess because it used to be picked by slaves and she&#8217;s a black American? It&#8217;s 2025. Serena Williams is estimated by Forbes to be worth $350 million.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/wRENsBClAu">pic.twitter.com/wRENsBClAu</a>
— Girl patriot (@Girlpatriot1974) <a href="https://twitter.com/Girlpatriot1974/status/1971801473391657305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
This is not the first time Williams has seemed to complain about alleged racism. The tennis superstar, who is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, blasted an image of a luxury Paris hotel restaurant last year to her 10 million followers while suggesting the restaurant &#8220;denied&#8221; her service because she&#8217;s black.
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“Yikes [Peninsula Paris] I’ve been denied access to rooftop to eat in a [sic] empty <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/restaurant" target="_blank" rel="noopener">restaurant</a> of nicer places but never with my kids,” she posted August 5, 2024. “Always a first. #Olympic2024.”
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Yikes <a href="https://twitter.com/peninsulaparis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@peninsulaparis</a> I’ve been denied access to rooftop to eat in a empty restaurant of nicer places 🫠 but never with my kids. Always a first. 🙄<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Olympic2024?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#Olympic2024</a> <a href="https://t.co/lEGJR5WoEn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pic.twitter.com/lEGJR5WoEn</a>
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) <a href="https://twitter.com/serenawilliams/status/1820507655250850058?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">August 5, 2024</a></blockquote>
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However, a spokesperson from The Peninsula Paris responded to the accusation and said the restaurant was simply booked up.
“Dear Mrs. Williams, Please accept our deepest apologies for the disappointment you encountered tonight. Unfortunately, our rooftop bar was indeed fully booked and the only unoccupied tables you saw belonged to our gourmet restaurant, L’Oiseau Blanc, which was fully reserved,” the restaurant’s official account <a href="https://x.com/peninsulaparis/status/1820533467358371858" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a>. “We have always been honored to welcome you and will always be to welcome you again. The Peninsula Paris.&#8221;
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We have always been honored to welcome you and will always be to welcome you again.
The Peninsula Paris
— The Peninsula Paris (@peninsulaparis) <a href="https://twitter.com/peninsulaparis/status/1820533513420239099?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2024</a></blockquote>
Williams recently made headlines for teaming up with Ro, a telehealth company that offers GLP-1 weight loss drugs. The mother of two is featured in marketing campaigns aimed at normalizing the drugs, and she&#8217;s openly discussed using them for weight loss herself.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/serena-williams-trashes-open-christian-harrison-butker-at-espy-awards?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Serena+Williams+Trashes+Open+Christian+Harrison+Butker+At+ESPY+Awards">Serena Williams Trashes Open Christian Harrison Butker At ESPY Awards</a>

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Serena Williams Spirals Over Apparently Racist Decor At NYC Hotel

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Retired tennis pro <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/serena-williams">Serena Williams</a> claims she was denied service at a restaurant in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/paris">Paris</a> hotel, but a rep for the establishment says that’s not exactly what happened.
Williams, 42, shared her version of events in a post on X. “Yikes @PeninsulaParis I’ve been denied access to rooftop to eat in a empty <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/restaurant">restaurant</a> of nicer places but never with my kids,” she wrote on Monday, August 5. “Always a first. #Olympic2024.”
After the athlete posted the complaint, a Community Notes update was added: &#8220;Serena was not ‘denied access.’ Rather, the restaurant was fully booked.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Yikes <a href="https://twitter.com/peninsulaparis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@peninsulaparis</a> I’ve been denied access to rooftop to eat in a empty restaurant of nicer places 🫠 but never with my kids. Always a first. 🙄<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Olympic2024?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Olympic2024</a> <a href="https://t.co/lEGJR5WoEn">pic.twitter.com/lEGJR5WoEn</a>
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) <a href="https://twitter.com/serenawilliams/status/1820507655250850058?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
A spokesperson from The Peninsula Paris also reacted to Williams’ accusations.
“Dear Mrs. Williams, Please accept our deepest apologies for the disappointment you encountered tonight. Unfortunately, our rooftop bar was indeed fully booked and the only unoccupied tables you saw belonged to our gourmet restaurant, L’Oiseau Blanc, which was fully reserved,” the restaurant’s official account <a href="https://x.com/peninsulaparis/status/1820533467358371858">posted</a> to X on Monday. 
“We have always been honored to welcome you and will always be to welcome you again. The Peninsula Paris,” a follow-up post said.
<a href="http://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1722714742764000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1XzmEsRwzti1RFNuISwYgd">WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI</a>
One restaurant employee explained the situation in a statement to <a href="https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/serena-williams-slams-paris-restaurant-olympics-1236095987/">Variety</a>. “When [Williams] came there were only two tables available and they had been reserved by clients of the hotel,” Maxime Mannevy told the outlet. “My colleague didn’t recognize her and feels terrible, but he told her what he would have told any other client, which is to wait downstairs in the bar for a table to become available. That was absolutely nothing personal.”
The hotel also issued a statement to Today on the situation.
“In response to Mrs. Williams’ tweet, for whom we have the utmost admiration and respect, as we do for all our esteemed guests; we can only reiterate our deepest apologies for her perception of tonight’s situation,&#8221; it said.
The statement added, “Today, August 5th, our rooftop bar was indeed unfortunately fully booked, and the only unoccupied tables at that time belonged to our gourmet restaurant, L’Oiseau Blanc, which was also fully reserved tonight. She has always and will always be more than welcome with her family to The Peninsula.”

Paris Restaurant Responds To Serena Williams Complaining It ‘Denied’ Her Service

Paris Restaurant Responds To Serena Williams Complaining It 'Denied' Her Service

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Tennis great Serena Williams took a shot at Kansas City Chiefs kicker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-chiefs-kicker-harrison-butker-breaks-silence-says-he-will-continue-to-be-unapologetic-catholic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Harrison Butker</a> on Thursday night at the ESPY Awards.
Williams, presenting alongside her sister Venus Williams and actress Quinta Brunson, quipped that Butker can be exempt from enjoying women&#8217;s sports, suggesting he&#8217;s anti-woman for his recent Catholic speech that praised his wife and other homemakers.
&#8220;So, go ahead and enjoy women&#8217;s sports like you would any other sports, because they are sports,&#8221; Venus said.
&#8220;Except you, Harrison Butker,&#8221; Williams chimed in. &#8220;We don&#8217;t need you.&#8221;
&#8220;At all,&#8221; Brunson finished the dig. &#8220;Like, ever.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
&#8220;So, go ahead and enjoy women&#8217;s sports like you would any other sports, because they are sports.&#8221; &#8211; Venus Williams
&#8220;Except you, Harrison Butker. We don&#8217;t need you.&#8221; &#8211; Serena Williams
&#8220;At all. Like, ever.&#8221; &#8211; Quinta Brunson <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ESPYS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ESPYS</a> <a href="https://t.co/RhvxfiHUWN">pic.twitter.com/RhvxfiHUWN</a>
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) <a href="https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1811585393973956933?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2024</a></blockquote>
Butker gave a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chiefs-kicker-slams-biden-and-dei-in-commencement-speech" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commencement address</a> at Benedictine College in the spring and sparked outrage from leftists. During the address, he called out President Joe Biden’s support for abortion, criticized “Pride Month,&#8221; and praised his wife for raising their children, being a homemaker, and being his strongest support.
Triggering the most outrage, Butker told the female grads, “It cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker.”
He also emphasized that women should cherish their families and their babies even more than their careers &#8212; something that is typically not uttered in mainstream culture.
Despite the strong backlash, Butker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-chiefs-kicker-harrison-butker-breaks-silence-says-he-will-continue-to-be-unapologetic-catholic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">refused to back down</a>. As exclusively reported by The Daily Wire, Butker gave a subsequent speech and noted the “shocking level of hate” he received, stating that it would not deter him from being “unapologetic” about his faith.
He also received support from Kansas City head coach <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chiefs-head-coach-andy-reid-and-qb-patrick-mahomes-defend-teammate-harrison-butker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andy Reid</a> and teammates Patrick Mahomes, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-great-person-travis-kelce-finally-breaks-silence-on-harrison-butker-amid-backlash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Travis Kelce</a>, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chiefs-star-chris-jones-defends-harrison-butker-amid-backlash-and-hes-not-alone" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Jones</a>. Moreover, Butker’s jersey sales skyrocketed following the address, notably selling out in women&#8217;s sizes in the NFL Shop.
Zach Jewell contributed to this report. 
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-chiefs-kicker-harrison-butker-breaks-silence-says-he-will-continue-to-be-unapologetic-catholic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EXCLUSIVE: Chiefs Kicker Harrison Butker Breaks Silence, Says He Will Continue To Be ‘Unapologetic’ Catholic</a>

Screenshot 2024-07-12 at 9.03.16 AM

Serena Williams Trashes Open Christian Harrison Butker At ESPY Awards

ESPN

Harrison Butker

Tennis great Margaret Court, 80, ripped newly retired tennis champ <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/serena-williams">Serena Williams</a> for failing to reciprocate admiration.
Court, an open <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/christianity">Christian</a> largely shunned by the tennis world, <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tennis/2022/09/04/margaret-court-exclusive-interview-admire-serena-williams/">criticized</a> Williams during a rare interview with Britain&#8217;s Daily Telegraph.
&#8220;Serena, I&#8217;ve admired her as a player,&#8221; Court asserted. &#8220;But I don&#8217;t think she has ever admired me.&#8221;
Taking another shot at Williams, Court said she &#8220;thought it was bad that Williams didn’t mention her opponent more when she spoke. We were taught to honour our opponent. We respected one another.”
Williams <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nothing-is-a-sacrifice-for-me-serena-williams-announces-her-retirement-from-tennis-explains-why">closed her career</a> on Friday at the US Open, taking a loss to Australian Ajla Tomljanović. 
The 80-year-old pastor has the most grand slam titles ever, racking up one more than Williams, who&#8217;s been dubbed the &#8220;greatest of all time,&#8221; or the &#8220;G.O.A.T.&#8221;
Court emphasized that she had a shorter career than Williams, and won grand slams after having kids.
&#8220;Serena has played seven years more than I did,&#8221; the former athlete told the Telegraph. &#8220;I finished in my early 30s. People forget that I took two years out. I first retired &#8230; when I was 25, thinking I would never return to tennis.&#8221;
“I got married, had a baby, but then had one of my best years, winning 24 out of 25 tournaments. I came back after two babies,&#8221; Court said. &#8220;After having the first baby, I won three out of the four slams. And Serena hasn’t won a slam since [she had a baby].&#8221;
The athlete also <a href="https://www.eurosport.com/tennis/us-open/2022/margaret-court-scolds-serena-williams-for-lack-of-admiration-and-claims-current-tennis-era-is-so-muc_sto9126193/story.shtml">dismissed</a> criticism that her era was less competitive than it is now.
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“I would love to have played in this era. I think it’s so much easier. How I would love to have taken family or friends along with me. But I couldn’t. I had to go on my own or with the national team. People don’t see all that,&#8221; Court said. &#8220;We didn’t have psychologists or coaches with us. It’s a whole different world. That’s what disappoints me, that players today don’t honour the past of the game.”
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“I often hear Billie Jean (King) saying that people didn’t come down to Australia in my early years,” she continued. “But Maria Bueno, the world No 1, came down. So did Christine Truman, Ann Haydon, Darlene Hard. Plus, Australia had some wonderful players. We had five girls in the top 10. Lesley Bowrey won two French Opens.&#8221;
Court has received backlash from some in the tennis community because she has spoken openly against same-sex marriage and transgender issues being pushed on children.
“I was at Wimbledon this year and nobody even spoke to me. So I thought, ‘Ah, that’s interesting,’&#8221; Court recalled.
“It’s very sad, because a lot of the press and television today, particularly in tennis, don’t want to mention my name,&#8221; she explained. “It’s only when they have to, because I still hold so many records. In 2020, I was meant to be coming to Wimbledon for the 50th anniversary of my Calendar Grand Slam. But then Covid hit, so the honour never happened.&#8221;
“The French Open didn’t invite me, the US Open didn’t invite me,&#8221; the athlete said. &#8220;Rod Laver had won the slam and I was going to be honoured in the same way, but no. I didn’t lose any sleep over it. But the honour has not been there for what I did do. In my own nation, I have been given titles, but they would still rather not mention me.”
In 2011, Court came out against gay marriage.
“To dismantle this sole definition of marriage and try to legitimise what God calls abominable sexual practices that include sodomy, reveals our ignorance as to the ills that come when society is forced to accept law that violates their very own God-given nature of what is right and what is wrong,” the athlete <a href="https://7news.com.au/sport/tennis/margaret-courts-controversial-comments-a-tennis-legend-now-condemned-by-many-c-2007222">said</a> at the time.
“The fact that the homosexual cry is, ‘We can’t help it as we were born this way’, as the cause behind their own personal choice is cause for concern,&#8221; she added. “Every action begins with a thought. There is a choice to be made.”

2022 US Open – Day 5

‘I Came Back After Two Babies’: Christian Tennis Great With Most Grand Slam Titles Ever Rips Serena Williams

Christian Tennis Great Margaret Court Blasts Serena Williams

Sports

Superstar Serena Williams announced her retirement from tennis and said that &#8220;nothing is a sacrifice for her,&#8221; as she explained that she&#8217;s choosing building her family rather than her tennis résumé.
In a lengthy article written by the 40-year-old <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/serena-williams">tennis superstar</a> for <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/serena-williams-retirement-in-her-own-words">Vogue</a>, Serena talked about how much she will miss the part of her that played tennis, but that she&#8217;s come to a moment in her life when she wants to grow her family and doesn&#8217;t want to be &#8220;pregnant again as an athlete.”
Williams and husband Alexis Ohanian share a daughter, Alexis Olympia, who turns five this month.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
In Vogue’s September issue, <a href="https://twitter.com/serenawilliams?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@serenawilliams</a> prepares to say farewell to tennis on her own terms and in her own words. “It’s the hardest thing that I could ever imagine,” she says. “I don’t want it to be over, but at the same time I’m ready for what’s next” <a href="https://t.co/6Zr0UXVTH1">https://t.co/6Zr0UXVTH1</a> <a href="https://t.co/YtGtcc18a9">pic.twitter.com/YtGtcc18a9</a>
&mdash; Vogue Magazine (@voguemagazine) <a href="https://twitter.com/voguemagazine/status/1556984065319903232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Believe me, I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family,&#8221; the tennis star wrote. &#8220;I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s fair. If I were a guy, I wouldn&#8217;t be writing this because I&#8217;d be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labor of expanding our family.&#8221;
&#8220;Maybe I&#8217;d be more of a Tom Brady if I had that opportunity,&#8221; she added. &#8220;Don&#8217;t get me wrong: I love being a woman, and I loved every second of being pregnant with Olympia. I was one of those annoying women who adored being pregnant and was working until the day I had to report to the hospital—although things got super complicated on the other side.&#8221;
&#8220;And I almost did do the impossible: A lot of people don&#8217;t realize that I was two months pregnant when I won the Australian Open in 2017,&#8221; Williams continued. &#8220;But I’m turning 41 this month, and something&#8217;s got to give. I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me.&#8221;
The athlete explained that she&#8217;d rather think of this time as &#8220;a transition&#8221; and &#8220;evolution,&#8221; and wrote that she&#8217;s &#8220;evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.&#8221;
“A few years ago I quietly started Serena Ventures, a venture capital firm. Soon after that, I started a family. I want to grow that family,&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/williams-told-ramos-hes-never-ump-one-her-matches-amanda-prestigiacomo">Williams</a> shared, while at the same time admitting the idea of retirement brings her a &#8220;great deal of pain&#8221; and is not something she&#8217;s looking forward to. She wrote that she&#8217;s &#8220;torn: I don’t want it to be over, but at the same time I’m ready for what’s next.&#8221;
And she shared that &#8220;if I have to choose between building my tennis résumé and building my family, I choose the latter,&#8221; as she explained that when it comes to her daughter, &#8220;nothing is a sacrifice&#8221; for her. “It all just makes sense,&#8221; she said.

‘Nothing Is A Sacrifice For Me’: Serena Williams Announces Her Retirement From Tennis, Explains Why

Motherhood

Vogue Magazine

“Power of the Dog” director Jane Campion, who said actor Sam Elliott was “being a little bit of a b****” after he <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/piece-of-s-iconic-western-star-sam-elliott-rips-oscar-bound-western-the-power-of-the-dog-for-homosexual-themes/">criticized her Western film</a> for its homosexual themes, did some moaning of her own after winning the Best Director award at the Critics Choice Awards on Sunday night, whining at iconic tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams, “You don’t play against the guys, like I have to.”
Campion was the only woman nominated in her category.
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<a href="http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-1309-sam-elliott">Speaking</a> on Marc Maron’s “WTF Podcast,” Elliott, who currently stars in “1883” and whose long list of classic portrayals of rugged men in Westerns includes his legendary performance as Virgil Earp in the iconic “Tombstone,” said of the Netflix movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch, “You want to talk about that piece of s***?”
The exchange went like this:
<blockquote>Maron: Did you see Power of the Dog? Did you watch that movie
Elliott: Yeah. Do you want to talk about that piece of s***?
Maron: You didn’t like that one?
Elliott: F*** no.
Maron: Okay. Why?
Elliott: I’ll tell you why. I read a f***ing — I didn’t like it anyway; I looked at it when I was down there in Texas doing 1883; and what really brought it home to me the other day when I said to you “Do you want to talk about it”— there was a f***ing full-page ad out in the LA Times and there was a review — not a review but a —
Maron: Clip.
Elliott: A clip, yeah. And it talked about the “Evisceration of the American Myth.” And I thought, “What the f***? What the f***?” This is a guy who&#8217;s done Westerns forever.
Maron: For his whole life.
Elliott: The Evisceration of the American West. What are all those dancers, those guys in New York who wear  bowties and not much else? Remember them from back in the day?
Maron: Oh, the Chippendales.
Elliott: Yeah. That’s what all these f***ing cowboys in that movie look like. They’re all running around in chaps and no shirts. There’s all these allusions to homosexuality throughout the f***king movie.
Maron: I think that’s what the movie’s about.
Elliott: Yeah. Well, what the f*** does this woman from —
Maron: Who, Jane Campion?
Elliott: Yeah,. She’s a brilliant director. I love her work, previous work. But what the f*** does this woman from down there, New Zealand, know about the American West? And why in the f*** does she shoot this movie in New Zealand and call it Montana and say this is the way it was? That f***ing rubbed me the wrong way, pal. The myth is that there were these macho men out there with the cattle? I just came from Texas where I was hanging out with families — not men — but families. Big, long, extended, multiple-generation families that made their living and their lives were all about being cowboys. And, boy, when I f***ing saw that, I thought, ‘What the f***? Where are we in this world today?’”
Maron: I don’t know that that’s the biggest issue at hand.
Elliott: Well, it’s not the biggest issue, but for me it was the only issue because there was so much of it. I mean, Cumberbatch never got out of his f***ing chaps. He had two pairs of chaps — a woolly pair and a leather pair. And every f***ing time he would walk in from somewhere — I don’t know where in the f*** — he never was on a horse, maybe once — he’d walk into the f***ing house, storm up the f***ing stairs, go lay in his bed in his chaps and play his banjo.  It’s like, what the f***? What the f***? Where’s the Western? Where’s the Western in this Western?</blockquote>
He continued, “I take it personal. I take it f***ing personal, pal.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-little-bit-of-a-b-director-jane-campion-slams-sam-elliott-over-his-complaints-about-her-western-film">Asked</a> at the Directors Guild Awards what she thought of Elliott, Campion sniped:
<blockquote>I’m sorry, he was being a little bit of a b*****. And I’m sorry to say, he’s not a cowboy; he’s an actor. The West is a mythic space and there’s a lot of room on the range. I think it’s a little bit sexist. &#8230; I think he thinks of me as a woman or something lesser first, and I don’t appreciate that.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Jane Campion responds to Sam Elliott&#39;s <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ThePowerOfTheDog?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ThePowerOfTheDog</a> comments: &quot;I&#39;m sorry, he was being a little bit of a B-I-T-C-H. He&#39;s not a cowboy; he&#39;s an actor. The West is a mythic space and there&#39;s a lot of room on the range. I think it&#39;s a little bit sexist.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/I32wQ8lCiF">https://t.co/I32wQ8lCiF</a> <a href="https://t.co/Tftq4AoXCy">pic.twitter.com/Tftq4AoXCy</a>
&mdash; Variety (@Variety) <a href="https://twitter.com/Variety/status/1502839949212545028?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
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FIJI Water At The 27th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards

Director Called Sam Elliott ‘A Little Bit Of A B****.’ Then She Whined She Has It Harder Than 2 Black Tennis Stars.

Sam Elliott

During tennis star Serena Williams&#8217; embarrassing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/35655/prestigiacomo-dont-praise-serena-williams-amanda-prestigiacomo">meltdown</a> last year at the U.S. Open, she <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx9iT1OQMl0">vowed</a> that umpire Carlos Ramos, whom she unfairly accused of sexism, would &#8220;never&#8221; umpire one of her matches, again.
Williams, it seems, got exactly what she asked for. The U.S. Tennis Association announced over the weekend that Ramos will not umpire any of the Williams sisters&#8217; matches during the open. &#8220;This is our collective decision,&#8221; said the tennis organization&#8217;s president Stacey Allaster, according to <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/williams-ban-us-open-umpire-serena-osaka-furore-172754847--ten.html">Yahoo! Sports</a>. &#8220;We want to focus on the competition.&#8221;
As noted by the outlet, U.S. Open tournament referee Soren Friemel contended the Ramos move was &#8220;not the first time that we made decisions where it&#8217;s good for the tournament, good for the players, good for the umpires as well, to not be on those matches.&#8221;
&#8220;In the end, our goal is to assign the best chair umpire for the right match,&#8221; he said. &#8220;So in taking all those factors into consideration, the decision was made that he would not do any of the Williams sisters&#8217; matches.&#8221;
Again seemingly attempting to mask the suspect optics, Friemel argued that Ramos &#8220;has worked all the other Grand Slams. He has done Davis Cup, Fed Cup, he&#8217;s going to the Davis Cup finals. He&#8217;s considered still for all high-profile matches.&#8221;
During her final U.S. Open match against 20-year-old Naomi Osaka, Williams erupted when Ramos docked the athlete for illegally receiving coaching from the sidelines (which was later admitted to by Williams&#8217; coach Patrick Mouratoglou), smashing her racket, and committing &#8220;verbal abuse.&#8221; The tennis icon branded Ramos a &#8220;thief&#8221; and a sexist and demanded an apology. &#8220;There&#8217;s men out here who do a lot worse. But because I&#8217;m a woman, because I&#8217;m a woman, you&#8217;re gonna take this away from me? That is not right,&#8221; Williams lashed out. She also told Ramos directly, &#8220;You will never do another one of my matches.&#8221;
The pity-party continued post-match, too, when Williams positioned herself as a martyr for &#8220;women&#8217;s equality.&#8221;
&#8220;He&#8217;s (Ramos) never taken a game from a man because they said &#8216;thief.&#8217; For me it blows my mind. But I&#8217;m going to continue to fight for women,&#8221; Williams told reporters, adding, &#8220;I just feel like the fact that I have to go through this is just an example for the next person that has emotions, and that want to express themselves, and want to be a strong woman. They&#8217;re going to be allowed to do that because of today.&#8221;
Osaka, whose impressive win was undeniably overshadowed by Williams&#8217; antics, said she would be fine with Ramos as an umpire for her future matches. &#8220;I never really say that I don&#8217;t like an umpire, so I never change that. I&#8217;ll never be specific if I don&#8217;t want someone to umpire my match. I just go with whoever is doing it,&#8221; she said, Yahoo! Sports reported.
According to a report from <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tennis-usopen/chair-umpire-ramos-has-lasting-impact-on-us-open-idUSKCN1VE05H">Reuters</a>, U.S. Tennis Association officials also said that code violations will be posted on the tournament&#8217;s scoreboards in real time, a first for the event.
WATCH:
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Williams Told Ramos He’d ‘Never’ Ump Her Matches Again. U.S. Tennis Association Makes Move In Her Favor.

Sexism

No matter how many losses she incurs, tennis icon Serena Williams has vowed to keep fighting for equality until she goes to her grave.
According to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/serena-williams-criticism-equality-fight-wimbledon-2019">Fox News</a>, Serena Williams has not won a Grand Slam tournament since 2017, leading some to speculate whether she has focused too much of her time on causes not related to tennis.
&#8220;After her latest <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/sports/tennis/wimbledon" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wimbledon</a> loss to Simona Halep, she was questioned about how much she focused on tennis,&#8221; reports the outlet. &#8220;Williams’ bid for a record-tying 24th major win came up short Saturday when Halep defeated her, 6-2, 6-2, in under an hour at the All England Club.&#8221;
At a press conference after the defeat, a reporter asked Williams her thoughts on those who say she has focused too much on &#8220;fighting for equality&#8221; and not enough on maintaining or improving her tennis game.
&#8220;The day I stop fighting for equality and for people that look like you and me will be the day I’m in my grave,&#8221; Williams said.
The reporter&#8217;s question was spurred by comments made by noted female tennis player Billie Jean King, who told <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2019/06/27/billie-jean-king-wants-serena-williams-to-fully-commit-to-tennis-10082153/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Metro</a> last month that Serena Williams should delegate some of her social justice-oriented tasks to focus more on tennis.
&#8220;She&#8217;s got business, a baby, she&#8217;s trying to help gender equity, particularly for women of color, she&#8217;s actually on the Billie Jean King leadership initiative, she and Venus are both advisors for it,&#8221; Billie Jean King said. &#8220;[It makes winning a Slam] much harder. I would like to see her put everything else aside from that. She&#8217;s got people working on these things.&#8221;
Following the press conference, Billie Jean King said on Twitter that she never intended to persuade Serena Williams to stop fighting for equality. “I would never ask anyone to stop fighting for equality,” she wrote. “In everything she does, Serena shines a light on what all of us must fight for in order to achieve equality for all.”
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">I would never ask anyone to stop fighting for equality. In everything she does, Serena shines a light on what all of us must fight for in order to achieve equality for all.
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) <a href="https://twitter.com/BillieJeanKing/status/1150097664970821633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
Billie Jean King <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/35710/billie-jean-king-serena-williams-was-robbed-sexism-paul-bois">previously came to Williams&#8217; defense</a> when the tennis player went ballistic at the U.S. Open last year — where she openly screamed at the chair umpire Carlos Ramos for calling penalties she deemed unfair. After unsuccessfully demanding that the umpire issue her an &#8220;apology,&#8221; Williams became so enraged that she smashed her tennis racket into the ground. King said, however, that Serena Williams was a victim of the &#8220;patriarchy.&#8221;
&#8220;For Williams, and for many other women who have experienced an abuse of power at their workplaces, there was more at stake,&#8221; said King. &#8220;Did Ramos treat Williams differently than male players have been treated? I think he did. Women are treated differently in most arenas of life. This is especially true for women of color.&#8221;
&#8220;I hope every single girl and woman watching yesterday’s match realizes they should always stand up for themselves and for what they believe is right. Nothing will ever change if they don’t,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;Women are taught to be perfect. We aren’t perfect, of course, and so we shouldn’t be held to that standard. We have a voice. We have emotions. When we react adversely to a heated professional situation, far too often, we’re labeled hysterical. That must stop.&#8221;

Serena Williams: I Will Never ‘Stop Fighting For Equality’

One of the world&#8217;s best female tennis players <a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/tennis/barbora-strycova-slams-serena-williams-for-bulls-us-open-meltdown/news-story/0bfddf5bba2afe9f25b39eca5b9f4999">slammed Serena Williams</a> for her meltdown at the U.S. Open, bluntly calling it &#8220;bulls***&#8221;.
Barbora Strycova, who is ranked #25 in the world, spoke with Czech website Sport.CZ about Williams claiming both during and after the match that chair umpire Carlos Ramos had displayed sexism when he hit her with three code violations leading to a game penalty. Williams called Ramos a &#8220;thief&#8217; and a &#8220;liar&#8221; for charging her with a point penalty, and also slammed her racket to the court, breaking it during the match.
Strycova said Williams&#8217; tantrum was triggered by her desperation from Japan&#8217;s Naomi Osaka playing better and leading her during the match. She stated:
<blockquote>
This is a bulls***, for umpires being women or men doesn&#8217;t matter. In comparison, I never saw (Rafael) Nadal shouting like that with an umpire. Ramos is tough, one of the best umpires in the world. He did what he had to do in that match, because she overstepped the limit. Did she have to behave differently only because she was Serena Williams? I find it interesting that she did it only when she was losing.
</blockquote>
Strycova said she didn&#8217;t understand why the WTA Tour and US Tennis Association released statements supporting Williams. She commented, &#8220;Me, as a woman, take a lot of warnings. The WTA defense surprised me. Will rules change in Serena&#8217;s matches? If it&#8217;s like this, let me know.&#8221;
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova also criticized Williams this week, writing in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/10/opinion/martina-navratilova-serena-williams-us-open.html?module=Uisil">The New York Times</a>, &#8220;We cannot measure ourselves by what we think we should also be able to get away with. In fact, this is the sort of behavior that no one should be engaging in on the court &#8230; I don&#8217;t believe it&#8217;s a good idea to apply a standard of, &#8216;If men can get away with it, women should be able to, too.&#8217; Rather, I think the question we have to ask ourselves is this: What is the right way to behave to honor our sport and to respect our opponents?&#8221;

Czech Tennis Star Calls Serena Willams’ U.S. Open Meltdown ‘Bulls***’

The US Open&#8217;s women&#8217;s finals on Saturday took a political turn when second place finisher Serena Williams went apoplectic over controversial calls against her by umpire Carlos Ramos, whom she absurdly smeared as a sexist.
While Williams was immediately backed by the Women&#8217;s Tennis Association (WTA) and the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and hailed as a hero by countless feminists and the establishment media, Ramos kept quiet, as International Tennis Federation (ITF) rules bar umpires from commenting on their matches.
But Ramos has finally broken his silence regarding the backlash, <a href="https://ca.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idCAKCN1LS0GI-OCASP">speaking</a> to Portugal&#8217;s Tribuna Expresso. &#8220;I am good, under the circumstances,&#8221; he told the paper.
&#8220;It&#8217;s an unhappy situation but à la carte refereeing doesn&#8217;t exist,&#8221; added the 47-year-old seasoned umpire. &#8220;Don&#8217;t you worry about me!&#8221;
Ramos told the paper that he avoided hitting the streets of New York after the controversial match to sidestep any potential &#8220;complicated situations.&#8221;
Other umpires are reportedly not so cool with the outrageous smearing of Ramos. According to a <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/umpires-may-boycott-serena-williams-matches-after-outburst-at-us-open-final-fwgv97swz">report</a> from The London Times, an anonymous official said there&#8217;s &#8220;a growing consensus that umpires were &#8216;not supported&#8217; by the USTA on several occasions, and that Ramos was &#8216;thrown to the wolves for simply doing his job and was not willing to be abused for it.'&#8221; They are reportedly considering a boycott of Williams&#8217; matches &#8220;until she apologises for vilifying Ramos and calling him a &#8216;liar&#8217; and a &#8216;thief,'&#8221; says the report.
Moreover, a source identified as a tennis &#8220;senior figure&#8221; <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/sep/11/tennis-umpires-union-serena-williams-us-open-final-carlos-ramos">told</a> The Guardian, &#8220;There is a lot of unhappiness in the umpiring community because no one is standing up for officials. Umpires keep asking: &#8216;What if it was me in that chair on Saturday?&#8217; There is a widespread feeling that Carlos was hung out to dry for nearly 48 hours and that no one is standing up for officials.&#8221;
On Monday, the ITF finally backed Ramos via a statement. &#8220;Carlos Ramos is one of the most experienced and respected umpires in tennis,&#8221; it said. &#8220;Mr Ramos&#8217;s decisions were in accordance with the relevant rules and were reaffirmed by the US Open&#8217;s decision to fine Ms Williams for the three offences. &#8230; It is understandable that this high-profile and regrettable incident should provoke debate. At the same time, it is important to remember that Mr Ramos undertook his duties as an official according to the relevant rulebook and acted at all times with professionalism and integrity.&#8221;
Ramos will return to the chair on Friday, officiating the men&#8217;s semi-final of the Davis Cup, he confirmed.

US Open Umpire Carlos Ramos Breaks Silence After Serena Williams Debacle; Officials Reportedly Considering Boycott Of Williams’ Matches

Gender

Australian cartoonist Mark Knight was hit with massive backlash for depicting tennis superstar Serena Williams&#8217; US Open meltdown on Saturday in a cartoon for the Herald Sun.
Knight was immediately knocked as racist and sexist for drawing an angry Williams with exaggerated features stomping on her tennis racket with a pacifier nearby on the court. In the background, the chair umpire is shown asking 20-year-old Naomi Osaka, &#8220;Can you just let her win?&#8221;
But Knight is refusing to apologize and standing by his drawing, as are his colleagues at the <a href="https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/herald-sun-backs-mark-knights-cartoon-on-serena-williams/news-story/30c877e3937a510d64609d89ac521d9f?utm_campaign=EditorialSF&amp;utm_content=SocialFlow&amp;utm_source=HeraldSun&amp;utm_medium=Twitter">Herald Sun</a>. &#8220;It had nothing to do with gender or race,&#8221; the seasoned cartoonist explained in a video for the paper.
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&#8220;It had nothing to do with gender or race.&#8221;
Herald Sun backs Mark Knight&#8217;s cartoon on Serena Williams: <a href="https://t.co/i1NBGO8xJw">https://t.co/i1NBGO8xJw</a> <a href="https://t.co/BTFONVWHh8">pic.twitter.com/BTFONVWHh8</a>
&#8212; Herald Sun (@theheraldsun) <a href="https://twitter.com/theheraldsun/status/1039287594012626944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I drew this cartoon Sunday night after seeing the US Open final, and seeing the world&#8217;s best tennis player have a tantrum and thought that was interesting,&#8221; Knight said. &#8220;The cartoon about Serena is about her poor behaviour on the day, not about race. The world has just gone crazy.&#8221;
Critics were offended by the depiction of Williams in particular, suggesting she was drawn as a &#8220;racist caricature.&#8221; Others highlighted the &#8220;<a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-whitewashing-of-naomi-osaka_us_5b967eb3e4b0cf7b004209b5">whitewashed</a>&#8221; depiction of Osaka, who has Haitian and Japanese heritage; in the cartoon she has blonde hair and looks &#8220;white.&#8221;
Fellow cartoonists and Herald Sun editors, however, have come to the defense of Knight, slamming the backlash as evidence that the world has become too &#8220;PC&#8221; (politically correct).
As noted by the Herald Sun, fellow cartoonist Michael Leunig said Knight&#8217;s cartoon was not offensive, but truthful.
&#8220;I saw Knight&#8217;s cartoon and was not offended or angered. I saw nothing abusive or malicious. In fact there is truth at the heart of it,&#8221; said Leunig. &#8220;It&#8217;s getting harder to be a cartoonist in this crazy anxious world &#8212; in this fragile angry humourless environment where leniency and understanding are in dangerous decline, and where psychic infections spread chaotically on social media with terrible consequences.&#8221;
Cartoonist Paul Zanetti said he was stunned by the backlash Knight received. &#8220;All he has done as cartoonists do is tell the truth. All he did was depict her in satirical manner,&#8221; said Zanetti. &#8220;It&#8217;s PC madness.&#8221;
&#8220;[Knight&#8217;s] cartoon is not racist or sexist &#8230;. it rightly mocks poor behavior by a tennis legend &#8230; Mark has the full support of everyone,&#8221; echoed Herald Sun editor Damon Johnston.
&#8220;World&#8217;s gone mad when cartoonist is targeted for saying tennis player spat the dummy-so sick of PC BS as too many confect an issue to be outraged about-that&#8217;s what this is about &#8230; Mark Knight&#8217;s a man of the greatest character-proud he&#8217;s in our paper,&#8221; said Herald Sun Sunday Editor Nick Papps.
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<a href="https://twitter.com/Knightcartoons?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Knightcartoons</a> cartoon is not racist or sexist &#8230;. it rightly mocks poor behavior by a tennis legend &#8230; Mark has the full support of everyone <a href="https://twitter.com/theheraldsun?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@theheraldsun</a> <a href="https://t.co/KWMT3QahJh">pic.twitter.com/KWMT3QahJh</a>
&#8212; damon johnston (@damonheraldsun) <a href="https://twitter.com/damonheraldsun/status/1039312474942492672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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World&#8217;s gone mad when cartoonist is targeted for saying tennis player spat the dummy-so sick of PC BS as too many confect an issue to be outraged about-that&#8217;s what this is about with <a href="https://twitter.com/Knightcartoons?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Knightcartoons</a>,Mark Knight&#8217;s a man of the greatest character-proud he&#8217;s in our paper <a href="https://t.co/LkvlTejoC9">https://t.co/LkvlTejoC9</a>
&#8212; Nick Papps (@SundayHSEditor) <a href="https://twitter.com/SundayHSEditor/status/1039316480439943168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Criticism of Mark Knight&#8217;s Serena Williams cartoon shows the world has gone too PC &amp; misunderstands the role of news media cartoons and satire. Poor behaviour in any sport needs to be called out. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/media?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#media</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cartoons?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#cartoons</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/markknight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#markknight</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Knightcartoons?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Knightcartoons</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/theheraldsun?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@theheraldsun</a> <a href="https://t.co/KQFuvIJp0Q">https://t.co/KQFuvIJp0Q</a> <a href="https://t.co/sRo3AQ1cJW">pic.twitter.com/sRo3AQ1cJW</a>
&#8212; Michael Miller (@mm_newscorpaus) <a href="https://twitter.com/mm_newscorpaus/status/1039299620780695554?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Australia&#8217;s finest cartoonist Mark Knight has the strongest support of his colleagues for his depiction of Serena Williams&#8217; petulance. It&#8217;s about bad behaviour, certainly not race. The PC brigade are way off the mark&#8230;again. <a href="https://t.co/CeHaoRG6gf">pic.twitter.com/CeHaoRG6gf</a>
&#8212; Peter Blunden (@PeterBlunden_) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeterBlunden_/status/1039307087237369857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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If the Herald Sun&#8217;s stance was in anyway unclear, here is the cover for Wednesday&#8217;s paper:
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Tomorrow&#8217;s <a href="https://twitter.com/theheraldsun?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@theheraldsun</a> front page tonight <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/auspol?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#auspol</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/springst?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#springst</a> <a href="https://t.co/2nuLbKppku">pic.twitter.com/2nuLbKppku</a>
&#8212; damon johnston (@damonheraldsun) <a href="https://twitter.com/damonheraldsun/status/1039477479486849024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Cartoonist Slammed As ‘Racist’ For Serena Williams Cartoon Stands His Ground, ‘Herald Sun’ Backs Him

Race

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