Less than a week after his controversial run-in with Serena Williams in the final of the US Open, Portuguese umpire Carlos Ramos returned to the chair, as he took charge of the second singles match between Croatia's biggest star Marin Cilic and young American Frances Tiafoe in the ongoing Davis Cup rubber between Croatia and the USA in Zadar, Croatia.
The Portuguese was at the heart of Williams' controversial US Open final defeat as he handed her three code violations for in-match coaching, racquet smashing, and verbal abuse, leading the former world number one to call him a “liar” and a “thief”.
Umpire Carlos Ramos before the Davis Cup draw in Zadar in Croatia. /VCG Photo
This was the first contest for Ramos since last Sunday's incident, and the crowd's reaction to his presence was decidedly mixed.
The match was won by world number six Cilic as he kept control to win the match and gave home side Croatia a 2-0 lead ahead of Saturday's doubles contest.
Meanwhile, the latest prominent celebrity to take the plunge into the burning issue is NBA star Stephen Curry. During an interview with the BBC in London, the Golden State Warriors point guard said he understood the 23-time Grand Slam champion's reaction during the US Open final, and felt she spoke eloquently afterward on the need for gender equality in tennis.
Curry said, “I think on the court, I mean we all have reactions to things that happen, I've thrown mouthpieces before, I've had, you know, outbursts, where you might want to take back, but the way that she (Serena) handled post-match, how eloquently she put her sentiments around gender equality in her sport, and created that conversation."
" I think that we all can kind of assess for ourselves and whether you agree with her or not. There were issues that Serena wanted to deal with, and those conversations are gonna keep going, and that's because of how she took a stand,” he added.