# I pit the umpiring conspiracy against the Williams sisters **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 9, 2004, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-umpiring-conspiracy-against-the-williams-sisters/263737 "2004-09-09T04:47:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-umpiring-conspiracy-against-the-williams-sisters/263737/1 "2004-09-09T04:47:45Z")
I don’t know whether it’s because they’re black, or because they are just so good at playing tennis, but it’s a disgrace when umpires conspire against Venus and Serena. After the latest bizarre umpiring decisions that cost her a semi-final place at the US Open, Serena was the epitome of graciousness, never for a minute losing her pois or even her humour in the subsequent media interview, But she could not be silenced regarding the truth about what she and her older sister were having to contend with on a systematic basis, commenting “At first I thought it was another Wimbledon conspiracy”. Serena was referring to the match at Wimbledon this year which Venus lost after the umpire called the wrong score in the crucial tie-break. Serena, I’m with you. Conspiracies have no place in sport. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-umpiring-conspiracy-against-the-williams-sisters/263737/2 "2004-09-09T05:35:57Z")
> [@roger thornhill](#): > > I don’t know whether it’s because they’re black, or because they are just so good at playing tennis, but it’s a disgrace when umpires conspire against Venus and Serena. > > After the latest bizarre umpiring decisions that cost her a semi-final place at the US Open, Serena was the epitome of graciousness, never for a minute losing her pois or even her humour in the subsequent media interview, But she could not be silenced regarding the truth about what she and her older sister were having to contend with on a systematic basis, commenting “At first I thought it was another Wimbledon conspiracy”. > > Serena was referring to the match at Wimbledon this year which Venus lost after the umpire called the wrong score in the crucial tie-break. > > Serena, I’m with you. Conspiracies have no place in sport. So you are suggesting that these umpires get together and decide to make obvious bad calls that result in professional disgrace and public embarrasment. Why would they do that exactly? ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-umpiring-conspiracy-against-the-williams-sisters/263737/3 "2004-09-09T05:40:35Z")
Well, considering the OP’s name, I’m not surprised he’s concerned with conspiracies… ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-umpiring-conspiracy-against-the-williams-sisters/263737/4 "2004-09-09T05:48:18Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Well, considering the OP’s name, I’m not surprised he’s concerned with conspiracies… Help me out it’s late here I’m drawing a blank. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-umpiring-conspiracy-against-the-williams-sisters/263737/5 "2004-09-09T05:56:42Z")
For those of us who don’t watch much tennis, perhaps the OP could explain exactly what happened, and why it was a conspiracy. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-umpiring-conspiracy-against-the-williams-sisters/263737/6 "2004-09-09T05:58:01Z")
> [@trandallt](#): > > Help me out it’s late here I’m drawing a blank. [Look at the character list](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053125/) ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-umpiring-conspiracy-against-the-williams-sisters/263737/7 "2004-09-09T06:00:14Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > [Look at the character list](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053125/) Danke ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-umpiring-conspiracy-against-the-williams-sisters/263737/8 "2004-09-09T06:06:57Z")
The umpire in Serena’s match at the US Open made at least four wrong calls, including an overrule from her chair, on the grounds that a ball that was clearly in on the baseline was out. Serena disputed the call but to no avail. At Wimbledon, Venus’s opponent was inexplicably awarded a point to make it 2-2 after serving a fault, despite the service linesman calling the serve out. The umpire then allowed Sprem (sic - the opponent) to deliver a second serve, Williams hitting a winner off it to be called a 3-2 leader, instead of 3-1. What next, I wonder? ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-umpiring-conspiracy-against-the-williams-sisters/263737/9 "2004-09-09T06:13:03Z")
> [@roger thornhill](#): > > The umpire in Serena’s match at the US Open made at least four wrong calls, including an overrule from her chair, on the grounds that a ball that was clearly in on the baseline was out. Serena disputed the call but to no avail. > > At Wimbledon, Venus’s opponent was inexplicably awarded a point to make it 2-2 after serving a fault, despite the service linesman calling the serve out. The umpire then allowed Sprem (sic - the opponent) to deliver a second serve, Williams hitting a winner off it to be called a 3-2 leader, instead of 3-1. > > What next, I wonder? And why is this a conspiracy rather than simple incompetence? ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-umpiring-conspiracy-against-the-williams-sisters/263737/10 "2004-09-09T06:26:59Z")
An apology was issued. That should be noted lest people think you’re exaggerating. ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-umpiring-conspiracy-against-the-williams-sisters/263737/11 "2004-09-09T06:46:53Z")
> [@trandallt](#): > > And why is this a conspiracy rather than simple incompetence? That’s the nub of the issue. I too would be pleased if Serena could expand a little on what she meant. If she calls it a conspiracy, there must be something more than we know about. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-umpiring-conspiracy-against-the-williams-sisters/263737/12 "2004-09-09T07:07:33Z")
> [@roger thornhill](#): > > That’s the nub of the issue. I too would be pleased if Serena could expand a little on what she meant. If she calls it a conspiracy, there must be something more than we know about. Well you pretty much assumed a conspiracy in the OP. Are you suggesting that whenever someone cries “conspiracy” there must needs be one? ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-umpiring-conspiracy-against-the-williams-sisters/263737/13 "2004-09-09T07:16:27Z")
After the match had ended, when she had calmed down, and even admitted that she would have lost the match anyway, Serena specifically referred to the Wimbledon conspiracy. I don’t think she would have used that word (rather than, say, ‘blunder’, ‘mess’ or even ‘farce’) unless she felt that what happened there was deliberate, not a mere error. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-umpiring-conspiracy-against-the-williams-sisters/263737/14 "2004-09-09T07:20:05Z")
> [@roger thornhill](#): > > After the match had ended, when she had calmed down, and even admitted that she would have lost the match anyway, Serena specifically referred to the Wimbledon conspiracy. I don’t think she would have used that word (rather than, say, ‘blunder’, ‘mess’ or even ‘farce’) unless she felt that what happened there was deliberate, not a mere error. I’m sure she feels that way but does that make it a conspiracy? Why would the umpires risk professional disgrace and public embarassment just to see the Williams sisters fail? For there to be a conspiracy there must be conspirators. What do they do, draw lots to see who gets to be the chump on international television? ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-umpiring-conspiracy-against-the-williams-sisters/263737/15 "2004-09-09T07:24:04Z")
> [@trandallt](#): > > I’m sure she feels that way but does that make it a conspiracy? Why would the umpires risk professional disgrace and public embarassment just to see the Williams sisters fail? For there to be a conspiracy there must be conspirators. What do they do, draw lots to see who gets to be the chump on international television? These are the questions that Serena should be asked at her next media conference. We simply don’t know what she knows. ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-umpiring-conspiracy-against-the-williams-sisters/263737/16 "2004-09-09T10:58:35Z")
> [@roger thornhill](#): > > These are the questions that Serena should be asked at her next media conference. We simply don’t know what she knows. I simply don’t care what she knows. Bad calls happen. The umpires in both cases lost their credibility and their jobs. I doubt that too many tennis officials are going to be willing to have the same happen to them just to keep the Williams sisters down. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-umpiring-conspiracy-against-the-williams-sisters/263737/17 "2004-09-09T11:47:27Z")
I watched that match on TV. The commentary team in Australia included former doubles star Mark Woodford. He is a very astute judge, I’d like to be getting tips from him. After the umpire’s overrule he said that she had umpired Australia in the Federation Cup some months ago and had made overrules just as outlandish in several games. So I guess she is just a dud. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-umpiring-conspiracy-against-the-williams-sisters/263737/18 "2004-09-09T12:38:01Z")
Interesting, **don’t ask**. People who didn’t watch can read about all this crap [at CNNSI](http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/tennis/specials/us_open/2004/09/07/capriati.serena.ap/index.html) if you don’t need to read my opinions. 😉 Side note: before a break point for Serena at 4-4 in the second set, I turned to my roommate and said “If she wins this point, she’ll win the match. If not, I have no idea what’ll happen.” I have to give myself credit for that, because I sure never thought this would happen. :eek: > [@roger thornhill](#): > > I too would be pleased if Serena could expand a little on what she meant. If she calls it a conspiracy, there must be something more than we know about. That’s silly. In the same match, one of the commentators noted that the Williams family has always had an ‘us against the world’ outlook. If Serena (or her sister or their father) really think there’s a conspiracy, they’re dopes. They’re not nearly as stupid as the umpire in this match, but stupid nonetheless. For those who want my opinion to augment CNN’s: the most crucial disputed point occurred in the first game of the third and final set of their quarterfinal match, with Serena serving at deuce. Serena hit a ball that was CLEARLY in - it landed next to the sideline (not the baseline). It did not even touch the line. Sitting at home, I thought the ball might’ve been out and I’m a pretty good judge of that, but on replay it was _not close_. Not by tennis standards, anyway, where a ball is good if it catches even the tiniest fraction of the line. I’ve never seen a ball so obviously in called out. The umpire, who was sitting on the _far side of the court_, overruled the line judge and called the ball out. It was unusual, and she shouldn’t have done that in the first place because, despite having a tall chair, she did not have the best view. In fact I was going to pit that woman - Sandra de Jenkin - for fucking up so royally. Serena should’ve had a game point; instead, Capriati got a break point. Unlike Venus at Wimbledon, Serena did not just let this thing go. She gave Ms. Idiot a good earful: > [@Serena/SI](#): > > “No, no, no, no, no,” Williams said. “That was my point! What are you talking about? What’s going on? Excuse me? That ball was so in. What the heck is this?” > > Williams tried to illustrate her point, putting a ball on the court and pointing. > > “The ball landed here. That ball was not out. Are you kidding me? I’m trying to tell you: The ball was not out. Do I need to speak another language?” Only if she’s fluent in Moron. :smack: Capriati won that game, but not right away. Serena got it back to deuce and she had her chances, and she didn’t just fade away- she broke Capriati’s serve in the next game before losing her own serve again. There were _three_ other bad calls against Serena in that set, not all by the chair umpire. It screwed up what was otherwise a very good match, and it was probably the worst-officiated set I’ve ever seen. As much as this kind of crap - twice in one year, no less! - is an embarrassment to tennis, Serena should shut up. Or at least refrain from comments like that. She could spout off all she likes about how the officials screwed up and I wouldn’t care. It wouldn’t be very classy, but she’d be entitled. She chose not to do so, noting that she should’ve won the match in two sets anyway, which is true. She was sporting considering she was obviously in tears. (Incidentally, both Williams sisters should work on their games more if they want to get back to the top; their refusal to do so is getting on my nerves. The other players have improved during their absence and Serena used to OWN Capriati. She would still- if she’d play more and spend less time designing her damn outfits.) _However_, the ‘conspiracy’ comment was really dumb. It encourages people to think less of the sport and wonder if things are rigged. It could taint things for the eventual winner (in my opinion, Linsday Davenport, and that was true even before this match), which is unfair. Because if a top player bitches like that, there obviously must be something to it- right, **roger thornhill**? The Williamses have had some serious bad luck this year. Nothing has happened to indicate it’s anything else, granted that people get suspicious when multiple bad things happen to them. But that’s just crybabyish. It reeks of “bad things can’t happen to ME” and “people can’t beat me fair and square, so there must be a conspiracy.” I have no idea who would conspire against Serena. She’s the most popular player on tour and both she and Venus have really helped make tennis and women’s tennis more mainstream. I suppose if she explains that we’ll be able to detect at least a subtle playing of the race card. Official error, unfortunately, comes into play in the game, just like it does in baseball, basketball and football. (Nevermind boxing and gymnastics.) The USTA may have just been paying lip service when they said they would continue to see if somehow instant replay can improve games, but it’s worth a look _if_ they can do it without messing up the flow of the game and encouraging players to whine. Because a couple of seconds after the disputed point, the USA Network was using camera angles to show that the ball was in. (ESPN has a system of three cameras on the ground called Hawkeye that triangulates where the ball lands. USA also has the very accurate slo-mo ‘Mac Cam’ on the baseline.) If the fans in the stadium - there is an enormous monitor over Ashe that shows the action live - and at home can see that the call was botched, the official should be able to fix it. Come to think of it, Serena has had one other seriously bad call against her during a major, during last year’s French Open. > [@Sports Illustrated](#): > > The incident occurred at 4-2, 30-0 on Williams’s serve in the third set. > > Unseen by Swedish umpire Stefan Fransson, Henin-Hardenne raised her hand to indicate she was not ready to receive and Williams then served into the net. > > Williams had hoped Henin-Hardenne would tell the umpire she had raised her hand and allow the American to replay her first serve. > > The Belgian said nothing and Fransson did not intervene, forcing Williams to play her second serve. She lost the next four points to lose the service game and, eventually, the match. That was seriously unsporting of Justine, but I think like most players she was just taking whatever she could get. I’d have to see a replay of the point from Tuesday night, but I have trouble believing that Capriati couldn’t tell that the ball was clearly in. She’d be under no obligation to correct the umpire other than sportsmanship, but still. [The crowd apparently didn’t believe her when she said she didn’t know what happened, some of them started booing.] I think that covers my feelings about the whole sordid affair. The umpire was not only wrong, but an ass for even TRYING to overrule those calls, and she deserves what she got for it. Serena should stop playing Jim Garrison, and I will be rooting against Capriati from here on out. Capriati’s comments on court after the match were as follows: > [@](#): > > I didn’t even, like, look at it. It was close. Call me a wannabe detective, but I don’t believe her, it sounded phony when she said it, and it was NOT ‘very close.’ > [@](#): > > Believe me, I’ve had things go against me many times, plenty of times. I deserve to get a call once in a while. Grr. Everybody gets calls against them, but she’s a jerk for trying to claim she has gotten more than her share and was _owed_ some screwups in her favor. That’s bullshit. You deserve to win if you beat your opponent fair and square, you’re not entitled to an assist from anybody else. For Serena’s part: as a player, you’re supposed to be able to overcome bad calls and she should’ve had the match won in two sets. Granted this was exceptionally bad officiating, but she doesn’t get a free pass because of that. She’s only the third-biggest jerk in this story anyway. ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-umpiring-conspiracy-against-the-williams-sisters/263737/19 "2004-09-09T13:17:33Z")
I knew you’d come to my aid, **Marley**. Couldn’t have put it better myself. Bad umpiring and outlandish comments from Serena. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-umpiring-conspiracy-against-the-williams-sisters/263737/20 "2004-09-09T13:19:09Z")
I didn’t hear the interview, but the reports I’ve read stated that the conspiracy remark by Serena was more tongue-in-cheek than a serious accusation. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-umpiring-conspiracy-against-the-williams-sisters/263737.md?page=2)