Top 5 Us Open Controversies
This event doesn’t deal in the austere dignity of Wimbledon, rather leaning more towards the boorish partisanship of a Ryder Cup.
The raucous milieu of New York is just intensified fivefold under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium, creating a high-pressure cauldron of bubbling emotion. It’s perhaps one of the reasons that the US Open has seen an unusual number of controversies over the years. Perhaps another reason is that this is the last chance saloon for Grand Slam success in calendar year. The stakes just feel that much higher.
In anticipation of this year’s US Open, I have compiled my top 5 US Open controversies of the open era.
#5 – US Open Controversies – Alize Cornet vs Johanna Larsson – Lacoste-Gate (2018)
At first glance this seems like little more than an amusing anecdote. But in truth, this seemingly banal incident is really symptomatic of a far greater issue that tennis hasn’t properly addressed: sexism.
This should have been a fairly unremarkable first-round clash between Alize Cornet and Johanna Larsson.
Frenchwoman Alize Cornet was handed a code violation for removing her Lacoste shirt and putting it the right way around (she had just returned from a ten-minute heat-mandated break). The double standards on display here are breath-taking. For years, male tennis players have casually disrobed to the chorus of cheers and wolf-whistles from baying crowds. But these are MEN after all, who can obviously withstand such lecherous scrutiny. And who knows, perhaps Cornet was being deliberately provocative (she is French, after all).
This has long been a sport mired in sexism, dating back to those garish ‘Battle of the Sexes’ exhibition matches in the 70’s. Women have had to rigorously defend themselves in the fight for equal pay (despite often raking in far greater viewing numbers than men). Just look at how gaffe-machine Boris Becker was treated in the aftermath of those sleazy comments over Anett Boszormenyi, Marton Fucsovics’ fiancée. Despite appalled public backlash, the BBC let him commentate the men’s final. But that’s typical.
Cornet would ultimately receive an apology from tournament officials, but it was too-little, too-late. The genie was out of the bottle, and this minor (yet revealing) incident helps set the table for another 2018 controversy placed a little higher on this list.
#4 – US Open Controversies – John McEnroe vs Eddie Dibbs – Shot-Clock (1977)
You probably aren’t surprised to see the name John McEnroe on this list (Eddie Dibbs is slightly more leftfield). The enfant terrible of men’s tennis was never a stranger to controversy and he worked as the ideal conduit for the fanatical US Open fans.
Surprisingly however, this incident had absolutely nothing to do with McEnroe’s iconic tantrums. A fan was actually shot in the thigh during McEnroe’s 3rd round victory against compatriot Eddie Gibbs. You have to remember that this was a very precarious time in New York history. The summer was characterized by extreme heat and rolling blackouts, leading to a noticeable spike in the crime rate. David Berkowitz – the Son of Sam – had only recently been apprehended. New York was still reeling from this tumultuous period of unrest and this shooting incident could have easily been the work of some crazed copycat killer.
Investigators eventually came to the conclusion that the bullet was likely a ricochet from the surrounding Queens area. The victim fortunately survived and McEnroe would be eliminated in the very next round.
#3 – US Open Controversies – John McEnroe vs Ilie Nastase – And the Oscar goes to…. Nastase (1979)
This 2nd round clash was always likely to be a combustible affair, with Ilie Nastase not far behind McEnroe in the tantrum stakes. Few would have anticipated how heated this match would become.
This chaotic match saw Ille Nastase in full thespian mode, mimicking sleep on the baseline as a protest to McEnroe’s lackadaisical speed of play. As you can imagine, this was manna from heaven for thrill-seeking New Yorkers who need little encouragement to reach fever pitch. Nastase was initially warned before being docked a point. Nastase wouldn’t relent with the incessant arguing and stalling, ultimately leading to the chair umpire defaulting the match.
An 18 minute free-for-all ensued, with beer cans and insults hurled at the court with gleeful abandon. New York City cops had to step on court to prevent irate Nastase fans from invading the court. This near-riot was quelled by the tournament organizers, who chose to reinstate Nastase and replace the under-fire chair umpire. Order was restored and McEnroe went on to win in four sets.
This tournament was a watershed moment for ‘SuperBrat’, as he went on to claim his maiden Grand Slam title after beating Vitas Gerulaitis in the final. But ‘79 will always be remembered for Nastase’s Chaplinesque antics and the chaos that followed.
#2 – US Open Controversies – Renee Richards – Trading Places (1976-1977)
Long before the Caster Semenya saga, the tricky topic of transgender athletes became a central issue in women’s tennis.
Richard Raskin made five US Open appearances between 1953 and 1960. After transitioning in 1975, she was banned from playing in the 1976 singles event by the United States Tennis Association.
This led to a legal challenge, with the New York Supreme Court ruling in Richards’s favour. This was clearly a landmark achievement in transgender rights. It sent a shockwave through the ladies’ draw, with many fearing that they would be physically dominated by Richards.
That fear was soon allayed when Richards lost to Wimbledon champion Virginia Wade in the first round. While this was broadly seen as a victory for transgender rights, let’s ask ourselves a hypothetical question: What if Richards had won the 1977 Championships?
It makes you wonder: is Caster Semenya a victim of her own success? Would sporting authorities be more than happy to accommodate transgender athletes if they were merely a tantalizing sub-plot?
Here’s one rather confusing piece of postscript. Martina Navratilova was extremely vocal in her demonization of transgender athletes, yet she was coached by Renee Richards during her playing days. Navratilova seems to find transgender athletes useful when protecting her interests. Just not their own
#1 – US Open Controversies – Serena Williams vs Naomi Osaka – The Miseducation of Naomi Osaka (2018)
The undisputed queen of US Open controversies, Serena Williams could inspire an entire Netflix series with her Big Apple shenanigans.
Her 2009 semi-final defeat to Kim Clijsters was painfully close to inclusion (she did threaten to shove a ball down a poor lineswoman’s throat, after all).
But recent events have made this 2018 match a mandatory inductee into the US Open Hall of shame.
Serena Williams was looking to match Margaret Court’s all-time Grand Slam haul of 24 titles (a feat she is still yet to accomplish). The stars seemed to have aligned for the American icon with the chance of reaching the mark on home soil. But young Japanese superstar Naomi Osaka played the match of her life, beating Williams in straight sets.
But the match will forever be remembered for Williams’s outrageous behaviour towards chair umpire Carlos Ramos. This all took place over the course of an outrageous 2nd set. Firstly, Ramos gave Williams a code violation for apparent coaching from Patrick Mouratoglou. She took exception to this (to put it mildly), demanding an apology from the chair umpire. Embarrassingly, Mouratoglou would later admit that he did send a message out to her. Williams even proffered her daughter as a character witness, saying ‘I have a daughter and stand for what’s right’. This laid the groundwork for the charges of sexism that would ensue.
A second code violation would be incurred after she broke a racquet. She was then docked a game penalty for calling Ramos a ‘thief’.
In the media she looked to merge this incident with the earlier Cornet incident, positioning herself as a martyr in the cause for women’s rights.
We hope you enjoyed our list of the Top 5 US Open controversies from the open era.
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Top 5 – US Open Controversies
