“Serena Williams should have walked away, she went too far” – When Roger Federer spoke on American’s contentious dispute with umpire in US Open final

Roger Federer once shared his thoughts on Serena Williams’ contentious exchange with the chair umpire in the 2018 US Open final. The American was attempting to equal Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles in the blockbuster title clash against Naomi Osaka.
The then 20-year-old Osaka stunned the six-time US Open champion in the final, claiming a 6-2, 6-4 victory in an hour and 19 minutes to clinch her maiden Major title. However, the Japanese’s victory was overshadowed by Williams’ heated altercation with chair umpire Carlos Ramos.The match took a controversial turn in the opening game of the second set, when the American received a code violation for coaching after Ramos spotted her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, making hand signals

However, Serena Williams vehemently opposed the call, asserting that she would rather lose than cheat.
“I don’t cheat to win. I’d rather lose,” she shouted at the umpire.
Williams’ frustration mounted after she received a second violation for smashing her racquet, which resulted in a point penalty. Infuriated, the American accused Ramos of being a “thief” and a “cheat” for penalizing her.Ramos then handed Serena Williams a game penalty for verbal abuse, prompting a lengthy heated exchange that brought tournament referee Brian Earley to the court.

Despite the American pleading with Earley that her punishment was “not fair” and an “attack” on her character, the game penalty stood, contributing to Osaka’s dominant win.Roger Federer shared his thoughts on the controversy in an interview with the Sunday Times, expressing his belief that while Serena Williams’ actions were a “little excusable,” she had crossed the line.Federer asserted that the American should have walked away from the contentious situation earlier than she did, calling it an “unfortunate” incident.