"Let's make this the best moment we can and get through it and give credit where credit is due. Let's not boo anymore. Congratulations Naomi."
Sunday 9 September 2018 01:51, UK
Serena Williams pleaded with the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd to stop booing during the trophy ceremony after a series of furious rows with officials marred her US Open final against Naomi Osaka.
The American, who lost 6-2 6-4 against Osaka in a highly charged final, was initially given a code violation for coaching by chair umpire Carlos Ramos, after Patrick Mouratoglou gestured to her.
An incensed Williams told Ramos "I don't cheat to win, I'd rather lose" but a few games later she was given a point penalty for smashing her racquet before being given a game penalty for calling the umpire a "thief".
Osaka held her composure throughout the highly-charged series of events to win her maiden Grand Slam title but the home crowd were still furious as the presentation began.
"I don't want to be rude. I don't want to do questions," Williams said, as boos drowned out on-court interviewer Tom Rinaldi.
Let's make this the best moment we can and get through it and give credit where credit is due. Let's not boo anymore. Congratulations Naomi.
Williams, who tried to calm the crowd down, added: "I just want to tell you guys [Osaka] played well.
"Let's make this the best moment we can and get through it and give credit where credit is due. Let's not boo anymore. Congratulations Naomi. No more booing."
Williams had shared a warm embrace with Osaka, who called the American her idol in the build-up, at the net at the conclusion of the match before asking for an apology from Ramos.
After being handed a game penalty to fall 5-3 down in the second set Williams immediately called for the tournament referee and supervisor arguing her punishment was not fair and that her male counterparts were guilty of worse offences.
"There are men out here that do a lot worse, but because I'm a woman, because I'm a woman you're going to take this away from me?" she said. "That is not right."
"I don't think I do much worse," she added. "There's a lot of men out here that have said a lot of things but because they are men, that doesn't happen to them."
Mouratoglou admitted in an interview to Pam Shriver on ESPN he had attempted to coach Williams.
"I was coaching but I don't think she looked at me," he said. "Her coach [Sascha Bajin] was coaching the whole time, too. Everyone is doing it 100 per cent of the time.
"It is not a big deal breaking a racquet. She will struggle to get back from this."
The French coach, who has won 10 Grand Slam titles with Williams, then posted on Twitter: "The star of the show has been once again the chair umpire.
"Second time in this US Open and third time for Serena in a US Open Final.
"Should they be allowed have an influence on the result of a match? When do we decide that this should never happen again?"
When told about this during her press conference, Williams said: "I literally just heard that too. I just texted Patrick because we don't have signals, we've never discussed signals. I want to clarify myself what he's talking about. I wasn't being coached."
