‘When You Grow up Black in This Country..’- 5 Years After Serena Williams’ Raging Meltdown, Former Coach Dissects the ‘Trauma’ and the Aftermath That Followed

Serena Williams is one of the many players who have had outbursts on the court. Justified or not, Williams has unleashed her anger several times. One such instance took place when she received a point deduction in the 2018 US Open final. Her anger was relentless, and it became the leading discussion worldwide for a few weeks even after the tournament ended. Many speculated as to why Williams had such an outburst. One of those individuals is Rennae Stubbs, former coach of the Queen of the Court. 

Following the incident, the world media discussed the issue from several angles. Trevor Noah, a South African comedian, brought in the discussion of how ATP players like Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios don’t get similar punishments as Williams.

Why Serena Williams burst out during the 2018 US Open

In 2018, an allegation of receiving instructions from her coach led Williams to get a warning. The warning led to her downfall in the match, and everything was on a downward slope from then. Her argument with the umpire, Carlos Ramirez, kept transpiring further, eventually leading to a point deduction and further anger led to a game deduction. Williams lost the final to Naomi Osaka, and the crowd jeered her endlessly. 

Rennae Stubbs, in a podcast, talked about why Williams could’ve possibly had the outburst. She said, “I have to say, it’s a very traumatic moment for her in her career. She did seek counsel after that to herself to deal with; that night was very traumatic in itself in a lot of ways.“

Stubbs said Williams remembers it as a highly traumatic moment. Williams faced immense racial abuse during the 2001 Indian Wells, which led to a boycott from her and her sister, Venus Williams. That, along with facing other such acts, led to her bursting out during the kerfuffle in the final match, as per Stubbs.

“This is only my opinion; when you grow up black in this country, you are subjected to incredible racism from the get-go, right? You have to deal with that. And I think that in particular, Serena, coming through and experiencing a lot of that in her own life.“

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Stubbs further said that since tennis is dominantly a white sport, she associated the incident with what she has handled in her life. Therefore, an accusation of cheating became a big deal for her. 

“Particularly growing up, wanting to be a tennis player in a very white, typical white sport. I think that that night, when he accused her, in her brain, of cheating, her brain scrambled; she was like, ‘Wait, what?’ because she’s an incredibly emotional person in general, she has been that her whole life.” 

As the issue became the forefront of tennis news, the world could only discuss who was at fault, Serena Williams, or the ones who penalized her.

When Trevor Noah had his say in the situation

Noah, during a break on the Daily Show, discussed the events of the final match of the American slam. For him, it was a matter of sexism instead of racial discrimination. He said that he did not believe that Williams should not have been penalized. Instead, he said that male players should be punished to the same extent.

Stubbs, having worked with Williams, can make a good guess as to why Williams had an outburst. Regardless, it will remain a dark spot in her tennis career.

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