U.S. Open Umpire Carlos Ramos On Serena Williams Scandal: ‘Do Not Worry About Me’

Less than one week after the outburst Serena Williams had at the U.S. Open final, the umpire the tennis star got into an argument with is receiving support from dozens of people, although he insists he is “fine.”

U.S. Open Umpire gets Support After Serena Williams Incident

“I’m fine, given the circumstances,’’ Carlos Ramos, the umpire, told Tribuna Expresso in his native Portugal on Tuesday. “It’s a delicate situation, but ‘a la carte’ arbitration does not exist. Do not worry about me!”

Ramos said in the interview that relatives and scores of former and current tennis players and fans have reached out to him for support. The umpire said he stands by his decisions at the U.S. Open final on Saturday, although he did not say more because tennis officials are restricted in terms of how many details they can give about matches.

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Williams had accused Ramos of cheating by stealing a game point from her late in the final against Naomi Osaka, and the umpire ultimately gave her a coaching violation. The incident sparked a major debate about sexism and racism in professional tennis, and many people rushed to either defend or condemn Williams. An Australian cartoonist also drew severe backlash for a caricature that fans and experts called offensive.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion insisted she was fighting for female tennis players to be treated equally to men. Recent reports have said umpires are considering boycotting Williams’ matches and potentially even forming a union.

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Ramos will reportedly serve as the umpire for this weekend’s Davis Cup match in Croatia, where the country’s men’s national team will play the United States.