Serena Williams says women ‘are not allowed to have emotions’ in heartfelt essay

‘It’s shameful that our society penalises women just for being themselves’

Serena Williams has addressed her controversial loss to Naomi Osaka in the final of last year’s US Open, describing it as an example of the way women are penalised in the workforce for “raising their voice”.

In September 2018, Williams responded to a code violation for coaching by smashing her racket in frustration and calling the umpire a “thief”. Her behaviour was described by many as a “meltdown” and Osaka, who went on to win the match and her first Grand Slam title, said she was “sorry” about how the match concluded.

Now, in a first-person essay for Harper’s Bazaar, Williams has revealed how the incident left her reeling and led her to question whether the criticism she received afterward was due to sexism.

“Why can’t I express my frustrations like everyone else?” she remembers asking herself at the time, adding: “If I were a man, would I be in this situation? What makes me so different? Is it because I’m a woman?”

Williams noted that when male athletes push back against referees, “they’re met with a smile or even a laugh” but when women do the same, “they’re labelled emotional, crazy, and irrational”. A man, on the other hand, might be described as “strong”, she added.

After revealing how she apologised directly to Osaka, who kindly replied: “people can misunderstand anger for strength because they can’t differentiate between the two”, Williams explained the real reason she found the incident so tough to recover from was because it “exemplified how thousands of women in every area of the workforce are treated every day”.

“We are not allowed to have emotions, we are not allowed to be passionate,” the tennis champion continued.

“We are told to sit down and be quiet, which frankly is just not something I’m okay with. It’s shameful that our society penalizes women just for being themselves.”

The 37-year-old went on to touch on some of the injustices she has faced as a woman during her career, recalling incidents of body-shaming and unequal pay.

“I’ve been penalized a game in the final of a Major because I expressed my opinion or grunted too loudly,” she added. “And these are only the things that are seen by the public. In short, it’s never been easy. But then I think of the next girl who is going to come along who looks like me, and I hope, ‘Maybe, just maybe, my voice will help her.’”

Williams concluded her essay by explaining that her one year-old daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr, inspires her to speak up and get her opinions heard, noting: “I won’t ever stop raising my voice against injustice.”