Serena Williams: Herald Sun reprints 'racist' cartoon in front-page attack on 'political correctness'

Australian newspaper hits out at critics after backlash over depiction of tennis player's US Open outburst

An Australian newspaper has republished a controversial cartoon of Serena Williams on a special front page attacking “self-appointed censors” who found its depiction of the tennis champion racist and sexist.

Melbourne’s Herald Sun defended Mark Knight’s illustration of the 23-time Grand Slam winner, portrayed jumping on a smashed racket as a baby’s dummy lies nearby.

Critics have said the drawing – which depicts Ms Williams with a large figure and exaggerated pink lips – is based on racist and sexist tropes and perpetuates the stereotype of the “angry black woman”.

The cartoon was first printed on Monday following her outburst at the US Open final. The paper republished it on the front page of Wednesday’s edition under the headline: “Welcome to PC World.”

As well as Williams, the page featured Mr Knight’s caricatures of figures including Donald Trump, Kim Jong-un and Australia's prime minister, Scott Morrison.

“If the self-appointed censors of Mark Knight get their way on his Serena Williams cartoon, our new politically correct life will be very dull indeed,” said the paper, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation.

JK Rowling and Nicki Minaj are among prominent names who have condemned the cartoon since its original publication.

“Well done on reducing one of the greatest sportswomen alive to racist and sexist tropes and turning a second great sportswoman into a faceless prop,” the Harry Potter author wrote on Twitter.

Referencing the other caricatures on the Herald Sun‘s latest front page, Australian writer and comedian Nakkiah Lui said: “The majority of these are totally fine. The argument is surely you can do a caricature that doesn’t rely on racist stereotypes?”

Mr Knight has also been accused of “whitewashing” Williams’s victorious opponent, Japan’s Naomi Osaka, who he depicted as a white woman with blonde hair asking the umpire: “Can you just let her win?”

The cartoonist has denied the drawing is racist, saying “the world has just gone crazy.”

“I drew this cartoon Sunday night after seeing the US Open final, and seeing the world’s best tennis player have a tantrum and thought that was interesting,” he told the Herald Sun. “The cartoon about Serena is about her poor behaviour on the day, not about race. The world has just gone crazy.”

The newspaper’s editor, Damon Johnston, has defended the cartoonist, who deactivated his Twitter account after receiving thousands of critical comments over the image.

“A champion tennis player had a mega tantrum on the world stage, and Mark’s cartoon depicted that,” Mr Johnston said. “It had nothing to do with gender or race. This was about a bad sport being mocked.”

The cartoon references an extraordinary row between Williams and umpire Carlos Ramos during her final match against Ms Osaka at Flushing Meadows on Saturday.

After being warned for allegedly violating a rarely enforced rule against receiving coaching from the sidelines, an indignant Williams emphatically denied cheating.

After being deducted a point for a second violation for smashing her racket, Williams called Mr Ramos “a thief,” prompting the umpire to issue a third code violation for verbal abuse and deduct a game.

Williams, who was fined £13,000 over her actions, later defended herself by saying she was fighting for “women’s rights and for women’s equality.” She pointed out male players were rarely penalised for on-court outbursts.

Speaking on Wednesday for the first time since the row, Mr Ramos indicated he was satisfied with how he oversaw the match.

“I am good, under the circumstances,” he told Portuguese newspaper Tribuna Expresso. “It’s an unhappy situation but a-la-carte refereeing doesn’t exist. Don’t you worry about me!”