"If it was Serena Williams, he would have reacted" - Fans slam ITF referee Carlos Ramos for 'unfortunate accident' verdict on Davis Cup controversy

Several tennis fans remembered the treatment meted out to Serena Williams by chair umpire Carlos Ramos in the final of the 2018 US Open. The recollection stemmed from Ramos' explanation of the recent Davis Cup controversy that took place during the match between Belgium's Zizou Bergs and Chile's Cristian Garin.

After breaking Garin to take a 6-5 lead and a chance to serve for the match in the third and decisive set of the 2025 Davis Cup Qualifiers' first-round encounter, Bergs wildly jumped in celebration as the two players were heading to their respective benches for a changeover. However, the Belgian collided heavily with the Chilean, and the latter was knocked down to the floor.

The right side of Garin's face, including his right eye, became swollen. He took an off-court medical timeout but wasn't able to return to action in time. The chair umpire issued multiple time violations, which led to a game penalty for the Chilean, giving Bergs and Belgium the victory. The incident sparked outrage as many fans suggested that Bergs should have been defaulted.

However, later, at a press conference, Carlos Ramos, the ITF referee presiding over the tie, stated that Zizou Bergs didn't hurt Cristian Garin intentionally, and hence didn't warrant a default.

"Completely I consider it was a very unfortunate accident caused unfortunately by a player without any intention. I don't think there is any intention. Nothing that happened during the match would make anybody think that it was not an accident," Ramos said.

It didn't take long for some tennis fans on X to remember Ramos' heated exchanges with Serena Williams in the 2018 US Open women's singles final. Ramos gave three code violations to Williams during the match, and the latter accused the chair umpire of questioning her character as well as lying and stealing. Later, she also complained to the supervisor, alleging that Ramos was sexist.

"This guy again. I guess if it was Serena who did it, then he would have reacted. smh," a fan wrote.

"Isn’t this guy who had an issue with Serena at USO? Lmao. Can’t make this up," commented another.

"This is the mf from the 2018 us open final btw. now he's feeling lenient," another chimed in.

There were others who vehemently disagreed with Ramos' opinion that the incident was an unfortunate accident.

"Unfortunate accident —OMG. Jumping euphorically in front of an opponent is, at the very least, reckless. Miyu Kato was defaulted for unintentionally hitting a ball kid with a soft shot due to a lack of precaution. And Novak," wrote one fan.

"Of course it was an accident but what does this have to do with the decision not to default Bergs? From Shapovalov 2017 to Miyu Kato 2023, players never want to hurt anyone. Still, if they do hurt someone because of their reckless behaviour, they are defaulted," another added.

"This one is always at the scene of crimes in tennis," yet another fan weighed in.

At the 2019 US Open, Serena Williams blatantly refused to acknowledge Carlos Ramos.

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Serena Williams issued dismissive six-word answer to Carlos Ramos question at US Open 2019

Serena Williams at the 2019 US Open (Source: Getty)

For the 2019 US Open, the USTA made the decision to not make Carlos Ramos the chair umpire for any of Venus and Serena Williams' matches. Following Serena's comprehensive first-round win over Maria Sharapova at the hardcourt Major that year, she was asked about Ramos at a press conference.

In response, Williams gave a rather dismissive answer, saying:

"I don’t know who that is."

Serena Williams lost both the 2018 and 2019 US Open finals in straight sets. In 2018's controversial, drama-filled finale, she fell to Naomi Osaka. Next year, it was Bianca Andreescu who came out on top against the 23-time singles Grand Slam champion.