Serena and sexism

So were Ms Williams and her apologists right in insisting that her penalty, and hence her mighty temper tantrum while she was being outplayed, had to do with gender inequity?

Anyone who watched the US Open women's tennis final last Saturday would have been shocked and distressed by what happened on court. After losing the first set to 20-year-old Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams, who has 23 grand slam titles to her name, had a spectacular meltdown. She smashed her racket, called umpire Carlos Ramos a "liar' and a "thief", and then, after she was docked a game, thanks to three code violations, launched into a tirade that his treatment of her had been sexist. "Because I am a woman you are going to take this away from me?" she raged.