This archive report was first published on 24 August 2019.
US Open officials have taken the decision to exclude Portuguese umpire Carlos Ramos from officiating any matches involving Serena or Venus Williams at the 2019 tournament.
The move comes after a heated exchange between Ramos and Serena Williams in last year's final against Naomi Osaka, where Williams was docked a game for verbal abuse.
Williams, 37, called Ramos a 'liar' and a 'thief' during the match, which she lost in straight sets.
US Open referee Soeren Friemel explained the decision, stating that it was made collectively and not in response to a request from the Williams sisters.
"We have selected the best officials for the 2019 US Open, and there is some flexibility," Friemel said.
"It's not the first time that we made decisions that is good for the tournament, is good for the players, and is good for the umpires as well to not be on those matches."
"In the end, our goal is to assign the best chair umpire for the right match so in taking all those factors into consideration, the decision was made that he would not do any of the Williams sisters' matches." This decision is not unusual, as umpires are often kept away from players after a contentious match. For example, Brazilian umpire Carlos Bernardes was not assigned to umpire Rafael Nadal for a significant period after a disagreement about time violations at a tournament in Rio in 2015.
