Serena Williams’ Bad Behavior at Naomi Osaka Match Was Unfairly Judged Admits Patrick Mouratoglou

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Vivek Devane | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 2:46 AM ET

Patrick Mouratoglou, longtime coach of Serena Williams and one of the most influential figures in modern tennis, has revisited the infamous 2018 US Open final during the promotion of his upcoming book. Williams, who faced Naomi Osaka in that historic match, was penalized by chair umpire Carlos Ramos for a series of code violations that sparked a fiery outburst from Serena followed by a global debate.

Mouratoglou, who also briefly worked with Osaka earlier this year during her clay-court swing, believes Williams was unfairly judged by both the media and fans for her behavior on that night. He argued that the immense pressure surrounding Williams amplified her emotions, creating a situation that few could have handled with composure.

“Let’s say your normal stress levels are 10 out of 10. She’s at 20,” Mouratoglou explained. “She enters the court with this crazy level of stress and pressure, and things start to go the wrong way. She’s starting to lose against a player she’s not supposed to lose, because, you know, we talked about it- you play Naomi Osaka, who, at that time, never won a Grand Slam. How can you lose? So from 20 out of 10, you’re at 30 already.”

Mouratoglou was also critical of Ramos’s handling of the situation, suggesting that the umpire escalated tensions instead of managing them.

“You have a chair umpire—I’m not going to talk too much about this guy, because I don’t think he deserves one second of talking anyway,” he continued. “He thinks he’s clever. He thinks he looks good. Whatever goes through his mind, he says something to her in front of 1 billion people that for her is the most humiliating thing that she can hear.”

“So, you’re at 30 out of 10 in terms of stress, and then the person humiliates you in front of 1 billion people because he tells her that she’s cheating, which is the worst thing you can tell her,” said Mouratoglou in a public interview with Talks at Google.

Mouratoglou went on to argue that critics of Williams failed to appreciate the emotional intensity of the moment.

“How many of you can react well in that situation and be very calm? Oh, sorry, don’t say something like that, and with 10 times less stress, people who judge her behave 10 times worse,” he added.

“So this is what I mean by putting yourself, or trying at least to put yourself, in the shoes of the other people and try to understand also, and not go straight to judgment.”

The 2018 final ended with Osaka claiming her first Grand Slam title in a match overshadowed by controversy. Mouratoglou, however, reminded the public of the human element behind one of the most talked-about moments in tennis history.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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