'Mad Dog' Russo Unleashes the Most Fiery Serena Williams Take Yet
The Serena Williams controversy that happened over the weekend isn’t quite done yet.
SiriusXM’s Chris “Mad Dog” Russo — never known for holding back his opinions — went thermonuclear on Williams’ outburst at the women’s final of the U.S. Open tennis tournament over the weekend.
Russo began by ripping Williams for the grandiose rhetoric she directed at chair umpire Carlos Ramos.
The @MadDogUnleashed thought @serenawilliams was way out of line with her outburst during the @usopen Saturday. Classic Doggie! pic.twitter.com/K484mD4RDl
— Mad Dog Sports Radio (@MadDogRadio) September 10, 2018
“These comments, ‘You’re never gonna ref one of my matches again.’ Who the hell are you?” Russo said of Williams. “The U.S. Open was around long before you ever showed up and it’s going to be around long after you leave.”
Later, Russo went after Williams for pulling a dubious reason out of her pocket to explain why she would never violate the rule against receiving in-match coaching.
“And then, among other things, she says, ‘Well, I’m a mother. So I don’t cheat, I’m a mother.’ Who cares?” Russo said.
Williams’ logic didn’t last long against Russo’s attack.
“I don’t care what you are! This is a tennis match! This is a sporting event!” Russo said. “So you’re a mother. So was Evonne Goolagong Cawley, she won Wimbledon after she gave birth. So was Kim Clijsters, she won the U.S. Open after she gave birth.”
Russo even got in a good dig at the implication that Williams is “the greatest women’s tennis player of all time” by invoking the woman — and mother — whose record for major titles Williams still hasn’t broken.
“So was Margaret Court, the woman whose record you’re trying to chase, who won a major after she gave birth to her son,” Russo said. “So the idea that you’re the first person who’s had a child is absurd. And then throwing that into the equation, when we’re in a Grand Slam final and you got annoyed because you got instruction — whether you knew it was instruction or whether you heard it or not, you did get instruction, your coach admitted it.”
Russo then cut straight to the point.
“For you to sit there and then bring up the mother aspect is ridiculous,” he said. “Nobody wants to hear this.”
Russo also pointed out that the same chair umpire has assessed similar penalties for code infractions by male players during Grand Slam matches, putting a big hole in Williams’ argument that the umpire’s treatment of Williams was somehow sexist.
Russo also makes clear what some people seem to have forgotten: Williams was losing the match. Her outburst, which has been portrayed by some as being a reason for her loss, has covered up the fact she was playing poorly before any of the controversial penalties were assessed.
Russo admitted that with the exception of the kind of rants made famous by the likes of John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors almost 40 years ago, Williams may have redefined what being a diva means on the tennis court.
“I can’t recall worse behavior in a big spot than I saw on Saturday,” Russo said. “You’re behavior was an absolute disgrace — simple as that.”
Russo also had choice words for those who have painted Williams as the victim in Saturday’s episode.
“For anybody to sit there and defend Serena doesn’t know their a– from their elbow,” he said.
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