Shirtless Novak Djokovic chilling shows US Open's double standards
What's the story
The US Open was fine with star Novak Djokovic losing his shirt and relaxing during his match with Australia's John Millman. But this has sparked a row, because not long ago French player Alize Cornet fixing her top had miffed the umpire. This differentiation between men and women players irked social media users. It's hard to not agree with the netizens.
What happened
Context: Alize Cornet was penalized for fixing her top
Earlier this week, Alize Cornet was given a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct, because she changed her top in the court. Back from changing clothes break, Cornet realized she had put it on backwards and fixed it. This surely outraged the umpire, for reasons best known to him. The decision was widely condemned, and later US Open said they regretted it.
Twitter Post
At receiving end of ire, US Open tweeted clarification
US Open Statement on Change of Attire Policy pic.twitter.com/Kt7EcuPz1S
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 29, 2018
Serena Williams
When what women wear gets more attention than their performance
Cornet's incident wasn't a standalone one. Not long ago, Serena Williams' catsuit (now infamous) prompted France Tennis Federation President Bernard Giudicelli to instate a dress code. Notably, Williams' catsuit was designed for compression, to help her blood clots post pregnancy. Fixing her crown, as always, Williams said everything's fine and joked, "When it comes to fashion, you don't want to be a repeat offender."
Double-standards
Hue and cry over women outfit, nothing over Djokovic's
The double standards of the US Open were out when Djokovic, the star Siberian player, removed his shirt. He was profusely sweating, obviously. In fact, the image of Djokovic smiling and chilling was shared by US Open's official Twitter handle, leading to many questions, the most prominent one being: Can woman athletes enjoy the same treatment? No.
Reception
Twitter went abuzz with reactions, not good ones
Woke citizens of Twitter quickly slammed the US Open. @DigbyBatman tweeted: Tell me again why @serenawilliams can't wear a body suit when you got a guy shirtless?? And @TheMsIntrovert tweeted: So Novak Djokovic can chill on court shirtless like he's at home but a woman wearing a sports bra can't even turn her top around w/o being penalized? Fix the double standards #USOpen2018
Twitter Post
"This is fine, a girl in tank top not"
So @usopen this is ok, but a girl in a tank top raises eyebrows? @DjokerNole is attractive and all, but #doublestandard #notok pic.twitter.com/DUogzCCUtR
— Jill Ciminillo (@jillciminillo) September 6, 2018