What if Serena Williams did what Alexander Zverev did?

You should tell the umpire that you destroyed the whole match. The whole match thrusts you onto the world stage.

See for yourself.

The aftermath has left me wondering.

What if Serena Williams did that?

It already happened, and the double standard around what men and women can get away with was a quick exhibit of the double standards.

During her loss to Naomi Osaka at the U.S. Open, the greatest tennis player of all time called out the umpire Carlos Ramos, accusing him of sexism. If a woman does it, she is a villain.

Unladylike. Classless. It was mean.

These are some things that have been said about Williams. There was an editorial cartoon depicting her as a large creature.

Imagine what would have happened if Williams did that.

What if Naomi Osaka did the same thing as Alexander Zverev?

They would have a field day. Last year, Osaka became one of the biggest faces of mental health in sports when she chose to pay a fine rather than do media at the French Open. She eventually skipped the tournament, making some people angry. There was a discussion about the mental health of athletes and how some in the media felt as though they were faking it or should be required to answer every question they were asked. It made a shy girl who is one of the best tennis players in the world pull back even more.

Imagine what would have happened if Osaka did that.

What if Alexander Zverev did the same thing as Coco Gauf?

The wolves were going to pounce on the 17-year-old. How do I know? It has already happened. When Gauf burst onto the scene at the age of 15 after defeating Venus Williams, they immediately tried to turn her into the next Serena instead of letting her. In 2020, at the age of 16, she took to social media to express her pain over George Floyd, showing the world the inevitable loss of innocence that every Black youth undergoes at some point.

Imagine what would have happened if Gauf did that.

What if Alexander Zverev did the same thing as Sloane Stephens?

She would be told to shut up and serve after that, because she only won one Grand Slam singles title in her career. She dared to do what men did and get away with it, so she would be reminded of what she hasn't done.

Imagine what would have happened if Zverev did what Stephens did.

Sometimes it isn't about how bad an action is when a wrong has been done. It's about imagining how much worse the situation would be if someone else had done the same thing.