--- title: Alize Cornet Penalized for Taking Off Shirt at U.S. Open description: French U.S. Open player Alize Cornet got hit with a code violation for taking off her shirt at the U.S. Open. canonical: https://time.com/5381396/alize-cornet-us-open-shirt/ author: Ashley Hoffman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-08-29T15:00:06.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:05:54.379Z og:title: U.S. Open Responds to Backlash After Alizé Cornet Penalty og:description: People called the code violation for the player who changed her shirt sexist og:url: https://time.com/5381396/alize-cornet-us-open-shirt/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: U.S. Open Responds to Backlash After Alizé Cornet Penalty twitter:description: People called the code violation for the player who changed her shirt sexist twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production video:duration: 02:06 video:published: 2017-09-02 section: sports topics: defining yourself, gender and confidence, workplace participation, attitude and opportunity, mentorship, women in leadership, youth sports encouragement, pursuing passion genre: personal reflection, motivational speech tones: encouraging, confident, reflective, direct emotions: inspiration (high), determination (high), pride (medium), warmth (medium) sentiment: positive audience: young women, athletes, professionals, students, parents of young girls people: Serena Williams, Meryl Streep transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable --- # U.S. Open Criticized for 'Sexist' Double Standard After Alizé Cornet Was Penalized for Briefly Taking Her Shirt Off > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: FIRSTS Serena Williams [Watch (HLS stream): FIRSTS Serena Williams](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/qRrT89Xb.m3u8) (2:06)  _Published 2017-09-02. Serena Williams is the FIRST tennis player to win 23 Grand Slam singles titles in the Open era._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary Serena Williams reflects on how people try to define women and limit what they can do, and argues that individuals should define themselves. She discusses workplace participation, the tendency of women to hesitate compared with men, and the role of attitude, aptitude and opportunity in her own path. She closes by encouraging viewers to pursue what they love and stay true to themselves. ## Key points - People try to define you and cabin off what you can do, but they can only do that if you let them. (00:00) - Participating in meetings and speaking up is necessary, because silence can create the impression of being unprepared. (00:15) - Men will say they can do a job they have never been qualified for, while women often say they are not sure they are ready yet. (00:29) - Waiting for more experience will not make people feel wiser or more ready in ten years than they do now. (00:51) - If you want to do something, you just do it, and hope people catch up to you. (01:09) - Her career success is described as resulting from attitude, aptitude and opportunity, with people who believed in her giving her challenging places and opportunities. (01:43) - People often want you to succeed and can offer practical solutions and opportunities. (02:02) - Know your power, including your intellect, values, commitment and courage, and do not let anyone trivialize how you have spent your years. (02:23) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:15] Defining yourself against outside expectations. Williams says people try to define and limit women, and that she viewed defining herself as her job. - [00:15 to 00:51] Participation and confidence in meetings. She urges active participation in meetings and contrasts how men and women tend to approach taking on new roles. - [00:51 to 01:09] Waiting for readiness versus acting. She argues that waiting for more experience will not necessarily bring readiness, and that people should simply act. - [01:09 to 01:43] Encouragement for girls and staying true to yourself. She addresses young athletes and advises staying focused, playing as a team and being true to oneself. - [01:43 to 02:06] Attitude, opportunity and embracing life's ebbs and flows. She credits attitude, aptitude and opportunity for her path, and closes by urging viewers to pursue what they love. ## Key quotes - [00:00] Serena Williams: "People can only do that if you let them and so I always viewed my job as defining myself" - [00:15] Serena Williams: "If you are only there not speaking you kind of create the impression that you're not prepared to be there." - [00:29] Serena Williams: "Women always say, I'm not sure if I'm ready yet, More experience." - [01:09] Serena Williams: "If you want to do something, you just do it, and then hope that people catch up to you." - [01:43] Serena Williams: "It's about attitude, aptitude, and opportunity." - [02:23] Serena Williams: "Know your power, know the power of your intellect, of your values and commitment, the courage that you have, and don't let anybody trivialize How you have spent your years." ## Questions this video answers - How do people try to define and limit women? [00:00] - Why does speaking up in meetings matter? [00:15] - How do men and women differ in taking on new jobs, according to the video? [00:29] - Will waiting for more experience make someone feel more ready? [00:51] - What factors does Williams credit for her success? [01:43] - What advice is given to young girls playing sports? [01:09] by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Aug 29, 2018 3:00 PM UTC by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Aug 29, 2018 3:00 PM UTC Alizé Cornet was penalized at the [U.S. Open](http://time.com/5380389/serena-williams-tutu/) for quickly removing her shirt and putting it back on, a move from the Open that critics are calling sexist. The chair umpire Christian Rask hit French player Cornet, who is ranked [No. 31 in the world](https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/45341199), with the code violation, effectively a warning in the sport, during her opening round match against Johanna Larsson on Tuesday. Cornet’s code violation came during a scorcher in Flushing Meadows, Queens, on Tuesday. It was so sweltering at the U.S. that the [heat rule was in effect](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/2018/08/28/us-open-new-heat-rule-allows-players-10-minute-break/1123268002/), permitting players to take 10-minutes breaks to try to cool off and drink water after their second sets. Cornet was just returning from her 10-minute break when she appeared to realize her shirt was on backwards. And so Cornet, who was wearing a sports bra underneath, took it off to put back on correctly. Cornet was in disbelief and can be heard saying “Violation for what? Really?” in a video of the moment when the umpire stated the violation. > [](https://twitter.com/Frenzzzy/status/1034747813404528640) According to the official [Women’s Tennis Association rulebook](http://wtafiles.wtatennis.com/pdf/publications/2018WTARulebook.pdf), a player is only allowed to change their clothes somewhere off of the court or during the end of a set, or during timeouts related to medical issues. Cornet changed her shirt between the second and third sets. She quickly returned to play the game after receiving the violation. The penalty doesn’t affect the score, and Cornet ultimately lost to Larsson 6-4, 3-6, 2-6. Critics online were quick to call out the punitive action, pointing out that male tennis players frequently take their shirts off to cope with the oppressive heat with no consequences. For instance, Novak Djovovic took his ice bath shirtless to try to cool down during their opening match on Tuesday. > [](https://twitter.com/JudyMurray/status/1034555043838656512) > [](https://twitter.com/DMBergmann70/status/1034786121216090113) > [](https://twitter.com/GamingWelchman/status/1034770810047750147) > [](https://twitter.com/%5Fcmarier/status/1034766697092317184) > [](https://twitter.com/followalexcam/status/1034776356536705024) Five male players were [already forced to pull out](http://time.com/5380134/us-open-2018-felix-auger-aliassime/) of the U.S. Open because of health issues related to the intense heat. The heat won’t break until later in the week, according to [weather reports](https://abc7ny.com/weather/accuweather-alert-oppressive-heat-through-wednesday/4062287/). The WTA commented Wednesday afternoon, calling the violation “unfair,” and “not based on a WTA rule,” adding “Alize did nothing wrong.” > [](https://twitter.com/WTA/status/1034833851959390215) In a statement, the U.S. Open clarified that Cornet did not violate the code when she changed her shirt. --- > “” --- ## Transcript [00:00] People will look at you and they'll try and define you. [00:02] Whether you're a woman, whether you're young, they'll [00:04] try and cabin off what you're able to do. But people [00:08] can only do that if you let them and so I always viewed [00:11] my job as defining myself >> If we are in a meeting [00:15] we're there for a reason, not to just sit there and [00:19] absorb. If you are only there not speaking you kind of [00:23] create the impression that you're not prepared to be [00:26] there. You need to participate and you need to know [00:29] what you're talking about. You can ask a man to do a [00:32] job that he's never been qualified to do and he will [00:34] raise his hand and say, absolutely, I will do that job. [00:37] Women always say, I'm not sure if I'm ready yet, More [00:40] experience. I don't necessarily know if there's anything [00:42] wrong with being more cautious and careful. I mean [00:44] why have we come to decide that being brash and [00:47] overly aggressive should be the way we are. But we [00:51] should also know that we're not going to feel any wiser [00:55] or any more ready in ten years than we did ten years [00:59] ago. So we might as well just leave. There is [01:03] a lot of perception of, My gosh, it's really hard because [01:06] of the gender. What are you gonna do about that, just [01:09] not do it? If you want to do something, you just do it, [01:13] and then hope that people catch up to you. For girls [01:18] that are going to be playing little league, anything [01:21] could happen. You could be up by 10 runs, and you [01:23] can loose the game. So stay focused, make sure you [01:26] play as a team, and hopefully you hit a home run, [01:29] because no girl has ever hit a home run, and I'll be [01:32] cheering for you. You'll never make everyone happy, [01:36] so you just have to be exactly who it is that you are, [01:39] and at least know that you've been true to yourself. It's [01:43] about attitude, aptitude, and opportunity. Who knew [01:47] I would be here? But it all started with [01:51] folks that thought I had a good attitude. That put me in [01:54] places that challenged me and then provided [01:58] me opportunities because I met and exceeded the [02:02] standard. You often don't realize, people want you to [02:05] succeed, and they often have very good solutions, both [02:08] practical and in terms of thinking of opportunities for [02:11] you. And the other thing is, I think it's not too bad [02:15] Periods of great intensity doing one thing or the other. [02:19] Meryl Streep once said, " Every successful woman's life [02:23] has its ebbs and flows ." Know your power, know the [02:26] power of your intellect, of your values and [02:29] commitment, the courage that you have, and don't let [02:32] anybody trivialize How you have spent your years. All [02:36] of them have contributed to making a very unique and [02:40] special person. Just take joy, don't let [02:44] anyone discourage you from that thing that you love [02:48] the most. It's more about making life. 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