Newspaper prints 'Sambo-style' cartoon depiction of Serena Williams, defends decision

SAN ANTONIO – A cartoon of Serena Williams is being shared widely across Twitter but not necessarily for good reason.

The Herald Sun newspaper in Australia published a drawing by editorial cartoonist Mark Knight depicting Serena Williams in what some are calling a “Jim Crow-era, Sambo-style caricature of a black person,” according to TMZ.

Harry Potter creator and author J.K. Rowling retweeted the photo and noted that Williams, whom she calls one of the greatest sportswomen alive, was reduced to racist and sexist tropes.

Rowling also points out that Naomi Osaka, who won the U.S. Open Saturday, was reduced "into a faceless prop.”

As a bit of back-story, Williams was fined $17,000 during the match for three code violations.

“The tournament referee levied fines against Williams of $4,000 for the coaching violation, $3,000 for racket abuse and $10,000 for the verbal abuse,” CNN reported via the United States Tennis Association.

While the fines against Williams are also causing a stir -- some say she was treated too harshly while others defend the fines handed down -- it’s the cartoon depiction of the incident that’s stirring up emotion on Twitter.

Comments on Knight's Twitter photo accuse the cartoonist of sexism and ask where the cartoons are of men who’ve broken their rackets in past years.

Knight responded with a cartoon he drew last week of Nick Kyrgios at the U.S. Open, tweeting, "Don’t bring gender into it when it’s all about behaviour.”

The umpire who handed down the punishment, Christian Rask, has been called to the carpet before for punishments he has handed down -- most recently for his inconsistency at Wimbledon when he punished Novak Djokovic for throwing his racket to the ground and spared Kei Nishikori for doing the same thing.

Jemele Hill with ESPN sent a tweet regarding the cartoon, saying it’s, "about as subtle as Fran Drescher’s voice."

The Herald Sun retweeted the photo after the paper was printed, seemingly standing by the decision to publish the cartoon.

Williams went on to congratulate Osaka at the end of the match. Osaka is the first Japanese player to claim a Grand Slam title.