Seemingly over the course of her highly successful career, Serena Williams often ends up in the press due to administrative and discriminatory battles, rather than her tennis victories. Being a woman of color in a highly driven, competitive sport and under constant scrutinization and spotlight, it’s no wonder that even at the highest ranks of sports, we still see implicit biases come out to play.

On Sept. 5, Williams was defeated by Naomi Osaka of Japan in the U.S. Open Women’s Final in what has been deemed a very controversial game. Williams, after being issued a violation for allegedly receiving coaching during the game, had a point taken away for throwing her racket. Williams then argued with the referee, Carlos Ramos, on the grounds that he made the call with a sexist bias. However, in response to her confrontations, Ramos gave Williams a verbal penalty. The three violations will cost the tennis star a total of $17,000 in fines but most importantly, her title.

In the long history of sports, women’s time on the field has been short. In that time, we have repeatedly seen women discriminated against time and time again and penalized for showing strong emotion during games. While men are free to, even praised for, exhibiting masculine emotions of anger and frustration. Women, on the other hand, are seen as “overreacting” or “hysterical.”

Fans of Williams have taken to Twitter, posting compilation videos of male tennis players reacting in similar ways to Williams and receiving far smaller consequences. Many male and female athletes across all sports have also come forward voicing their support of Williams. Stephen Curry even commented that she handled the situation “with grace and class.”

This is not the first time Williams has faced discrimination due to her ethnicity and gender. She has a long history of dealing with racial comments labeling her a “gorilla” and even taunts about her body size. People have claimed she’s a man and told her she would not be able to excel at her sport because of her large breasts and large, muscular build. Obviously, she’s proved them wrong.

The events that occurred at the U.S. Open are just one drop in the bucket of all the discrimination Williams has faced from tennis administrators. Just before this incident, the French Tennis Federation declared a new dress code policy, banning Williams from wearing her signature “catsuit.” This suit was designed to increase her circulation and help with blood clotting, a side effect from her pregnancy.

Bernard Giudicelli, president of the French Tennis Federation, explained this change was implemented because players need to “respect the game and place” and even alluded to Williams’ suit. Significant backlash came from this, however, with many in the tennis world questioning what could be inappropriate about a full-body suit.

Williams has received unfair treatment in the frequency on how often she is drug tested. In July of this year, Williams accused the U.S. Tennis Federation of drug testing her more than other tennis athletes, believing this to be a result of racial bias.

Despite the tough hand Williams has been dealt time and time again, she has chosen to be positive and use this as a teaching moment. At the closing ceremony of the U.S. Open Women’s Final, Williams’ fans began booing Osaka out of frustration at the results of the game. In her graciousness, Williams comforted Osaka and formally congratulated her on the win, saying she “deserved it.”

Serena Williams’ anger is valid. She has worked her whole life for a successful career that has been constantly plagued by racism and sexism. More than just one of the world’s greatest athletes, Williams is a role model for fighting back a system of oppression that continually holds her and other women alike back. Despite the verbal and emotional abuse Williams has suffered, she remains a symbol of female strength and perseverance. That is how we should celebrate her.