Even four decades of distinguished professional umpiring experience would not have prepared Ramos fully for what was about to happen. I should know, as the memories and scars of my own welcome-to-the-job match are fresh even more than 30 years later.

It happened at the 1987 US Open. I was the chair umpire for the fourth-round stadium court match between John McEnroe and Slobodan Zivojinovic where I issued a warning, point penalty and a game penalty against McEnroe.

The game penalty, for a string of obscenities directed and me, came at 4-5, costing McEnroe the set and making the match one set all.