Almost a week on from Serena Williams’ meltdown in the US Open final, the fallout continues. The American has been both celebrated and berated in equal measure regarding her claim the treatment she received, which saw her ultimately penalised a game in the closing stages of the match, had sexism at its heart.

Whether you agree or disagree with her assessment of the situation, one thing that’s hard to dispute is that new champion, Naomi Osaka, has been somewhat forgotten throughout this whole saga.

The 20-year-old Japanese player played majestically for the fortnight to win her maiden grand slam title and behaved with quite a degree of dignity in the aftermath of last weekend’s final, refusing to criticise either Williams or the umpire, Carlos Ramos, for the saga that has so overshadowed her victory.

However, tennis legend Billie Jean King did mention Osaka in an interview she did with CNN a couple of days ago. The 12-time grand slam singles winner has long been an outspoken advocate for women’s rights and she wholeheartedly backed-up Williams’ claim that male players would not have been treated in the same manner as the American was.

She is entitled to her opinion, and I happen to agree with her, but what was troubling was her suggestion that because Osaka has not been quite so outspoken about matters, she is in some way submissive.

While I fully applaud the likes of Williams and the numerous other players who fight for women’s rights, we cannot get to a stage where any female who does not want to stick their head above the parapet is accused of being submissive.

Osaka seems to have a very different personality from Williams – much more shy and quietly spoken, and at a very different point in both her life and her career. Just because she, or some of her fellow players, are not quite as outspoken as Williams or King does not mean they should be criticised for daring to behave independently.

I will continue to relish the way Williams stands up for what she believes despite the fact it will cause a furore. But there also has to be space for personalities such as Osaka to speak and act in a way in which they are comfortable without being branded submissive and implying they are weak in any way.

Women’s tennis needs individuals like Williams and King, but that does not mean every other player must replicate their behaviour.

Meanwhile, the tennis carousel rolls on, with GB’s latest round of the Davis Cup beginning today in Glasgow. The city will, no doubt, put on a show, as it always does, but it is hard to get overly-excited about a tie where Andy Murray is missing and more pertinently, the result means absolutely nothing.

The recent changes to the Davis Cup format mean that Britain’s tie against Uzbekistan means absolutely nothing, as next year, 18 teams will compete in a week-long round-robin competition.

So, with the competition having produced some of the greatest and most memorable moments in this country’s recent tennis history, there is every chance that the best days of the Davis Cup are now gone.

The competition has been on the wane over the past decade – many of the top players now opt to sit out more of the ties than they participate in - and it is hard to dispute that something had to be done to revamp and reinvigorate the competition. But the changes that have been settled on, in addition to the new team events that are in the pipeline, threaten to do more damage than simply leaving as it was.

There is competition from Roger Federer’s Laver Cup, which is a team tournament between Europe and the rest of the world. The first edition last year, in Federer’s home country, was, by all accounts, a success, but it is hard to imagine it will endure unless it develops a credibility beyond being a star-studded exhibition match.

It is interesting times for tennis, but the greatest challenge seems to be reaching an agreement on how to grow the sport in the best way for both fans and players.

However, unfortunately, the direction in which it’s currently headed means no one is getting a good deal.