Serena Williams [Tennis]

[Shu]

So what do you people think of this outburst in which the ref called a doubled fault on her. (she simply stepped over the line when serving the tennis ball. She apparently had thrown her racket one time before as well.

The ref told the supervisor that she (serena) had threatened her life. Every time she steps over the line she had a point taken off. Like I said, dunno what's up with folks on the big screen.. think they say or do whatever they want... and now here's the story.

NEW YORK — Serena Williams' profanity-laced, finger-pointing tirade at a U.S. Open linesperson drew a $10,000 fine Sunday, and more punishment could follow from a broader investigation into what the head of the tournament called her "threatening manner."
The fine — not quite 3 percent of the $350,000 in prize money Williams earned by reaching the semifinals — is the maximum on-site penalty that can be issued for unsportsmanlike conduct at a Grand Slam tournament.
"The average individual would look at that and say, 'A $10,000 fine for what she did? What are you guys, crazy?' The answer is: the process isn't over," tournament director Jim Curley said in an interview with The Associated Press.
Bill Babcock, the top administrator for Grand Slam tournaments, will review what happened Saturday night, when Williams yelled at a linesperson who called a foot fault with the defending champion two points away from losing to Kim Clijsters in the semifinals.If Babcock determines Williams committed a "major offense," the rules allow for a fine as high as all of a player's prize money from the tournament — and a suspension, although Curley did not mention that as a possibility.
Williams also was docked $500 for smashing her racket after the first set of the match. Because she was issued a warning then, her later actions resulted in the loss of a point.
The foot fault resulted in a double-fault, which moved Clijsters one point from victory. Williams then was penalized a point for her outburst; because it happened to come on match point, it ended the semifinal with Clijsters ahead 6-4, 7-5.
Clijsters won the final Sunday by beating Caroline Wozniacki 7-5, 6-3.
Babcock did not immediately respond to requests for comment. But Curley said the inquiry probably would include reviewing TV footage, checking additional audio feeds from courtside microphones and interviewing Williams, the linesperson, the chair umpire and possibly spectators.
"What she did was unacceptable. It's unacceptable behavior under any circumstances. When you're on the court, and you are waving your racket toward a linesperson and using profanity, it's just simply unacceptable," Curley told the AP. "When you look at the tape, it's pretty clear that the way she approached the linesperson, with her racket and in that manner, it was a threatening manner. It certainly was."
The names of linespersons are not disclosed as a matter of practice at the tournament.
He also said the tournament considered — and decided against — preventing Williams and her older sister Venus from participating in the women's doubles final Monday. Venus put in some work on a U.S. Open practice court Sunday; Serena wasn't with her.
Serena Williams made an onstage appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York on Sunday night, where there was no mention of what happened 24 hours earlier. She did release a statement through a public relations firm, acknowledging that "in the heat of battle I let my passion and emotion get the better of me and as a result handled the situation poorly."
She did not apologize for the outburst, which made the "most viewed" page of YouTube with four different versions that totaled more than half a million clicks as of Sunday night.
After what may be recalled as the most significant foot fault in tennis history, Williams paused, retrieved a ball to serve again and then stopped. She stepped toward the official, screaming, cursing and shaking the ball at her.
"If I could, I would take this ... ball and shove it down your ... throat," Williams said, according to a tennis official who watched a replay Saturday night.
The official also said Williams used the word "kill." The official declined to be identified because the tape was still being reviewed.

 

[charliepanayi]

I think it was a bad call to start with, but Serena did go a bit too far in her outburst. She was understandably angry but you still have to know when you're stepping over the line in your reactions.

The fine should be punishment enough and with it maybe a warning that anything like that again would mean further punishment. Hopefully she'll realise once the red mist clears that her actions were excessive.

 

[CassinoChips]

Unfortunately, this whole episode is going to overshadow the fact that Clijsters dominated that match from start to finish.

I agree that it was an incorrect call by the line judge, but you cannot verbally berate an official in that manner in any sport. Period. In football, it would have been a 15-yarder. In the other football, it would have been a yellow card. In basketball, it would have been a technical foul. She deserves whatever fine or suspension she gets.

 

[Moogles]

It was a classless display, and should have been met with a more severe punishment. What? She was fined $10,000? Really? She made a quarter of million simply by participating in that match alone.

As a professional athlete and role model, it would have been nice for her to show some degree of sportsmanship. Ultimately, I think she was angrier at the fact that she was getting dominated by her opponent.