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Bizarre Ending To Williams' Title Defense At Open (
AP ^ | 13 Sep 09 | HOWARD FENDRICH

Posted on 09/13/2009 4:56:25 AM PDT by SkyPilot

Serena Williams, of the United States, argues with a line judge over a foot fault call during her match against Kim Clijsters, of Belgium, at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009. Clijsters beat Williams in 2 sets. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

NEW YORK -- Serena Williams walked toward the line judge, screaming, cursing and shaking a ball in the official's direction, threatening to "shove it down" her throat.

On match point in the U.S. Open semifinals Saturday night, defending champion Williams was penalized a point for unsportsmanlike conduct -- a bizarre, ugly finish that gave a 6-4, 7-5 upset victory to unseeded, unranked Kim Clijsters.

The match featured plenty of powerful groundstrokes and lengthy exchanges. No one will remember a single shot that was struck, though, because of the unusual, dramatic way it ended.

With Williams serving at 5-6, 15-30 in the second set, she faulted on her first serve. On the second serve, a line judge called a foot fault, making it a double-fault -- a call rarely, if ever, seen at that stage of any match, let alone the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament.

That made the score 15-40, putting Clijsters one point from victory.

Instead of stepping to the baseline to serve again, Williams went over and shouted and cursed at the line judge, pointing at her and thrusting the ball toward her.

"If I could, I would take this ... ball and shove it down your ... throat," Williams said.

(Excerpt) Read more at ktvu.com ...


TOPICS: Sports
KEYWORDS: bizzare; serenawilliams; tennis
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To: supremedoctrine

Following orders...just getting in your face!


41 posted on 09/13/2009 5:48:28 AM PDT by FES0844
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To: Perdogg
roidrage

Exactly.

sw

42 posted on 09/13/2009 5:50:02 AM PDT by spectre (Spectre's wife (WE THE PEOPLE RULE)
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To: SkyPilot

Would love to see how Nike tells her to handle this, since she obviously has no class to apologize on her own. I’m sure they are used to athlete eruptions like this, and you know it has to be in her contract.


43 posted on 09/13/2009 5:50:52 AM PDT by GnuHere
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To: maggief
There, she had a chance to apologize, or maybe even fake some remorse. She did neither.

Instead, we got the usual, phony, sing-songy deflections and silly answers — all done with a big smile, as if she had just won, 6-0, 6-0.

That sounds familiar ...

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us

44 posted on 09/13/2009 6:07:22 AM PDT by silent_jonny (There is no recession in the Kingdom of God)
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To: supremedoctrine
Looks like Serena has been infected with that Michelle Obama spirit.

(I don't watch the tennis much anymore because I think the US Open has morphed into a show rather than a sporting event. But I did switch over last night during breaks in the Ohio St - USC game so I did see this when it happened and then saw a bit of the aftermath.) Suggesting that Serena Williams and Michelle Obama have anything in common besides their skin color is absurd. SW's skin color has never opened any doors for her and no one with "pull" has ever appointed her to a sweetheart job. She offers nothing and relies on nothing except her ability.

Big deal! Every time she competes, she does it live on stage with lots of people surrounding her, watching and even listening. In the heat of the moment, she said something to someone she probably wishes she hadn't said and would rather not be judged for. She was quite available and contrite after the match answering all sorts of silly questions.

Give her a break; and please don't compare her to Michelle Obama.

ML/NJ

45 posted on 09/13/2009 6:07:49 AM PDT by ml/nj
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To: SkyPilot

Serena got cheated. That little freaking judge faulted her on that line at the end just to be a little bitch, plain and simple. I thought they were both evenly matched. The judge then high-tailed it out of there.


46 posted on 09/13/2009 6:08:34 AM PDT by FreeManWhoCan ("By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.")
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To: Mister Muggles
Williams channels McEnroe....

Or takes lessons in diplomacy from Ilie Nastase . . .

47 posted on 09/13/2009 6:11:53 AM PDT by BluesDuke (The waste is a terrible thing to mind . . .)
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To: SkyPilot

I hope she apologizes profusely. I for one would forgive her if she does this and gets her act together. McEnroe threw several fits himseself, but none were so ugly.

I have always rooted for the Williams sisters as they represented America on the tennis tour. This outburst made me ashamed for my support of Serena. I hope she atones for that emotional outburst. She’s got deep problems and she needs to fix them pronto.


48 posted on 09/13/2009 6:15:26 AM PDT by winner3000
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To: SkyPilot

Serena throws a gross lack of fitness in the face of tennis, winning matches against extraordinary athletes that just can’t top her power. If Serena was to respect the game by working on her fitness, there’s not a woman in the world that could beat her I don’t think. At that point I could respect Serena. Right now, she’s just a foul-mouthed (off court too!), out-of-shape opponent.


49 posted on 09/13/2009 6:15:40 AM PDT by mlizzy (Get your game together, Serena!)
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To: ml/nj
I can understand where you are coming from, and you make a lot of sense.

Here is my take.

I am sick to death of being lectured by the MSM and by sports anchors about how we should admire the Williams sisters, which primarily seems to concentrate not on their victories, but on how they have "broken down barriers into a traditional white sport." (I actually heard that from a commentator on ESPN).

Big deal.

I don't need any "trailblazers" in sports to look up for racial politics.

Moreover, the Williams sisters (and their over bearing father) never really struck me as role models for anything.

Since race is injected into any debate about them, I would have to say that this guy was the real definition of class, sportsmanship, endurance, dignity, and character.

I wish he was still around.

50 posted on 09/13/2009 6:17:13 AM PDT by SkyPilot
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To: Dahoser
Going to contemplate? Richard Williams, the father of Serena and Venus, has been using the race card as his main form of communication since they began playing on the tour.

That's true. I was wondering about this particular incident in particular, which is going to develop into a huge news story.

It is the next "Cambridge Police" episode.

I wonder if Obama is going to weigh in, and say that the female line judge (who looks Asian), acted Stupidly.

51 posted on 09/13/2009 6:20:13 AM PDT by SkyPilot
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To: Just mythoughts
Beer time again on the White House patio?

Boy, you guys are reading my mind.

52 posted on 09/13/2009 6:20:59 AM PDT by SkyPilot
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To: Hardastarboard
Just confirm you birthday is older than 18.

Even if you sign up, that is no big deal. They never solicit or spam you, and it takes about 2 minutes.

Some videos (like ones that showed persecuted Christians in Africa) require you to click the button, because it might show a more mature theme.

53 posted on 09/13/2009 6:23:16 AM PDT by SkyPilot
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To: ml/nj

She was not contrite, she was evasive and/or playing dumb. (Why would she feel threatened just because I said I could shove a f’in tennis ball down her f’in throat?)
Then she went on to discuss earlier aspects of the match as if nothing had happened.
The players get fined if they don’t do these post-match pressers - since there was no apology forthcoming, she may have been better off taking the fine in this case. Her words are all on tape and witnessed - she cannot squirm out of what she did.


54 posted on 09/13/2009 6:31:26 AM PDT by GnuHere
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To: maggief
Q. Do you have any drugs or weapons in the vehicle ma'am?

A. Drugs?! Naaw. I don't have nuthin' like that!

Q. Mind if we search the vehicle ma'am?

A. Go 'head! You ain't gunna find nuthin! I was just drivin' around tonight, lookin for somethin' to do.

Q. Ma'am, is this pipe yours?

55 posted on 09/13/2009 6:32:50 AM PDT by SkyPilot
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To: maggief

i see this everyday at work ( work for a govt organization) !

I am not a racist....but I AM A CULTURAL BIGOT ! aND THIS ‘black, victim, ghetto, entitled crap culture’ is disgusting and YES I hate it.


56 posted on 09/13/2009 6:35:17 AM PDT by Recovering Ex-hippie (Pray for Israel! And Georgia ! And the Iranian people! and Honduras!)
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To: ml/nj

“She was quite available and contrite after the match answering all sorts of silly questions.”

She was not contrite. Contrite would have meant that she apologized for her boorish behavior. She didn’t even recognize that she had done anything wrong, much less apologize for it. Find the quote of what she actually said (on ESPN’s site)- she clearly threatend the line judge - there is no excuse for such behaviour and there is no excuse for not owning up to it and apologizing to the line judge and to the fans.


57 posted on 09/13/2009 6:36:34 AM PDT by PAR
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To: SkyPilot

“If I could, I would take this [tennis] ball and shove it down your throat.”

“If I could, I would get a gun and shoot you.”

Neither statement actually says anything about killing anyone, do they?

Since shoving a tennis ball down someone’s throat would probably kill them, just as shooting them would, I’d say she threatened the judge with death.


58 posted on 09/13/2009 6:37:10 AM PDT by mikey_hates_everything
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To: SkyPilot
Photobucket

I wonder what Kim Clijsters was thinking here when Serena was taking her case to the chair.
59 posted on 09/13/2009 6:42:35 AM PDT by mlizzy (Get your game together, Serena!)
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To: All
Serena's Bon Qui Qui moment. Perhaps she really said "I will cut you"!

Link
60 posted on 09/13/2009 6:45:21 AM PDT by LA Woman3 (Barack Obama hates old people...)
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