You provided a link about the foot fault rule - but did you read it first?
Your link says:
“The server must stand behind the baseline, between the centre mark and the sideline.
A ‘foot fault’ is called if any of the following happens before the ball is struck:
# The feet touch the ground inside the baseline
# The feet touch the wrong side of the centre mark OR
# The feet touch the wrong side of the imaginary extension of the sideline.
A foot fault is the same as a fault on a serve so the player is given the chance of a second serve.”
?? It says “inside the baseline, not “on” the baseline. That;s a bit odd. It should mention “touching” the baseline, but it doesn’t. And no mention of “flagrant” either.
Another ‘view’ of the matter that I consider reasonable (from NY Times article today):
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Carol Cox, a veteran tennis official who evaluates linesmen and referees for the United States Tennis Association, said that there were two schools of thought on making a foot-fault call at a critical juncture in the match.
“One philosophy is that it is a rule, and you call it when you see it,” Cox said. “The second way of thinking is more in line with a good N.B.A. official: you don’t make a call that can decide a match unless it’s flagrant.”
John McEnroe had a similar view to the N.B.A. comparison when he was commenting on the CBS broadcast on Saturday night, “You can’t call that there.”
Did Serena Williams violate the foot fault rule ? Honestly I don’t know. All we have is the official’s ruling and the testimony of others who looked at the replay from all angles. Most of what I read (with a minority disagreeing) say that IT WAS INDEED A FOOT FAULT.
All I know is that Serena should not have lost her composure. THAT was what caused this unfortunate ending.
Kim Clijsters clearly did not want to win this way.
However, what’s done is done, Serena cannot undo what she did, all she can do is learn her lesson and move on.