Posted on 09/13/2009 4:45:56 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Reporting from New York - Serena Williams will be fined $10,500 for behavior deemed "unsportsmanlike conduct," and also for racket abuse after her obscenity-filled and aggressive reaction to a critical foot fault called during her 6-4, 7-5 U.S. Open semifinal loss to Kim Clijsters on Saturday night.
There will also be further investigation of the incident according to a statement released by the U.S. Open, "The Grand Slam rule book also allows for an investigation to be conducted by the Grand Slam Committee Administrator to determine if the behavior of Ms. Williams warrants consideration as a Major Offence for which additional penalties can be imposed. This investigation has now begun."
Williams earned $350,000 for her singles semifinal finish.
After an unidentified lineswoman called a foot fault on a second serve which gave Williams a double fault and put her a point away from the loss, Williams approached the lineswoman, shook a tennis ball in the direction of the woman's face and threatened to shove the ball down the women's throat.
Because Williams had already received a warning after breaking her racket at the end of the first set, her actions in confronting the lineswoman resulted in another code violation and a penalty point. That point was match point and gave Clijsters the win.
Through a public relations agency, Williams said Sunday, "Last night everyone could truly see the passion I have for my job. Now that I have had time to gain my composure I can see that while I don't agree with the unfair line call in the heat of battle I let my passion and emotion get the better of me and as a result handled the situation poorly."
Serena and her sister Venus will play the women's doubles final today,
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
I think the Williams sisters are trash with cash!...have baeen since they came on the scene and always will be. No class!
John McEnroe says “...you can’t call that there...” meaning that an inch worth of a foot fault which is not going to affect the point even microscopically is not a reasonable call on match point or the point prior to it. The lineswoman screwed up and I still don’t see anything in body language or anything else to indicate she had a reason to feel threatened. The lineswoman needs to be sent back to the minor leagues.
Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Cal Ripken, Dale Murphy ...
Then your brother didn't work in the "old school" freight business.
I guess the old Man Wright Jr telling the Hippo so many times she is the best and the white girls can't hit the ball helped with the pissy attitude Why should we have to put up with it?? You are up!
"I never have the facts, but obviously...the lines-woman...acted stupidly."
“The lineswoman screwed up”
You mean it was a bad call?
From the video I saw her foot was definitely over the line.
Either they have rules or they don’t.
LOL! That’s the way it would go.
She did not say that she would kill her. That’s incorrect.
Regardless of whether the call was correct or not... and we'll never have as good a perspective as the line judge... Serena Williams was wrong, and in a BIG way.
I happened to find the replay of the incident on ESPN today, right when I went looking for it.
In the very short clip, first they showed the racket tantrum, then the threatening of the line judge.
I was stunned (yes, “stuned”) at her man-like agressiveness towards that little asian judge who seemed very very nice to me!
That huge Serena, went at her like she was gonna kill her.
GUILTY of everything. She acted like a brute. It was conduct unbecoming of a man or a woman. That chick has some serious issues. Too much testosterone?
Van on TV this week and last taught Serena to be uppity.
(There is a descriptive but you'll get time out for saying what Van was alluding to.)
hmmmm
Her foot has to be down for it to be a foot fault, I believe
$10,500? She makes that amount about every 4 hours.
What a wimpy fine.
That sounds pretty fatal to me.
My brother was watching it and said every other word was the F word and said that the disgussion is now should she not only be fined but suspended as well.....will be interesting to see what happens....
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