Serena Williams breaks racket and threatens line judge, penalized match point

story by Sports Illustrated.

written by Richard Deitsch.

photo by Timothy Clary/Getty Images

Oracene Williams shook her head at the television screen. It was 10 minutes after all hell had broken loose at the U.S. Open and the mother of Serena Williams found herself nodding in agreement with Kim Clijsters. "I'm like her," Oracene said, pointing at the Belgian who had just defeated her daughter in the semifinals. "I really don't know what happened."
What happened at 10:52 p.m on Saturday night was one of the most (click here to see video) bizarre conclusions to a match in U.S. Open history.

After Serena had been called for a foot fault on her second serve to go match point down, the No. 2 seed cursed at the lineswoman who had made the call. The lineswoman then walked over to the chair umpire and reported Serena for verbal abuse. Because she had already received an earlier warning for smashing a racket, Serena was handed an automatic point penalty for a second violation. That gave Clijsters a 6-4, 7-5 victory. The unseeded Belgian will play No. 9 seed Caroline Wozniacki on Sunday night for the U.S. Open championship.

Asked what she said to the line judge, Williams said, "Well, I said something that I guess they gave me a point penalty," she said. "Unfortunately it was on match point. What did I say? You didn't hear?"

Looking at a tape of the incident, including one broadcast on ESPN, it appeared Williams said, "I swear to God, I'm [bleep] taking this ball and I'm shoving it down your [bleep] throat."
In a statement handed out after midnight, tournament referee Brian Earley said, "Serena Williams was assessed a code violation warning for racket abuse after losing the first set 6-4.

"At 5-6, 15-30, Serena was called for a foot fault on her second serve, making the score 15-40. She then yelled something at the line umpire, who reported it to the chair umpire. Based on the report, Serena was assessed a code violation point penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, ending the match."

Serena said she did not threaten the linesperson. "I've never been in a fight in my whole life, so I don't know why she would have felt threatened." Serena said. "I didn't threaten. I didn't say ... I don't remember anymore to be honest. I was in the moment."

Everyone seemed to be in the moment afterward as calm was in short supply in the hallways below Ashe Stadium. Serena's agent, Jill Smoller, yelled at a cameraman who was shooting footage of Serena before the press conference. Smoller later signaled to a USTA official handing the press conference to cut the question-and-answer session short. To its credit, the USTA conducted a normal postmatch press conference.

Curiously, Serena said she thought she foot-faulted. "I'm pretty sure I did," she said. "If she called a foot fault, she must have seen a foot fault. I mean, she was doing her job. I'm not going to knock her for not doing her job."

Serena was particularly gracious to Clijsters, who has embarked on one of the most remarkable second acts in sports. The 26-year-old Belgian, who ended a 27-month retirement in August, is the first mother to reach a Grand Slam final since Evonne Goolagong Cawley won the 1980 Wimbledon title. She is one of six players to have defeated both Williams sisters in the same tournament and the only player to perform that feat twice (she also did it at the 2002 Tour Championships).