Matra1
Mentor
Ridiculous. Montfils is too skinny. If it had been the other "Frenchman" Tsonga I could understand but in the case of Montfils it's just the belief in black racial superiority on the field.
devans
Mentor
Sorry - got to disagree with you on this. If Nadal made it into the current NFL he would have got a job as either a kicker or as practice squad fullback (ex very successful high school RB converted in College) or WSTD. That would be my guess.
Nice Poll.???? As if tennis itself isn't a test of athleticism. I think the arguement could be made that it is a more athletic sport than football. A more interesting poll would have asked, "Who would win a UFC match against each other?"
Nadal is a rock, a walking slab of stone. Geez! That's a freaking tennis player! It's been said by some tennis commentators that Nadal won't have a long career because of the 110% effort he puts out on the court, and what he puts his body through to look like that.
BeyondFedUp
Hall of Famer
That was great!!!!!
Serena totally lost it and starting totally freaking out. Some might say c******g out but anyway, it was sweeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!
Klisters was great tonight. She brought her A game and was only a wildcard qualifier for the tournament. As pathetic as black loving Dick Enberg was it was laughable to see him try everything but grab a kleenex and cry and make excuses for Serena losing her temper and totally wigging out on match point and losing the point for unsportman-like conduct and that was it. She totally cussed out a linesperson and she was shown the door by the tournament referee. SWEEEEEEEET! good riddance. It was over!!!!!
Maybe the squatter at 1600 pennsilvania avenue will make a call a cry racism and try to get the linesperson fired, what a pussycat he is, without the "cat"!!!LOLOLOLOLOL!!!
Go KIM!!
Serena totally lost it and starting totally freaking out. Some might say c******g out but anyway, it was sweeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!
Klisters was great tonight. She brought her A game and was only a wildcard qualifier for the tournament. As pathetic as black loving Dick Enberg was it was laughable to see him try everything but grab a kleenex and cry and make excuses for Serena losing her temper and totally wigging out on match point and losing the point for unsportman-like conduct and that was it. She totally cussed out a linesperson and she was shown the door by the tournament referee. SWEEEEEEEET! good riddance. It was over!!!!!
Maybe the squatter at 1600 pennsilvania avenue will make a call a cry racism and try to get the linesperson fired, what a pussycat he is, without the "cat"!!!LOLOLOLOLOL!!!
Go KIM!!
BeyondFedUp
Hall of Famer
She droppeed the F bomb about eight times and hreatened to showve her racker somewhere into the lineslady who made the call. What a pig Serena is to all now.
BeyondFedUp
Hall of Famer
sorry, shove her racket, i meant to say...SP
Sounds like a great meltdown. I think I'llwatch Sports Center to see howit's covered at Caste Clown Central (aka ESPN).
Riddlewire
Master
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2007
- Messages
- 2,565
ESPN didn't make much in the way of judgement calls on Serena. They just presented the outburst and the outcome. There was really nothing they could do to stick up for Serena. Her behavior was straight out of the jungle. Although they did give Serena the last word by way of her press conference.
I don't know what provisions the WTA has for suspensions, but if this incident isn't deserving of one, then nothing is.
Interestingly, this was vintage Serena. She ALWAYS has some excuse. I don't think I've EVER heard her compliment an opponent who beat her. She was either sick, injured, or the victim of racism. It won't matter to her that it happened on Match Point. In her mind, the only reason she lost was because she was penalized for the unsportsmanlike conduct.
I don't know what provisions the WTA has for suspensions, but if this incident isn't deserving of one, then nothing is.
Interestingly, this was vintage Serena. She ALWAYS has some excuse. I don't think I've EVER heard her compliment an opponent who beat her. She was either sick, injured, or the victim of racism. It won't matter to her that it happened on Match Point. In her mind, the only reason she lost was because she was penalized for the unsportsmanlike conduct.
Quiet Speed
Mentor
I hope Kim's performance doesn't get lost in Serena's rage episode. That's was some serious ball striking by Kim. Her deep cross court backhand drives could very well be what broke Serena down. Her swing on that shot has to rank has one of the best.
We can all be proud of Kim tonight!
We can all be proud of Kim tonight!
BeyondFedUp
Hall of Famer
Exactly my point guys. Glad ya'll saw it too. Serena NEVER gives the player that beats her any credit. She just said "Kim had a plan". What was that lame-duck backhanded "compliment" supposed to mean? Nothing. She just makes excuses and she didn't even apologize from what i remember just like her dad I guess. It's all never her fault and don't dare complimet the other player or apologize for jungle language... Sickening!
BeyondFedUp
Hall of Famer
Here's BSPN's description from the jungle-bent tirade:
The resulting double fault gave Clijsters match point. But Serena angrily confronted the lineswoman who made the call, dropping the f-word liberally and, getting in her face and waving her racket and later the ball menacingly, saying, "I swear to God I'm [expletive] going to take this [expletive] ball and shove it down your [expletive] throat, you hear that? I swear to God."
She's done and it was wonderful to see her lose it, in more ways than one!
The resulting double fault gave Clijsters match point. But Serena angrily confronted the lineswoman who made the call, dropping the f-word liberally and, getting in her face and waving her racket and later the ball menacingly, saying, "I swear to God I'm [expletive] going to take this [expletive] ball and shove it down your [expletive] throat, you hear that? I swear to God."
She's done and it was wonderful to see her lose it, in more ways than one!
Looks like the media strategy will be to downplaySerena's f-bombsand threatsand hope it quickly goesdown the memory hole of the DWFs, who have infantile attention spans anyway. Currently, the websites of ESPN and Fox are giving it less than primary attention, while CNN/SI doesn't have anything on its homepage. Fox's headline is "Bizarre Finish Dooms Serena"; a prominent white athlete having a huge meltdown like that would never get off so innocuously and would already be signed up for anger management classes. Most likely Serena will be advised to issue some kind of apology in a few days or weeks and that will be it, much like Tiger Woods' profane temper tantrums are overlooked and/or quickly forgotten.
Colonel_Reb
Hall of Famer
NEW YORK -- 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 women's semifinals. "I really don't know
what happened."
What happened at 10:52 p.m on Saturday night was one of the most bizarre conclusions to a match in U.S. Open history, a women's semifinal that ended on a point penalty.
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 in the match 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 women's 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 [bleep], I'm taking this ball and I'm
shoving it your [bleep]."
In a statement handed out after
midnight, U.S. Open Tournament referee Brian Earley said, "Serena
Williams was assessed a Code Violation Warning for racquet 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 demand in the
hallways below Ashe Stadium following the match. 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 press conference short. To their credit,
the USTA conducted a normal post-match press conference.
Curiously,
Serena said during her press conference that 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
came out of retirement in August after a 27-month retirement, 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 twice in the same tournament and the
only player to perform that feat twice (she also did it at the 2002
Tour Championships). Clijsters is projected to return to the rankings
next week for the first time since she was removed on May 14, 2007
following her retirement. If she wins the final, she could break into
the Top 20. That would equal the achievement of Andrea Jaeger, who set the Tour record with the best ever-debut ranking in 1980. After the Williams match, Reuters called her "the poster girl for working mothers."
"She
just said, Good luck, I hope you win," Clijsters said when asked what
Serena told her after the match. "You know, we always got along well,
and I think just unfortunate that a battle like that has to end like
that. Just unfortunate."
It was a strange end to a long and
wet day in Flushing Meadows. The first ball for the Clijsters-Williams
match went up at 9:21 p.m. Two minutes later Clijsters won her first
game, something she would do much of during the 1 hour, 31 minute
match. Arthur Ashe Stadium was eerily empty at the beginning of the
match. At one point in the second set, SI.com counted just 27 people in
the Promenade (Upper Deck).
But Ashe Stadium was a parade
compared to the action next door at Louis Armstrong Stadium. Ten
minutes after the start of the Clijsters-Williams match, unseeded Yanina Wickmayer
hit a backhand into the net against Wozniacki to start their match. The
two semifinals were played simultaneously, though there was a
distinctly undercard feel for Wozniacki's 6-3, 6-3 win at Armstrong.
The lower bowl filled up only after the Williams-Clijsters match
concluded. The attendance for the majority of the Wozniacki-Wickmayer
match was about 300 people.
Clijsters won the first set in a
crisp 35 minutes after Williams netted a backhand on her serve.
Williams then slammed her racquet down twice and received a warning. It
was shocking moment, the first time Williams had lost a set at the
Open. She dropped her serve twice in the first set and made 14 unforced
errors. Clijsters ended up breaking Williams four times in the match,
hitting consistently deep groundstrokes off both wings. "It's
unfortunate that a match that I was playing so well at had to end that
way," Clijsters said. "You know, obviously, I'm a little confused about
what happened out there, just because I was so focused. I was just
trying to win that last point. Things ended up a little bit different
than I expected."
Oracene Williams said she did not see the
foot fault. She was sitting on the opposite side of the court in the
players' box with her daughters (including Venus Williams) and
other members of the Williams family. She said she had never seen such
a finish involving her daughter but did offer some perspective. "She
should have kept calm," Oracene said of Serena.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/richard_deitsch/09/13/serena.meltdown/#ixzz0QyLIjRJZ
I
saw about a minute of the Williams sisters playing each other yesterday
and it doesn't surprise me that so few people would be there to watch
or listen to it. They both are as ugly as I don't know what, and they
howl/scream/growl every time they hit the ball. Its a pain to the ears.
Why any sane person would watch one of those matches live or listen to
the whole thing on TV, I'll never know. Just like a negro, to B and M
about everything that doesn't go their way. Ah yes, even in this PC,
AA, multicultural world we live in, the blacks always want more, and
more, and more given to them. Reminds me of a song by Johnny Rebel...
They're lookin' for a handout
To get somethin' free
Lookin' for a handout
From you and me
And with the consent
Of the president
They're gonna get their way
They're gonna get their wayEdited by: Colonel_Reb
"I'm like her," Oracene said, pointing at the Belgian who had just
defeated her daughter in the women's semifinals. "I really don't know
what happened."
What happened at 10:52 p.m on Saturday night was one of the most bizarre conclusions to a match in U.S. Open history, a women's semifinal that ended on a point penalty.
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 in the match 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 women's 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 [bleep], I'm taking this ball and I'm
shoving it your [bleep]."
In a statement handed out after
midnight, U.S. Open Tournament referee Brian Earley said, "Serena
Williams was assessed a Code Violation Warning for racquet 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 demand in the
hallways below Ashe Stadium following the match. 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 press conference short. To their credit,
the USTA conducted a normal post-match press conference.
Curiously,
Serena said during her press conference that 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
came out of retirement in August after a 27-month retirement, 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 twice in the same tournament and the
only player to perform that feat twice (she also did it at the 2002
Tour Championships). Clijsters is projected to return to the rankings
next week for the first time since she was removed on May 14, 2007
following her retirement. If she wins the final, she could break into
the Top 20. That would equal the achievement of Andrea Jaeger, who set the Tour record with the best ever-debut ranking in 1980. After the Williams match, Reuters called her "the poster girl for working mothers."
"She
just said, Good luck, I hope you win," Clijsters said when asked what
Serena told her after the match. "You know, we always got along well,
and I think just unfortunate that a battle like that has to end like
that. Just unfortunate."
It was a strange end to a long and
wet day in Flushing Meadows. The first ball for the Clijsters-Williams
match went up at 9:21 p.m. Two minutes later Clijsters won her first
game, something she would do much of during the 1 hour, 31 minute
match. Arthur Ashe Stadium was eerily empty at the beginning of the
match. At one point in the second set, SI.com counted just 27 people in
the Promenade (Upper Deck).
But Ashe Stadium was a parade
compared to the action next door at Louis Armstrong Stadium. Ten
minutes after the start of the Clijsters-Williams match, unseeded Yanina Wickmayer
hit a backhand into the net against Wozniacki to start their match. The
two semifinals were played simultaneously, though there was a
distinctly undercard feel for Wozniacki's 6-3, 6-3 win at Armstrong.
The lower bowl filled up only after the Williams-Clijsters match
concluded. The attendance for the majority of the Wozniacki-Wickmayer
match was about 300 people.
Clijsters won the first set in a
crisp 35 minutes after Williams netted a backhand on her serve.
Williams then slammed her racquet down twice and received a warning. It
was shocking moment, the first time Williams had lost a set at the
Open. She dropped her serve twice in the first set and made 14 unforced
errors. Clijsters ended up breaking Williams four times in the match,
hitting consistently deep groundstrokes off both wings. "It's
unfortunate that a match that I was playing so well at had to end that
way," Clijsters said. "You know, obviously, I'm a little confused about
what happened out there, just because I was so focused. I was just
trying to win that last point. Things ended up a little bit different
than I expected."
Oracene Williams said she did not see the
foot fault. She was sitting on the opposite side of the court in the
players' box with her daughters (including Venus Williams) and
other members of the Williams family. She said she had never seen such
a finish involving her daughter but did offer some perspective. "She
should have kept calm," Oracene said of Serena.
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/richard_deitsch/09/13/serena.meltdown/#ixzz0QyLIjRJZ
I
saw about a minute of the Williams sisters playing each other yesterday
and it doesn't surprise me that so few people would be there to watch
or listen to it. They both are as ugly as I don't know what, and they
howl/scream/growl every time they hit the ball. Its a pain to the ears.
Why any sane person would watch one of those matches live or listen to
the whole thing on TV, I'll never know. Just like a negro, to B and M
about everything that doesn't go their way. Ah yes, even in this PC,
AA, multicultural world we live in, the blacks always want more, and
more, and more given to them. Reminds me of a song by Johnny Rebel...
They're lookin' for a handout
To get somethin' free
Lookin' for a handout
From you and me
And with the consent
Of the president
They're gonna get their way
They're gonna get their wayEdited by: Colonel_Reb
Colonel_Reb
Hall of Famer
Here's a pretty good piece on Williams' threat by Zachary Pierce.
http://msn.foxsports.com/tennis/story/10063282/Serena%27s-meltdown-not-winning-her-any-fans
<div>The Serena Williams camp commented earlier this week that they
didn't expect a lot of crowd support for her semifinal match against
Kim Clijsters at the U.S. Open.</div>
After Saturday night's spectacle at Arthur Ashe Stadium, we now know why.
The
top American player who â€" who along with sister Venus have carried the
torch for American women's tennis for the past decade â€" lost her cool
in a bizarre and staggering scene that brought about the end of her
U.S. Open title defense and proved why rooting for her can occasionally
be a real tough thing to do.
Already having lost the first set
6-4, Serena found herself serving to stay in the match at 5-6 in the
second. At 15-30, she curled her first serve a few inches wide of the
center line. Her second serve twisted in, but the line judge called a
foot fault, giving the point to Clijsters. At 15-40, it meant two match
point opportunities for the Belgian, whose comeback story has been at
the center of this tournament since Day 1.
Williams at first
appeared to be taking it in stride, putting her hands on her hips and
staring with exasperation down at the line. Perhaps she was thinking
about that 2004 quarterfinal against Jennifer Capriati on this same
court, a match where a handful of bad line calls went against her in
the final set and very likely cost her the win.
Whatever went
through her mind, it was soon verbalized. She walked over in the
direction of the line judge and, shaking a ball at her, suggested she
would shove the green sphere into the woman's mouth.
That's a
very tame synopsis of snippets that TV microphones were able to pick
up. The line judge was called to the chair. She explained her side.
More tournament officials were called in. Williams pleaded her case. In
the end, she stood no chance. She had committed her second conduct
violation of the match, having smashed her racket on the court after
losing the first set. By rule, two violations leads to a forfeited
point â€" even if that point happens to be for the match.
One thing
the microphones did pick up without confusion was Serena's reply to an
apparent accusation by the line judge: "I didn't say I would kill you.
Are you serious?"
Though the exact wording of Williams' threats
is still uncertain, it's clear she went over the line. Right there, in
close quarters with hundreds of fans who could likely hear most of what
she was saying, Serena Williams threatened harm on a line judge.
Williams
didn't offer much help in deciphering the situation in her post-match
comments. When asked what exactly she said, Williams responded, "I said
something that I guess they gave me a point penalty. Unfortunately it
was on match point."
And what about the line judge's accusation?
"Well, I've never been in a fight in my whole life, so I don't know why
she would have felt threatened."
You can't argue with that evasive rhetoric.
Whatever was
said, it was an empty threat spoken in the throes of a tense moment.
But no matter what the situation, it's simply unacceptable.
Would Roger Federer do that? Would Tiger Woods? Would Venus? Heck, even John McEnroe stopped at personal insults.
Momentary
losses of composure on court are a big part of what makes tennis a
fan-friendly sport. McEnroe was so legendary for them that his "You
cannot be serious!" has become one of the sport's catchphrases.
America's top men's player, Andy Roddick, has had his fare share of
scuffles with line judges too. Most of the time, these rants are an
entertaining side plot. This time, it went too far.
It was Williams' mother, Oracene Price who made the comments about the expected lack of fan support to the New York Post. She sensed that the American audience was latching on to Clijsters' story. And she was right.
Clijsters
was away from the sport for over two and a half years while she had her
first child. She only returned a few weeks ago and needed a wild card
to even get in the U.S. Open field. Now, the comeback mom is one win
from a Grand Slam title. She is technically a defending U.S. Open
champion herself â€" she won it all the last time she played this
tournament, in 2005.
So when Williams' dream of defending her
title fell apart, there was Clijsters standing in disbelief. Williams
graciously shook hands with her after being told she had to forfeit
match point, and Clijsters shook her head and was hesitant to leave the
court. She wanted to play it out.
"It's unfortunate that a match that I was playing so well had to end that way," Clijsters said.
Williams
will bounce back from this. She's America's tennis star, and her
contributions to the game are still undeniably important. Plus,
athletes have done far worse things and still managed to restore their
reputations. And then there's Novak Djokovic, who had a similar fall
from grace at Arthur Ashe Stadium a year ago in a post-match interview
and has already won the fans back after hitting a few late-night balls
with McEnroe â€" who, for the record, thought the foot fault call was not
appropriate.
Reputation, though, is the key word. Serena's is a
bipolar one â€" she's known as much for the 11 Grand Slam singles titles
as for what many consider a lackadaisical attitude toward the game and
overly flashy style of play. An outburst like the one we witnessed
Saturday can hurt that reputation a lot more than another trophy can
help it. Which way she goes on the teeter-totter is entirely up to her.
And
then there's Kim Clijsters on the other side of the net â€" calm, cool
and collected. No extra flash, no extra talk. The racket does all that
for her.
Just the kind of player a crowd can get behind.
Edited by: Colonel_Reb
http://msn.foxsports.com/tennis/story/10063282/Serena%27s-meltdown-not-winning-her-any-fans
<div>The Serena Williams camp commented earlier this week that they
didn't expect a lot of crowd support for her semifinal match against
Kim Clijsters at the U.S. Open.</div>
After Saturday night's spectacle at Arthur Ashe Stadium, we now know why.
The
top American player who â€" who along with sister Venus have carried the
torch for American women's tennis for the past decade â€" lost her cool
in a bizarre and staggering scene that brought about the end of her
U.S. Open title defense and proved why rooting for her can occasionally
be a real tough thing to do.
Already having lost the first set
6-4, Serena found herself serving to stay in the match at 5-6 in the
second. At 15-30, she curled her first serve a few inches wide of the
center line. Her second serve twisted in, but the line judge called a
foot fault, giving the point to Clijsters. At 15-40, it meant two match
point opportunities for the Belgian, whose comeback story has been at
the center of this tournament since Day 1.
Williams at first
appeared to be taking it in stride, putting her hands on her hips and
staring with exasperation down at the line. Perhaps she was thinking
about that 2004 quarterfinal against Jennifer Capriati on this same
court, a match where a handful of bad line calls went against her in
the final set and very likely cost her the win.
Whatever went
through her mind, it was soon verbalized. She walked over in the
direction of the line judge and, shaking a ball at her, suggested she
would shove the green sphere into the woman's mouth.
That's a
very tame synopsis of snippets that TV microphones were able to pick
up. The line judge was called to the chair. She explained her side.
More tournament officials were called in. Williams pleaded her case. In
the end, she stood no chance. She had committed her second conduct
violation of the match, having smashed her racket on the court after
losing the first set. By rule, two violations leads to a forfeited
point â€" even if that point happens to be for the match.
One thing
the microphones did pick up without confusion was Serena's reply to an
apparent accusation by the line judge: "I didn't say I would kill you.
Are you serious?"
Though the exact wording of Williams' threats
is still uncertain, it's clear she went over the line. Right there, in
close quarters with hundreds of fans who could likely hear most of what
she was saying, Serena Williams threatened harm on a line judge.
Williams
didn't offer much help in deciphering the situation in her post-match
comments. When asked what exactly she said, Williams responded, "I said
something that I guess they gave me a point penalty. Unfortunately it
was on match point."
And what about the line judge's accusation?
"Well, I've never been in a fight in my whole life, so I don't know why
she would have felt threatened."
You can't argue with that evasive rhetoric.
Whatever was
said, it was an empty threat spoken in the throes of a tense moment.
But no matter what the situation, it's simply unacceptable.
Would Roger Federer do that? Would Tiger Woods? Would Venus? Heck, even John McEnroe stopped at personal insults.
Momentary
losses of composure on court are a big part of what makes tennis a
fan-friendly sport. McEnroe was so legendary for them that his "You
cannot be serious!" has become one of the sport's catchphrases.
America's top men's player, Andy Roddick, has had his fare share of
scuffles with line judges too. Most of the time, these rants are an
entertaining side plot. This time, it went too far.
It was Williams' mother, Oracene Price who made the comments about the expected lack of fan support to the New York Post. She sensed that the American audience was latching on to Clijsters' story. And she was right.
Clijsters
was away from the sport for over two and a half years while she had her
first child. She only returned a few weeks ago and needed a wild card
to even get in the U.S. Open field. Now, the comeback mom is one win
from a Grand Slam title. She is technically a defending U.S. Open
champion herself â€" she won it all the last time she played this
tournament, in 2005.
So when Williams' dream of defending her
title fell apart, there was Clijsters standing in disbelief. Williams
graciously shook hands with her after being told she had to forfeit
match point, and Clijsters shook her head and was hesitant to leave the
court. She wanted to play it out.
"It's unfortunate that a match that I was playing so well had to end that way," Clijsters said.
Williams
will bounce back from this. She's America's tennis star, and her
contributions to the game are still undeniably important. Plus,
athletes have done far worse things and still managed to restore their
reputations. And then there's Novak Djokovic, who had a similar fall
from grace at Arthur Ashe Stadium a year ago in a post-match interview
and has already won the fans back after hitting a few late-night balls
with McEnroe â€" who, for the record, thought the foot fault call was not
appropriate.
Reputation, though, is the key word. Serena's is a
bipolar one â€" she's known as much for the 11 Grand Slam singles titles
as for what many consider a lackadaisical attitude toward the game and
overly flashy style of play. An outburst like the one we witnessed
Saturday can hurt that reputation a lot more than another trophy can
help it. Which way she goes on the teeter-totter is entirely up to her.
And
then there's Kim Clijsters on the other side of the net â€" calm, cool
and collected. No extra flash, no extra talk. The racket does all that
for her.
Just the kind of player a crowd can get behind.
Edited by: Colonel_Reb
whiteathlete33
Hall of Famer
Don't these two affletic sisters do this almost every time they lose? Either that or the racist father of theirs calls their opponents "white chickens."This is another example of TNB.
Here's the obligatory inclusion of a white athlete supposedly doing an equivalent act. Does anyone know or remember Djokovic's "similar fall from grace" during a "post-match interview"? Did he unleash a torrent of f-words in the post-match interview and aggressively threaten the person interviewing him? Or was his transgression far less onerous but nonetheless had to be included in the article for "balance"?Colonel_Reb said:
Colonel_Reb
Hall of Famer
I'm sure he was throw in for PC balance, Don. This Pierce fellow is probably risking his neck enough as it is. Just criticizing these blackletes is enough to get you canned or minimized.
I watched it on Youtube . The comments by whites would make Caste football posters realize there is hope. The hostility towards the Ghetto B***h was surprising although well deserved. She is a typical ghetto thug. I heard during another match she said to a white (of course) opponent: "Wait until I catch you in the dressing room." When reporters approached her foul mouth racist father , he appropriately was speaking the poster boy for ghetto thugs: Kevin Garnett. Her undersocialized racist father replied to reporters " Get the F*** away from me".
Matra1
Mentor
Don Wassall said:
I remember it. What happened was Roddick had said Novak Djokovic sometimes fakes injuries. Novak took it personally and mentioned it during the post-match interview on the court after he'd beaten crowd favourite Roddick. He said something "that's not a nice thing to say" and the crowd booed him. A couple of days later he got stick from the fans during the semi-final and it seemed to affect his play.
For the record Roddick publicly and privately apologised to Novak and they put it behind them.
White Shogun
Hall of Famer
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I didn't know anything about this til reading the Drudge Report this afternoon. You tennis guys are dropping the ball - this deserves its own thread! LOL
Here is an article with a video clip of the incident, in case you missed it: Furious Serena Williams dumped from US Open
Serena Williams was defeated in the U.S. Open by an honest, ballsy tiny Oriental lady who looks like she couldn't even heft a tennis racquet, let alone play tennis!
Here is an article with a video clip of the incident, in case you missed it: Furious Serena Williams dumped from US Open
Serena Williams was defeated in the U.S. Open by an honest, ballsy tiny Oriental lady who looks like she couldn't even heft a tennis racquet, let alone play tennis!