September 13, 2009
How does anyone call a foot fault at that point in the match?
Honestly. And I have yet to see a definitive video from the side that shows whether she faulted or not.
What Serena Williams did next was absolutely inexcusable. The first time maybe, but going back the second time sealed her fate. The worst part was Kim Clijsters, who had played fantastically well, had to out up with that ending to the match. Have to give Williams credit for going over and congratulating Clijsters. But Clijsters should have been able to celebrate right there with the crowd.
Ugly scene all around. Shame the crowd booed her so bad as she walked off. Booing while it was happening is one thing but Williams doesn’t have a history of doing that and she is the defending champion but that’s NY.
GFCTV
Here’s the profanity
eliteballer
WILLIAMS:
I swear to God I’m fucking going to take this fucking ball and shove it down your fucking throat, you hear that? I swear to God. You better be glad—you better be fucking glad that I’m not, I swear.
Sports writer SL Price said he heard her say:
You better fucking be right.
Talking to the chair umpire she said:
Sorry, but there are a lot of people who’ve said way worse.
zarazossa
She says she had been called for foot faults in the tournament. I don’t know if she had been called for it in this match. She took responsibility though:
WILLIAMS:
In this tournament they keep calling foot faults on me. I’m not saying I don’t but like I don’t know. I’m not going to sit here and make excuses – if I foot faulted – I did. It was what it was.
Do you think the lineswoman felt threatend?
I have never been in a fight my whole life, so I don’t know why she would feel threatened.
She explains how she has been more positive on the court lately and that it was a really tough match for her. She also wasn’t really aware of the consequences – that if she got another violation the match would be over.
Does it taint the match?
No Kim played very well, that she had a good plan and that the next time she plays her she’ll have a better idea of what to do.
Do you regret losing your temper after the first set (she had smashed her racket on the ground, mangling it and then banged it into the net post) and after the foot fault?
She said she hadn’t thought about it enough to have regrets.
I don’t try to live my live with I wish, I wish. I was out there, I fought, I tried and did my best.
Then some guy asked her if the conditions caused her to lose her temper – the rain delay and uncertainty of when her match would be played.
What? That is like the craziest question I’ve ever heard. The weather make you lose your temper? Usually if it’s hot, you lose your temper. Not when it’s cold!
Then she got the tough question: What did she say?
I don’t think that’s necessary. I’ve let it go and I’m trying to move on.
She said she misunderstood what the lineswoman had said. Serena thought the lineswoman had said that Serena said “I’m gonna kill you”. I think the lineswoman might have been afraid with the threatening stance Serena had going towards her after Serena said she was going to shove the effin ball down her effin throat.
Why wasn’t there an official’s timeout?
Why didn’t the chair umpire say Serena – chill out let me talk to the lineswoman?
Again, Serena used the f-word more than once but she is not known for that and it was the semi-finals of the US Open.
Have to give major props to Serena for going into that press conference with her head up, looking them in the eye and answering their questions.
KIM CLIJSTERS:
The normal feelings of winning a match weren’t quite there. But I think afterwards, when everything kind of sunk in a little bit and got explained to me about what happened, yeah, you kind of have to put it all in place, and then it becomes a little bit easier to understand and to kind of not celebrate, but at least have a little bit of joy after a match like that.
I mean, the timing is unfortunate, you know. To get a point penalty at the time, it’s unfortunate. But there are rules, and you know, like I said, it’s just unfortunate that it has to happen on a match point.
