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Serena's Outburst Draws Fine, But She Plays on at US Open
By
Billy Parker
Published Sep 14, 2009
Modified Sep 14, 2009
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By
Billy Parker
Published Sep 14, 2009
Modified Sep 14, 2009
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Serena Williams will return to Arthur Ashe Stadium this afternoon for the US Open Women's Doubles finals, less than 48 hours after the outburst that eliminated her from the singles draw and gave a whole new meaning to the Kanye West line "an ass like Serena." The USTA gave Williams a slap on the wrist yesterday—a $10,500 fine for misconduct—but said they are still reviewing tapes to see if a stiffer penalty will ensue. Some were calling for Williams to be kept out of today's match or at the very least stripped of her $350,000 singles prize money.
Last night, good spirits were returned to the air with Kim Clijsters (and her adorable pointing baby in tow) netting a triumphant win to earn her second Open Title. Clijsters became the first wildcard entry to win the tournament and the first mother to take a major since 1980. But after the match, announcer Mary Carillo was back on Serena, saying, "I think she should be suspended. I can't believe they are letting her play the doubles after that. What does it say about our sport if all you do is hand out a fine?...What more tape is there to see? We've all seen the clip 4,000 times."
After Saturday night's post-match press conference from Williams that left many scoffing at her unapologetic flippancy, yesterday Williams was only seen at the MTV VMAs, where she joked again about the "unfair" call. Though he rarely shies away from stirring up the media, her father Richard Williams told reporters he had nothing to say to them yesterday. Serena did issue a statement about the incidents saying, “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."
As for the line judge who made the controversial call and is now famous for her scamper away from a threatening Williams over to the umpire's chair, her identity remains a mystery. (USTA protocol states that names of judges not be given out.) A source who was with the line judge after the match told the News, "The poor woman was so upset that she looked like she was going to faint."
Tagged
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Kim Clijsters
Mary Carillo
outbursts
Serena Williams
sports
tennis
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Billy Parker
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