So as you may have already seen, Serena Williams was fined a record $82,500 for her U.S. Open tirade. Williams, an 11-time Grand Slam singles champion, was also slapped with an unprecedented two-year probationary period at Grand Slam events, that would include a fine increase to $175,000 and being barred from the following U.S. Open.
The younger Williams sister, screamed a blue streak at a lines woman after a questionable foot-fault call, during a semifinal match against Kim Clijsters and was docked a penalty point which ended up giving her opponent the match. Mostly because she had already received a warning earlier in the match for smashing a racket, so Williams was handed an automatic point penalty for a second violation which abruptly ended the match, giving Clijsters a 6-4 7-5 victory.
I am not going to totally justifying Serena’s conduct and actions, but the timing and questionable nature of the call leaves me to say the officials totally blew it. Serena had been trailing 5-6, 30-15 in the third set to the Belgian when she was called for stepping on the line on her serve. You name the sport, there are just certain times of a game you don’t make a game changing call unless it is absolutely blatant and flagrant. I am pretty sure there are plenty of other well known tennis stars of past and present that would have completely lost it, after getting hit with a foot fault at that stage of the match. The officials made a stupid call, and then lost control in my opinion. It was an embarrassment for tennis, so the fine is no surprise, but in my opinion unjust
