Serena Williams Loses It
Composure. Joe Wilson lost it Wednesday night. And now Defending U.S. Open Champion Serena Williams lost it Saturday night en route to her highly favored fourth U.S. Open Championship.
I'm a longtime fan of both Williams' sisters. I've covered tennis tournaments in the past and have seen them up close and personal. Venus (29) and Serena (27) are dominant legends in women's tennis. This year's U.S. Open was unusual with all the media hype surrounding other unseeded women in the draw: the Georgian Peach Melanie Oudin and the Comeback Mom Kim Clijsters.
Serena and Venus weren't featured narratives of the women's draw, though always a threat to win. And after sister Venus was taken out by Kim, it was Serena's tournament to win. All she had was a determined mom with a mission in her way to the final.
Any tennis fan who patiently waited through Saturday rain delays saw a bizarre and abrupt ending to a competitive second set between Williams and Belgian Kim Clijsters.
Williams had not dropped a set all tournament. She was on cruise control and seemingly unbeatable. A T-Shirt she wore earlier this week said it all: "Can't Spell Dynasty Without Nasty." But that shirt cast its own spell. In this semifinal Serena's second serve win percentage was neither nasty nor nice. She was winning just 32% of her second serves to Kim's 72%. That was the match difference in a nutshell, or at least we thought so.
Clijsters won the first set 6-4 and was on the brink of reaching the U.S. Open finals when Serena was called for a foot fault that put her down 15-40. Initial replays did not show a clear violation. [Update: A closer examination showed it was.] The timing of what seemed a questionable call, combined with Serena's inconsistent play, put her over the edge.
Serena walked over to the lineswoman and cursed her out along with pointing and raising her racket. Serena had already been penalized for smashing her racket after losing the first set. A second code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct would award another point to Kim and end the match.
Serena's shouting down continued for a second go-round until the lineswoman was asked by the chair umpire to come over and report what Serena said. Tournament referee Brian Earley soon appeared and called a match win by default.
Clijsters won 6-4, 7-5, but she appeared shocked by the stop in play.
Serena came over to Kim's side of the court and shook her hand, explaining that she was sorry and it wasn't Kim's fault. In a post-match press conference, Serena said she wished to put the whole incident behind her. When asked, she wisely did not repeat the words used against the lineswoman.
It didn't matter if she repeated the words or not. The microphones placed around the court recorded them clearly. CBS Sports replayed the incident and replaced her profanity with beeps in the second showing.
Serena Williams just released her Simon and Schuster autobiography, Queen of the Court. Her behavior at Arthur Ashe Stadium was not befitting of tennis royalty.
Dr. Nancy Snow teaches communications in the Newhouse School at Syracuse University.
Follow Nancy Snow on Twitter: www.twitter.com/drpersuasion
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We were supposed to see tennis broken out of its country-club, upper-crusty enclaves and delivered to the masses. For a while, it worked. But then the nation lost interest.
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I miss the good old days. George Steinbrenner calling out players. Hank Steinbrenner saying something dopey A-Rod making ridiculous headlines. These days it's just win win win. They're both good and boring.
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Serena has no right to question those fine, upscale, suburban judges. Her use of profanity without being a Birther is unacceptable. Who does she think she is. She's probably not even a conservative. See what being a socialist makes you do.
What a very sad display by the best ladies player in the sport. We have not heard the last of this. While most everything I read implies Serena verbally abused the line judge, she in fact, threatened her. The line judge reported to the umpire that Serena said she was "going to kill me" although we know it was really a promise to stick a tennis ball down the lady's throat. Play through this Serena. You're better than the out of control player we witnessed last weekend.
If Serena did not say to the line coach that she was going to kill her or the word kill, what will be the line coach?
What makes me sad is that for the hundreds of times Serena has shown her true character even when defeated - all the attention goes to this incident of bad behavior.
I remember when the Williams sisters would not speak to anyone in the locker rooms and speak only to themselves as their father had told them to do. The broke a huge barrier for all women and women of color. I can't fault Serena for not holding it in because she turned around so quickly to congratulate the win and leave the court as the true sportswoman that she is.
Forever a Serena Williams supporter and fan.
Tennis is one of the last bastions of politeness and rules. There are very strict rules for behavior and a hierarchy or chain of command for complaints. Line judges are just one (if inconsistent) parts of the process. Anyone who plays tennis on a competitive level knows this from the time they get involved, which in Serena's case is most of her life. That is not to mean that it is not frustrating and anger provoking to have mistakes made by those with lesser talents than the performers. We have seen this constantly through the years, IE: Conners & McEnroe. Tempers flair, anger ensues and regrettable incidence such as that with Serena happen. She broke the rules, she misbehaved horribly (no matter what your sensibilities) and she is going to bear the weight of the consequences of her actions. End of story. The only real problem with this situation are those who dismiss it or condone it while denying there should be consequences. That is all that keeps society civilized. In life actions result in consequences...good behavior is positively rewarded, while negative behavior results in negative consequences. This summer we have been bombarded with images of the worst of what society has to offer, while elected officials of that ilk have encouraged it rather than denouncing it. If we cannot turn this around, we will soon be living in the wild west again, and even there you had to check you guns in before heading to the saloon.
Maybe it would have been better had she yelled, "you lie!"
This lack of civility is contagious.
There is nothing left to be done by anyone but Serena. Take away this incident and she has been a class act. She needs to make a sincere apology for her own reputation. She lost her cool scared the crap out of that lines person no doubt (I'd have been scared) and she stole Kim Cliisters right to celebrate a remarkable achievement. I hope she will recognize the depth of her mistake and do the right thing.
Maybe Serena should attend one of the good Professor's lectures on “Communication under heighten state of stress and pressure” -- if there is one.
You go, Serena-gurl!
This is not to excuse Serena’s behaviour. Serena’s reaction to a very bad call is quite mild in comparison to those of McEnroe or Jimmie Connors. It is clear to any keen observer not to see that the Williams sisters have not received the honour, the support and the love they deserve in their own country -- unless they are playing for America in the Fed Cup or in the Olympics. I have watched them play a number of times and I have seen American tennis spectators cheering foreign players playing against Serena or Venus on American courts. This will never happen in Switzerland or Britain or Britain or France! This is pathetic. After a while you cannot hold back. Serena is human. All the noise we heard last week about Oudin “bringing new life into American tennis”, as if the Williams sisters were not American enough! If true greatness is measured by the bottom from where one ascends, the Williams sisters are among the greatest tennis players ever. And they are Americans! Yet most Americans see only their skin colour. Why didn’t Serena ever behave like this outside America? This is a question American tennis fans should answer. This is a question Nancy Snow should have addressed. America is now the Germany of the 1930s: Jesse Owens!
Did either McEnroe or Connors ever threaten a line judge? I recall nothing of the sort. And it turns out it wasn't a "very bad call". As this piece points out, upon closer examination, it turns out the call was correct and Serena did foot fault.
You basically claim that if people don't like the Williams sisters, it's because they are racist. That's rubbish. The fact that you'd automatically go to race suggests to me that you are racist. I like Serena well enough, even despite this childish tirade. Venus is the opposite of charismatic. Their parents are a couple of creeps, especially Richard. I like finesse players more than power players. The Williams sisters are power players. I've never rooted for someone, male or female, because he/she was American. That's moronic. So I guess I'm a racist if I want to see a mother returning from retirement make it all the way to the U.S. Open finals rather than seeing one of the Williams sisters win... again. Yawn.
Well said.
I guess you are correct.
yep, well said.
How do creeps create two great tennis players and multi-millionaires ? Wait till they depart and see the demise of the WTA. Readers who read between the lines can see what you are about, but you could be in self-denial. You must be hurting inside, but do they care? They have achieved the American dream.
If you are an American, how is wishing a foreigner to win over a fellow American not moronic? The US is made famous and wealthy by Americans – not by non-residents. These US sport people bring to the US millions of dollars from earnings and merchandise abroad; they command high TV ratings; pay taxes to US [repeat: US] governments; they also promote the US abroad, but you would prefer an Americans (and the US) to lose all these to foreigners because of your personal hatred for your fellow American? I guess wearing some silly pin on your jacket would be more patriotic than supporting fellow Americans or calling their parents creeps.
I remember McEnroe getting in one guys face,waving his racket around in a threatening manner. A minute later, he smashed his OJ. He wasn't thrown out and people just sort of laughed about it.
If she were a man this wouldn't be a big deal.
And regarding Oudin "bringing new life", she's 17. The Williams sisters are 27 and 29. They're hardly new blood or the hope of tomorrow.
Stop your J'accuse finger pointing and get off your soap box.
While true that "racism" divides, it's also true that NATIONALISM divides as well. I, for one, and HUMAN. It does not matter to me whether Kim Clijsters is from Belgium or from the U.S. She is a good person and player who has paid her dues to the game and deserved this trophy. John McEnroe, by the way, was born in GERMANY. Just a thought.
I know Serena is human but she is not allowed to make the mistakes everyone else does. She must adhere to the tradition of first blacks and put on a poker face. When the world has you under the microscope waiting for you to slip, you do NOT act out. It just gives ammunition to people who are afraid and intimidated by you. It makes it hard for those who like you to support you. The only thing you can use is a perfect game and smug fans who can brag about how perfect you are in every way. She took that from her fans with that threat.
Not McEnroe or Connors ever threatened to shove an f'ing ball down a linesperson's f'ing throat...asking the American tennis fans to answer for their behavior (sticking up for the linesperson that was threatened and physically intimidated) is ludicrous.
Well! I guess town hall protesters and US Congressmen aren't the only ones under stress and pressure these days. There are a whole lot of pressure cookers at the boiling point. The airwaves REALLY need to tone down their "keep 'em hyped twenty-four seven" rhetoric.
There are lots of immature angry people in this country. They may bring us down one day.
We have seen the enemy and they are us.
At her post game conference Williams displayed Bart Simpson level of maturity.
It sure is nice to see a "McEnroe moment". Its been a long time coming. You know, you just don't make that kind of call in a Grand Slam semi-final, period. The fire that they have is what makes tennis exciting to watch. Without the Williams sisters, it isn't worth watching!
Not true. There are many women worth watching!
I agree that Serena overeacted to what she saw as a bad call. She lost the match and has been fined some pocket change time to look forward not back as the prez says. However joe wilson lost nothing. His outburst was a deliberate calculated act. He was just surprised by the backlash against him. Of course it didn't stop him using his stchick to raise plenty of money.
And now you can add Kanye West's name to the list of outlandish, disrespectful behavior.
No. I think Kanye behavior was uniquely over the top and deserves to start a new list that I hope will not be added to - ever.
Serena is human, and we all have moments we wish we could take back. End of story people.
Sure, but she needs to be penalized for embarrassing the sport of tenbis to the extend that she did un front of millions of viewers.
A loss of a few sponsors would be appropriate.
Almost any sport, from NBA to FIFA, would suspend a player for directly threatening a referee.
End of story.
Exactly!
She lost the point; therefore the game; and was fined $10,000. So, now you want sponsors pulled too?
Hmm. Perhaps an intervention by Congressman Wilson to show her how to manage her emotions and control her outburst. Yeah! I say let HIM be the role model.
It was a bad call. In sports, a bad call that gives away the match is the same as a supervisor who gives away your bonus. The crowd jeered Serena and Venus every match they played, even though they were Americans like the audience playing foreign players. There was no home court advantage for them, ever, and there rarely is. The audience just hates them. Could it be because they are the only black women playing at the elite level in tennis?
Audiences absolutely hate these two women. That's clear. And even though they usually thank the crowd after every win even when the crowd was nasty, at some point the bad calls and the nasty fans and the jeering at the stadium could get to a person. Unfortunately I have a feeling the crowd will intensify in their vocalized hatred for both sisters as a result of Serena losing her composure today. After all, it has just become much more convenient to hate them openly now.
I disagree. Serena's temper was simmering all evening. A temper trantum is ugly, no matter what color your pigment. Serena's inconsistent play all evening made it rather hard to cheer wildly for her. It was clearly a bad night for her that she just finished off in a really ugly way.
Any excuse will do.
"The audience just hates them. Could it be because they are the only black women playing at the elite level in tennis?"
You should pay more attention to other games.
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