Serena Williams' Outburst Ends U.S. Open Semi-Final Match Against Unranked Kim Clijsters, Lineswoman Says She Felt Threatened by Tirade, Really?

Oh no. Say it ain't so. Serena Williams walked toward the line judge at the semi-final match last night at the U.S. Open screaming, cursing and shaking a tennis ball in the official's direction and threatened to "shove it down" her throat. Whoa. Serena lost it completely. On match point, the defending champion, was penalized a point for unsportsmanlike conduct, which was a bizarre and ugly end that gave an upset victory to the unranked Kim Clijsters. Sadly, no one will remember any of the shots struck in this match, they will only remember the Serena Williams meltdown and the dramatic way the match ended. Sorry, but that wasn't a proper call by the line judge, as evidenced from the crowd's booing. Serena Williams should be fined, but certainly not suspended from pro tennis, as suggested by Bill Dwyre of the LA Times. He said her tirade "went well beyond the McEnroe tirade stage into body language and direct verbiage that was threatening and ugly." Wow, I didn't think John McEnroe's tirades could have been portrayed as less menacing than Serena Williams.'

With Williams serving at 5-6, 15-30 in the second set, she faulted on her first serve. On the second serve, a line judge called a foot fault, making it a double-fault -- a call rarely, if ever, seen at that stage of any match, let alone the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament. That made the score 15-40, putting Clijsters one point from victory.

Instead of stepping to the baseline to serve again, Williams went over and shouted and cursed at the line judge, pointing at her and thrusting the ball toward her. "If I could, I would take this f****ing ball and shove it down your f***ing throat," Williams said. She continued yelling at the line judge, and went back over, shaking her racket in the official's direction. Source: Huffington Post

Sorry, Serena but no matter how angry you were at the call, there was no reason to become verbally abusive and menacing in the process. Yes, John McEnroe went on several tirades during his professional tennis career, but girl, that's even a stretch for you. I am equally amazed that the lineswoman felt threatened by Serena Williams. Could that have been because a black woman was shouting down an Asian damsel in distress? Please. Somehow there is an element of race seeping into this incident. Suddenly Serena Williams is being held to a higher standard than everyone else. She deserves to be fined, but I scarcely believe she was any more of a threat to the lineswoman that John McEnroe was during his many, many tirades on tennis courts around the world.

Photo credit:  Serena Williams, Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images