Serena Williams says she became "popular" after she imploded and cursed out a lineswoman during her loss to Kim Clijsters in the 2009 U.S. Open semifinals. Williams was later fined for the incident, where she threatened to "take this (expletive) ball and shove it down your (expletive) throat."
"I just remember I lost, and that was that," Serena told reporters on Monday, possibly with a touch of sarcasm . "I got really popular. A lot of people were telling me they thought I was super cool, that they'd never saw me so intense. So, yeah, it was awesome."
Williams, who later apologized, said she isn’t sure if she learned anything from the incident. "I don't know. I don't think about it," she said. "Oh, my God, that was like two years ago."