Serena Williams discusses her outburst at a lineswoman during her 6-4, 7-5 semifinal loss to Kim Clijsters in the 2009 U.S. Open semifinals. With Williams serving to stay in the match at 15-30, she was called her for a foot fault on her second serve, the second time she had been called for one in the match. That made the score 15-40 and gave Clijsters match point. Serena then exploded at the linewoman and threatened her. Williams was assessed a code violation and point penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, thus ending the match.
“I was definitely stressed, and I was angry,” Serena told the <strong>New York Times Magazine</strong>. “I don’t foot-fault. Like, I have in the past, but this woman should never make a call in the semifinals of a Grand Slam on a person who doesn’t foot-fault. She was totally wrong. I’m sorry. I’m <em>not</em> sorry. I looked at her like—I tried to warn her. And then she did it again. And I’m thinking, This is ridiculous.”
Serena also told the magazine that what bothered her most was that she didn't represent her religion in a positive light. Serena is a Jehovah’s Witness and sometime later was talked to by church elders.
“I just felt like anyone who knew I was a Witness was stumbled,” she said. “And I really don’t want to stumble anybody…They had to have a talk with me. And I knew it was coming. I just felt really bad, though, because it’s like, that’s not who I am… It’s almost like a reprimand, but it’s not bad, because in the Bible it says God loves you, and if someone reprimands you, they love you.”
As she has stated numerous times this summer, Serena reiterated that she feels like bad things always happen to her at the U.S. Open. Last year, she was called for a hindrance and assessed a point penalty when she yelled out before her opponent, Samantha Stosur, had a chance to return the ball she had hit. Serena lost the final to Stosur.
“I got a point penalty because of a grunt,” she said. “Meanwhile, I can name five girls who grunt way louder than I do, and the umpire didn’t even give them a warning. And then I had the ball called out that was this far in [in her 2004 loss to Jennifer Capriati]. It’s always something. I’m thinking, already, something’s gonna happen this year at the Open. I’m just thinking, Serena, say your prayers, fall on your knees. It’s frustrating, because it’s my home country, you’re playing for the home, but it’s like, the way the umpires have been makes me not want to play there. I’d rather play in Australia, or I’d rather play at Wimbledon.”