Serena Williams was booted out of the US Open 2009
Serena Williams was booted out of the US Open after hurling threatening abuse at a lineswoman. The incident marred the end of her semi-final loss to Kim Clijsters after the official had foot-faulted her to set up match point to the Belgian. The title-holder and tournament favourite was 6-4, 6-5 and 15-30 down when the sanction was called against her on her second serve setting up match point for Clijsters.
She turned angrily to the lineswoman and shouted at her while stabbing her racquet in her direction. According to some reports she told her: “If I could, I would take this … ball and shove it down your … throat and kill you.” The lineswoman then ran up to umpire Louise Engzell to report the incident which brought tournament referee Brian Earley onto the court. Williams again remonstrated with the lineswoman over her version of what had happened, at one point telling her “I never said I would kill you.”
She then stormed off to the other side of the net to shake hands with Clijsters when she understood she had been penalised a point on match point for verbal abuse. “I said something that I guess they gave me a point penalty for. Unfortunately it was on match point,” she said. “No, I didn’t threaten her,” she said when asked what she had said. “I don’t remember anymore, to be honest. I was in the moment. And, you know, everyone’s fighting for every point. It was a really crucial point, 15-30, actually.
