Serena wasn't pleased with the umpire in Sunday's championship match
Tennis star and icon Serena Williams has been fined $2000 by US Open for her outburst in the championship match against Samantha Stosur this past Sunday. Williams got into a verbal dispute with umpire Eva Asderaski, during which Serena called Asderaski a “hater” and said she was “very unattractive inside” (I’m still laughing at the second one). Here are statements regarding the suspension, as well as video of the incident if you missed it:
A USTA statement said: “US Open tournament referee Brian Earley has fined Serena Williams $2,000 following the code violation issued for verbal abuse during the women’s singles final. This fine is consistent with similar offences at grand slam events. As with all fines at the US Open, the monies levied are provided to the Grand Slam Development Fund which develops tennis programs around the world.
“After independently reviewing the incident which served as the basis for the code violation, and taking into account the level of fine imposed by the US Open referee, the grand slam committee director has determined that Williams’s conduct, while verbally abusive, does not rise to the level of a major offence under the grand slam code of conduct.”
The 13-time grand slam winner Serena Williams has been known to be a fierce competitor, so it appears as if her competitive spirit and drive to win may have gotten the best of her in this particular instance. Also, I don’t see a problem with such a small fine as Williams’ outburst can be considered mild compared to others we have witnessed over the years (John McEnroe immediately comes to mind). Here are a few examples:
What’s great competition without a little passion? An exhibition, and who wants to watch that??
-ALR
