The only downer for the weekend was the US Open. I was stunned that Serena Williams lost the finals to Aussie Samantha Stosur. I guess Serena was in disbelief as well ... as she had a severe explosion during the first game of the second set.
Serena has a habit of yelling 'Come On!' at the top of her lungs during big points in her matches. She let out such a yell during her match against Stosur. However, she let it out before the point was over ... and that appears to be a rules violation in tennis. The judge in the match, Eva Asderaki, took the winning point away from Serena.
In my view, Serena's yell is the equivalent of the constant grunts that you hear from other tennis players, like Maria Sharapova. However, it appears that Judge Asderaki thought that Serena's yell was loud and menacing.
Serena was still peeved at the judge while resting between points.
"If you ever see me walking down the hall, look the other way, because you’re out of control," Williams said while sitting in her chair. "You’re totally out of control. You’re a hater, unattractive inside. Who would do such a thing? And I never complain. Wow, what a loser. Give me a code violation because I expressed my emotion? We’re in America last time I checked. Really, don’t even look at me, don’t look my way."In fact, there is some talk that Serena may be banned from next year's US Open as a result.
I don't think that the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) will go that far. After all, Serena is to tennis as Tiger is to golf -- she is a money-maker. Who would care about tennis in America if Serena (or her sister Venus) weren't in the mix?
"Any impact this code violation might have on Serena Williams’ grand slam probation would require the incident being ruled a major event," a WTA statement said. "That determination will be made by the grand slam committee director."Serena was all smiles and kind words in the post-match interviews. She congratulated her opponent and accepted her second-place trophy and prizes with dignity and grace. However, her earlier on-court explosion didn't do much for her image within the sport.
I suspect that she won't be given the ultimate penalty of suspension from the next US Open ... but, I also suspect that Serena would prefer to be remembered for her tennis and not for her inability to handle her emotions.
What say u?
