That was a crazy end to the Clijsters/Williams match

[rockymountaindem]

Clijsters was going to win, so nothing taken away from her, but that was some really egregious behavior by Serena Williams. Holy cow.

[tishaLA]

1. Dammit. I turned to CBS earlier and they had regular programming on

So I thought we were STILL in rain delay. Just read what happened...hope I can catch Serena's (typically) petulant behavior on The Tennis Channel.

[City Lights]

2. It's on The Tennis Channel now. Just started.

It's one for the ages!

[JonLP24]

3. I say egregious behavior by the refs

Those foot fault calls were bullshit. You get pissed off when you get bad calls and that pisses you off.

[tishaLA]

4. No, she consistently foot faults.

Sorry, but she does. It's too bad players don't get called for it often enough, but she has been called for it during this tournament and she's been called on it at other majors, as well. It'd be better if she didn't foot fault, but she did.

Besides that, two other things remain true: Clijsters deserved to win the match and almost certainly would have. Any player who thinks he or she will get away with saying to a linesman, "I swear to god, I will shove this ball down your fucking throat" deserves whatever happens to her.

Serena has always been a poor sport. This just made her unprofessionalism completely transparent.

[Awsi Dooger]

5. Serena has always been low class

I won plenty of bets on her earlier this decade so it took me a while to accept what a lowlife she is. She never gives the opponent credit after a win but merely shouts luck.

In particular, Serena despises the games of the two Belgians -- Henin and Clijsters. Before Henin retired she took out Serena in the quarters of 3 straight Slams in the same year. Serena whined and whined after all 3 of those matches, one juvenile quote after another. It was delicious.

This tirade is going to stain her, whether the foot faults were legit or not. The sentence to the linesman was very obvious and dozens of fans behind her heard it. If you watch the replay you can see the stunned disgust in the faces of the fans after hearing what Serena said, particularly a few women.

Serena better not lie about what she said, that''s my number one advice. There will be many people to come forward, and I wouldn't dismiss an electronic recording being available.

Women's tennis in this era makes me sick. The Russians choke with big leads. Other players in the Top 10 or 15 aren't near the caliber of a decade or so ago. That allows crap like a new mother to take 2+ years off without touching a racket and reach the finals. Same thing a few years ago when Serena was a blimp and won the Australian Open. The Williams sisters take advantage of the putrid era in women's tennis to rack up more majors than they should have.

Imagine the fury in the Williams camp tonight, after Clijsters knocked out both sisters in the same event, after taking 2+ years off. :rofl:

[chimpymustgo]

6. Egrergious bull-shit footfault call. Let the racists SOAR. The Williams sisters should not play

Open any more. I have watched tennis for decades - seen some serious tirades. This is BULLSHIT, I'll watch NASCAR before I watch women's tennis again.

OK, DU racists - enjoy yourselves.

[joeybee12]

7. Yeah, everyone's a racist...i don't see anything about Venus here, do you?

And if it was a bad call, you challenge it with the chair ump...that is, unless you're a spoiled brat.

[chimpymustgo]

8. Please...keep on hating. It hurts my heart to see the way the Williams sisters have

been treated by the tennis world from the very beginning. They have been nearly super-human is their ability to summon grace and equanimity in the barrage of bad calls, taunts, racist commentators, and on and on.

Their life is a constant "tea Party" crowd in the stands...at the mikes...and on the lines.

[joeybee12]

9. You are ridiculous, and the problem is you can't see that...

...why do you defend the indefensible? She acted like a brat, a spoiled rotten brat...there is racism out there, but the Williams sisters have never been victims of it in the tennis world...show me ONE instance, ONE...they went to tennis acadmies, they are treated like royalty...absolutely fucking ridiculous to claim racism where there is none...fucking, fucking ridiculous.

[chimpymustgo]

10. You obviously know NOTHING about what you are ranting. Do a little research - bad calls have been

documented...they won't even play Indian Wells anymore...research how the white players treated them in in the locker room.

White people NEVER fucking admit their - or others' racism (exception - see MoDo's stunner in today's in NYT).

Open your eyes, and do some research.

Clearly, you doth protest too much.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[rockymountaindem]

14. That's ridiculous

First of all, if your accusations were true about not being allowed to win, how have the Williams sisters racked up all these wins? Secondly, where was the hate for Chanda Rubin back in the day? Althea Gibson played in a much more difficult era racially (to say the least) and from what I understand never threatened physical abuse against an official. Arthur Ashe is a legend of the game and received tons of respect when he was playing. You can say what you want about the Williams sisters and racism, but I don't see it. Are you at least willing to consider that maybe they're not popular with all the other players, Serena in particular, because they are such fierce competitors and that puts other people off?

Finally, Jackie Robinson had to deal with people bringing nooses to his games, and he never threatened to kick an umpire's ass. Serena wasn't even punished that severely. She would have been penalized one point (unfortunately for her that was match point). I think that's pretty mild considering the way she behaved.

[a la izquierda]

15. I love the Williams sisters and I'm white.

I'm also a woman with a potty mouth, so it wasn't the cussing that was an issue for me. I didn't watch the match, but I did see the highlights...which included watching her mouth form the words "shove this ball down your fucking throat". I'm sorry, but that crosses the line.
I always want them to do well, because they're great players who work their asses off. They deserve to win when they play well, and like anyone else, they deserve to lose if they don't play well. I watch tons of football, and there are many, many times that calls go against a particular team. It happens and you just have to live with it, without threatening officials.

[thewiseguy]

21. Man, STFU with the "you white people" line

If there is anyone who is being a racist ass here, that would be you.

[BulletproofLandshark]

13. Didn't you hear the news?

It's always racist when a black athlete loses fairly. :silly:

But seriously, it's amazing to me that anyone would think it's okay for Serena Williams to break her racket and threaten to shove the ball down the line judge's throat. She deserves a long suspension for her behavior.

[chimpymustgo]

16. Cause nobody's EVER broken a racket at a tennis match!

This Kos Diary sums it up...a few of the too-numerous acts of racism and bad calls and bad sportsmanship against the Williams sisters follow. Don't know how you missed them - or perhaps you just refused to SEE them.

**************


In Tennis, No Support For The Williams Sisters

by JoanMar

Sat Sep 12, 2009 at 09:02:28 PM PDT

I remember reading an article in which a prominent African American Sports Psychologist said that he could close his eyes and tell the color of the athlete by the words the commentators used. I have had to put my mute button on a number of occasions when watching a game with the Williams sisters. The main offender is Mary Carillo. But she is by no means the only offender. It would take up too much space to enumerate the many instances when their bias and prejudice seeped through. I do not make this charge lightly.

Let's look at the disgraceful end to the semi-final between Cjisters and Serena Williams this evening.

* JoanMar's diary :: ::
*

The only foot-faults I (and I emphasize I) have heard called at the US Open, have been called against the Williamses.

Serena was down a set and serving to make it 5 all in the second set. She serves and a lines-woman called for foot fall. Serena went off. She was justifiable angry. The end result is that the point - and thus the match - was won by Cjisters. Kim had played a superior game the whole evening and I am not sad to see her win. As a woman I rejoice for her. She came back after giving birth and outplayed both sisters. Great job Kim.

Of course, on closer inspection, there was no foot-fault. The lineswoman was wrong. But the damage had been done. I have seen Serena down before and fought back to win. That girl is a champion and has the heart of a champion. Until the game is over, my money is on Serena. The lines-woman robbed her of the chance to fight back, robbed us of what could have been a thrilling game and robbed Cjisters of the joy she should have felt for her remarkable feat.

My problem is the announcers. And the crowd. The other day, Mary Carillo remarked on the remarkable support Cjisters had received from the crowd in her game against Venus. Yes, in her own country, the crowd was cheering for her opponent. Of course, this is not the first, second, or third time that this has happened. The American crowds almost always cheer for anybody playing against the Williamses. Hingis, Davenport, Henin, Sharapova, anybody. This is not so in other countries with other players. The French always cheer for their own. The English always cheer for their own. The Australians always cheer for their own. The Americans always cheer for their own - except for the Williamses.

The incident at the semi-final which resulted in Serena being - in effect - thrown out, left Carillo impatient and upset that Cjister's glory was being tarnished. Dick Enberg all but condemned Serena. Close your eyes and imagine that this would have been Oudin. Do you think the announcers would have reacted the same way? Would they have shown some sympathy for Oudin or condemned her for her outburst?

Would they have been angry at the - clearly untrained - lineswoman for her messing up Oudin's march to glory?

I have heard Carillo's joyous outburst at the show of "passion" from a player. I have heard her encouraging, forgiving and understanding remarks when a player has "lost it." Only not the Williames. This is not a recent thing with Ms. Carillo. I have had to write to NBC (or any channel she has been on) on numerous occasions about her.

You can close your eyes and tell when the announcers are talking about Serena and Venus. With other players, it is all about the game and little bits of information designed to make them more lovable. The tone changes to one of even ridicule when it is Serena and Venus. As was the case when 2 female announcers spoke about Serena's book. They were openly snarky. Why aren't they more grateful that they are allowed to play? How dare they find interest outside the game?

I remember the drubbing they game Richard Williams for holding up a sign about his daughter. And then how understanding and encouraging they were when Sharapova's dad showed his joy at his daughter's win in the most exuberant fashion I had ever seen at a game.

Double standard. Overt prejudice. What else must these two girls do, to get the same love as Oudin? Haven't they done enough for this country?

I say shame on you, Mary Carillo. Shame on you, Dick Enberg. Shame on you all for treating these wonderful girls in such a shabby, disrespectful manner. Enough!

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/9/13/0228/30815

**********

Officials apologize to Serena for bad call
Umpire dismissed from Open after mistake in Williams loss to Capriati

updated 4:50 p.m. ET Sept. 9, 2004

NEW YORK - U.S. Open organizers have apologized to Serena Williams for a controversial line call in her quarterfinal loss to Jennifer Capriati on Tuesday.

Williams hit a backhand well inside the sideline at deuce in the opening game of the third set that was called good by the lineswoman but overruled by umpire Mariana Alves.

The third seed, who lost the match 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, initially thought Alves had simply called the score wrongly, but the Portuguese confirmed to USTA officials that she had overruled.

-edit-

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/5933547
**************

Williams 'hurt' by jeers
Serena Williams
Williams was going for a fifth straight Grand Slam title

A tearful Serena Williams accused Justine Henin-Hardenne of "lying and fabricating" during their dramatic French Open semi-final.

The American also admitted she was hurt by the hostile attitude of the Parisian crowd as she suffered a shock 6-2 4-6 7-5 defeat to the Belgian.

Williams was jeered by spectators in the closing stages, and had her every mistake cheered, as several line calls were disputed by both players.

The world number one was particularly upset by an incident in the third set when she prepared to serve.

Henin-Hardenne raised her hand to suggest she was not ready to receive. Williams served anyway - a fault - but then claimed she was distracted and asked the umpire for the point to be replayed.

The umpire said he had not seen what happened and Williams was rankled when Henin-Hardenne did not intervene to admit that she had not been ready.

-edit-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/french_open_2003/2967190.stm




*********
Racism charges swirl as Williams sisters advance

Updated: Tuesday March 27, 2001 9:11 AM

Serena Williams Serena Williams now faces a showdown against fourth-seeded Jennifer Capriati. AP

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) -- The father of Venus and Serena Williams says the jeers directed at his family during a tournament in Indian Wells, Calif., were racially motivated.

Richard Williams made the allegations at the Ericsson Open, where his daughters both won fourth-round matches Monday.

"The white people at Indian Wells, what they've been wanting to say all along to us finally came out: 'Nigger, stay away from here, we don't want you here,'" Williams said.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/news/2001/03/26/ericsson_open_ap/

***********
And the unforgettable ball-hit-the-bitch and everyone saw it EXCEPT the umpire:

-edit-
The American fired in a powerful shot that appeared to graze Martinez Sanchez's hand as she looked to defend herself.

The ball went out but the point was awarded to Martinez Sanchez, much to the chagrin of Williams, who complained to the umpire.

The umpire insisted he could not reverse the decision if the Spaniard claimed she did not touch the ball. She went on to grab a break that game, which helped her clinch the set.

An angry Williams said: "The ball hit her body and therefore she should have lost the point, instead of cheating. I hit the ball rather hard. She knew that ball hit her. It was clearly my point."

-edit-


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/frenchopen/5415765/French-Open-2009-Serena-Williams-accuses-Jose-Maria-Martinez-Sanchez-of-cheating.html

[BulletproofLandshark]

17. But that's isn't why she got penalized a point, is it?

You wasted your time cutting and pasting that crap because I saw no good reason to waste my time reading it. Serena lost that point for breaking her racket and THEN acting out like a fucking lunatic.

[chimpymustgo]

18. Of course you wouldn't read the post. You don't want to achknowledge the pattern of hate against

Williams sisters. Enjoy your cozy little world.

[BulletproofLandshark]

19. Spare me the drama.

The only recurring pattern I saw yesterday was a Williams sister getting her ass kicked all over the court by a Belgian player. All we need now is for Justine Henin to unretire and continue the unmerciful asskicking she used to hand out to Serena on a regular basis. I bet that would really get your dander up.

[chimpymustgo]

20. Serena 7-6 career over Henin. You don't know anything about tennis do you?

[BulletproofLandshark]

24. Too bad Henin dominated her in majors when it really counted.

Give it up, Mr.Williams. You're almost as much of an excuse maker as Serena.

[joeybee12]

22. all you put here was CRAP...aboslute fucking CRAP...

...at indian Wells it was clear Serena and Venus were gaming the match so the other could win...Richard Williams is a worthless POS of cries racism when it rains and delays Serena's macth...there is no pattern and IF YOU KNEW ANYTHING about tennis, the person who is numebr 1 always aa=has peopel against him/her, it's called rooting for the underdog...I've followed tennis forever, and even Chris Evert got booed...how's THAT for racism?

[erpowers]

27. This Guy Is an Idiot

The person who wrote this piece is an idiot who probably never watches tennis. The first point in which this person is wrong is in saying that people in other countries do not cheer people from other countries. That is just not true. In just about every country that Roger Federer plays in he is cheered no matter who he goes against. In terms of being booed, it seems that tennis crowds always cheer for the underdog. In addition, make no mistake other players have been booed and had to deal with the cheers for their opponents. I remembers a few years ago when Steffi Graff was playing againt Martina Hingis at the French Open. Hingis was on the verge of winning that match, but at some point the crowd completely turned against her. At that point there was nothing she could do to please the crowd. Every mistake she made was cheered and every point won by Graff was supported. In the end the crowd had not sympothy for Hingis when she lost the match even though she visiblly cried after the match. So the Williams sisters are not the first nor only players to have to deal with a hostile crowd. Almost everybody except Roger Federer had to deal with it.

Second, the commentators are always willing to call a player out on behaving badly. There in fact have been a number of occasions in which the commentators have criticized other players for behaving badly. In addition, commentator have been just as mean to Maria Sharavopova's father as they have been to Richard Williams. In fact, many commentators have expressed their desire that many parents just sit quietly and let their kids play the game.

Finally, Mary Carillo has her bad side, but even she had said many good things about the Williams sisters. During the current U.S. Open Mary Carillo had a number of good things to say about Serena williams. I think Carillo even picked Serena to win the event. In addition, a number of people attached to the Williams sisters have said many good things about them.

[LisaM]

30. and what about Mary Pierce's father? He was banned from attending matches.

Richard Williams probably should have been.

[joeybee12]

23. You know, you should put this Shit in GD...people here follow

sports...you make up things.

[madinmaryland]

25. Holy crap..

This makes the arguments we had with cboy look tame! I think this belongs in GD or GD:PP

[tishaLA]

26. Officials might disqualify Serena (and therefore Venus) from doubles final

They kinda take those "I swear to god, I will shove this ball down your fucking throat" things seriously.

[a kennedy]

29. Officials might disqualify Serena (and therefore Venus) from doubles final

Is this true??? the doubles final are supposed to be today....

[Orwellian_Ghost]

28. The Serena press conference

showed what a sociopath she is. But that is common on the tour as these athletes are pampered and have no foothold in the real world.

That said the level of racism in professional tennis is through the roof. As is the level of classism. I know more than a little about this.

Serena got her ass kicked and she was simply extremely frustrated. The call was most likely on the money as Serena has a history of foot faulting. It looked like she did slide her left foot on the line. Hopefully she will get a ban for half a year and can spend that time teaching Safina how to serve.

In any case women's tennis is hideous at the moment as it looks little different than Div 1 cross court drills.