By Pritha Sarkar
NEW YORK, Sept 12 - "All hell broke loose" is how
original bad boy of tennis John McEnroe described drama queen
Serena Williams as she went kicking and screaming out of the
U.S. Open on Saturday.
Williams has made a cameo appearance in medical drama ER
and lists acting as a hobby but she does not need to rely on a
script to produce her own drama.
On Day 13 of the hardcourt major, wide-eyed fans at
Flushing Meadows witnessed the latest episode to unfold around
the 11-times grand slam champion.
Facing Kim Clijsters in a hotly anticipated semi-final
showdown at the Open, an angry outburst from Williams resulted
in one of the most bizarre endings to a match on a grand slam
stage.
With the Belgian on the brink of victory, defending
champion Williams was called for a foot-fault on a second serve
to go match point down.
Astounded by the verdict, Williams immediately saw red and
threateningly marched up to the official. She waved her racket
ominously and thrust the ball into the lineswoman's face as she
launched into a tirade.
"I swear to God I'm... going to take this... ball and shove
it down your... throat, you hear that? I swear to God,"
Williams told the line-judge.
The lineswoman reported her to umpire Louise Engzell for
verbal abuse. Having already received a warning earlier in the
match for smashing a racket, Williams was handed an automatic
point penalty for "unsportsmanlike conduct," giving Clijsters
the match and a final date with Danish ninth seed Caroline
Wozniacki.
Not since McEnroe was defaulted from a fourth round match
against Mikael Pernfors at the 1990 Australian Open -- when he
swore at the umpire, supervisor, and referee -- has a singles
player suffered such an ignominious exit from such a high
profile match.
But Williams remained unrepentant for her tirade even
though the lineswoman told the chair umpire that she felt
threatened.
"She says she felt threatened? She said this to you?" she
asked the reporter who fielded the question.
"I've never been in a fight my whole life, so I don't know
why she should have felt threatened."
FIERY AMERICAN
However, Saturday's incident was just the latest to
surround the fiery American.
"I'm drama, and I don't want to be drama," Williams said in
May at the French Open where she labelled Maria Jose Martinez
Sanchez "a cheat" following a controversial point in their
third round match.
"I'm beginning to think it's me because I do have a lot of
drama, and it's always something, whether it's my life with
friends, with anybody. It's like I have the most dramatic life.
It's so ridiculous."
In 2003, a sobbing Williams accused another Belgian Justine
Henin of "lying and fabricating" following another
controversial semi-final defeat at Roland Garros.
A year later, the American lost a hotly contested
quarter-final with compatriot Jennifer Capriati at the U.S Open
after being on the receiving end of several bad line calls.
The incident led to umpire Mariana Alves, who made an
incorrect overrule, being removed from officiating duties from
the championships that year while U.S. Open officials
apologised to Williams.
"Every time you look around, it's like I mean, there was an
incident with Justine, and then there was another incident with
Jennifer Capriati. Always some drama," Williams said in May.
"Even in Australia this year I had a bad call, and I was
just like, why?
"I'm like one of those girls on a reality show that has all
the drama, and everyone in the house hates them because no
matter what they do, drama follows them. I don't want to be
that girl."
Unfortunately, on Saturday, she was once again "that
girl".
(Editing by Steve Ginsburg, To query or comment on this
story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)