Column: Williams at fault for U.S. Open tirade

At the end of the summer, before heading back to Princeton, I became a huge fan of the U.S. Open. I can honestly say that I watched every match that ESPN2 and CBS televised from Flushing Meadows, N.Y.

As the final Grand Slam of the calendar year, the U.S. Open provides the world’s top-ranked tennis players one last chance to compete for a major title. This year, on both the men’s and the women’s sides, the tournament was full of memorable and exciting moments.

For instance, who can forget the image of the 20-year-old Argentine, Juan Martin del Potro, collapsing on the court in tears of disbelief after dismissing top-seeded Roger Federer in the five-set men’s singles final?

And I can’t neglect to mention the Cinderella story of the whole tournament. Of course, I’m referring to Melanie Oudin, the passionate 17-year-old from Georgia who shocked the tennis world by making it to the quarterfinals and defeating several ranked players in the process.

To be sure, this year’s U.S. Open did not disappoint in providing intriguing storylines. And nothing can top what happened during the women’s semifinal match between No. 2 Serena Williams and former No. 1 Kim Clijsters.

Entering the much-anticipated match, the dramatic plot was already in place. In the quarterfinals, Clijsters defeated No. 3 Venus Williams, Serena’s older sister, and the then-unranked Belgian now had a rare chance to complete the Williams sweep. And, as the comeback story of the tournament, Clijsters was attempting to become the first mother to win a Grand Slam title since Evonne Goolagong Cawley captured Wimbledon in 1980.

In the Saturday-evening semifinal, Clijsters methodically won the first set, 6-4. Serena was clearly rattled, and things would not improve for her. Down 5-6, 15-30 in the second set, Serena attempted her first serve, but committed a fault. On her second serve attempt, the line judge called Serena for a foot fault, giving Clijsters a 15-40 advantage and double match point.

At that pivotal moment, Serena completely lost her cool. Heading toward the line judge, Serena shook her racket, reportedly screaming, “If I could, I would take this fucking ball and shove it down your fucking throat.”

After the line judge, the chair umpire and tournament referee Brian Earley discussed what happened, a point was awarded to Clijsters to penalize Serena for unsportsmanlike conduct. This point gave Clijsters the match and sent her to the finals.

As I watched the fallout from the match, completely shocked by what had occurred, I felt angry. At first, I could not make sense of why I felt this way. But now that I’ve had a few weeks to reflect on the matter, I’ve found three main reasons for my anger and surprise.

Firstly, Serena’s behavior established a circus-like atmosphere on the court and detracted attention from the fact of the matter: Clijsters won because she played a superior match.

After the match ended, and after the two players shook hands at center court, Clijsters looked utterly dumbstruck about Serena’s situation.

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“I mean, the timing was unfortunate, you know,” Clijsters said after the match. “To get a point penalty at that time, it’s unfortunate. But there are rules, and you know, like I said, it’s just unfortunate that it has to happen on match point.”

Clijsters hit the nail on the head. Rules are rules, and Serena broke them. Further proving that she deserved to be in the finals, Clijsters continued to play excellent tennis. By defeating ninth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki, 7-5, 6-3, in the women’s finals, she captured her second U.S. Open title.

In retrospect, everyone can appreciate Clijsters’ achievements in the tournament. She defeated the Williams sisters in succession, essentially dismantling a tennis dynasty in the span of a couple of days. But during that fateful Saturday-evening semifinal, the focus was still on Serena.

Secondly, I don’t believe that Serena suffered the proper repercussions for her words and actions. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) fined Serena $10,000 for her conduct. I believe the USTA should have decided on a harsher course of action. That Monday, the Williams sisters were slated to play in the women’s doubles finals, and the USTA could have banned Serena from playing in that match. But Serena was permitted to play, and the Williams sisters took home the doubles title.

Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly of all, I don’t believe that Serena handled the situation like a prominent athlete should have. As a role model for young, aspiring tennis players, Serena could have used her mistake on the court as an example for learning.

During her post-match press conference, there was ample opportunity for Serena to apologize for her antics. But in this press conference, she didn’t seem too apologetic for her words and actions.

When asked if she would apologize to the line judge, Serena said: “An apology? From me? Well, how many people yell at linespeople? Players, athletes get frustrated. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen that happen.”

Whether or not behavior like that happens frequently, that still does not excuse a supposed role model from behaving like that on the court while the world, including kids, is watching.

Furthermore, tennis experts do not believe that Serena effectively apologized during the press conference.

“I thought she had a chance to come clean in the press conference, and she didn’t,” Martina Navratilova, a four-time U.S. Open champion, said. “Obviously, what she did is not something you want to teach your kids to be doing.”

Ultimately, I think this is the take-home lesson from Serena’s tirade. I understand that people make mistakes and that in the heat of the moment, undesirable things can happen. But that does not excuse Serena. Her behavior marred this year’s U.S. Open and left a sour taste in the mouths of tennis fans everywhere. More importantly, an entire generation of kids who have grown up idolizing Serena for her heart and passion on the court may have been taught that behavior like hers is acceptable.

Days later, Serena did apologize profusely in press conferences. But I do not believe she seized the moment when it mattered most: at the initial post-game press conference. After her match, she could have showed the world that she was truly sorry for what had occurred. In the end, it was Serena who was — no pun intended — at fault.