Order on the Court

Anyone watching the conclusion of the rain-delayed women's semi-final match between Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters on Saturday evening was probably stunned by the outcome. I don't necessarily mean the victory to Clijsters but rather the way in which she won. Although a straight set victory wasn't necessarily a given at that point in the match, it was a very distinct possibility. Clijsters had won the first set and was within a few points of winning the second (and the match) when Serena Williams double faulted by committing a foot fault. The reaction was immediate and sudden and was what ultimately sealed Williams's fate.

Although the cameras and microphones around the stadium are quite powerful there are definitely some tirades which network censors try to drown out and Serena's outburst definitely falls into that category. I hadn't seen very many of her other matches in the tournament but I do know that many had been commenting on the fact that there was a perception of 'over-officiating' at the US Open this year. Be that as it may, it was the straw that finally broke the camel's back for Serena. After being called for a foot fault for the second time in the match (and unintentionally setting up double match point for Clijsters) Serena proceeded to 'chew out' the line judge who was seated off court. She proceeded to curse out the judge and told her that she would stuff the tennis ball that she happened to be holding down her throat.

On the heels of that the chair umpire (who couldn't hear despite being seated on the court) called the judge over and asked her what the problem had been. The match officials also came over at this point and got involved as well. They determined that Williams had her second code of conduct violation for the match (the first being near the conclusion of the first set when she broke her racket by hitting it on the court after losing a rally) which resulted in her having another point lost which gave the match to Clijsters. Clijsters and the crowd were stunned and thus came to a close a match which had apparently been very difficult for Williams.

Now not being a tennis player I can't comment on whether the foot fault actually occurred or not but I would say that while I can understand the frustration that Williams must have felt, there was no need to take it out on the judge. Additionally, by doing so she probably wasn't helping her mindset or composure either. I've seen many tennis matches over the years and I can say that I've seen a variety of reactions as well. I remember seeing a match at the French Open between Arancha Sanchez Vicario where she was down two sets and was holding off three match points (which she did) and ultimately came back to win the match and ultimately the tournament. At that time she had been called 'over the hill' and 'beyond her prime' but she fought back against the critics and the frustrations of that match to take the victory. Her opponent in that match? Venus Williams; Serena's older sister.

One thing that I realized after seeing Williams's reaction on court was just how much these players are into their sports. But what I think it definitely also shows is how one shouldn't act on court. All through the match up until that point, Williams had been talking to herself about how she just couldn't return the ball properly or how things weren't just going right. I think after a long time she was finally challenged by someone who (again) was considered to be past their prime. Clijsters had been gone from tennis for two years after the birth of her first child and was making her return to tennis as an unseeded (meaning unranked) player. Not only did she come back but she did it without losing her cool or her nerve. Maybe Serena could learn something from her about how to keep your chin up in the face of adversity.