"I'll f***ing take the ball and shove it down your f***ing throat"- When Serena Williams abused a lineswoman during US Open SF against Kim Clijsters
Serena Williams was eliminated from the semifinals of the 2009 US Open after receiving a point penalty on her opponent's match point.
The American was the defending champion and entered the tournament as the second seed. She booked her place in the semifinals with straight-set wins over Alexa Glatch, Melinda Czink, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, 22nd seed Daniela Hantuchova, and 10th seed Flavia Pennetta.
Williams was up against Kim Clijsters, who had just made her comeback on the WTA Tour after overturning her retirement.
The Belgian put on a good show and won the opening set. She led 6-5 in the second set and Williams was serving to stay in the set at 15-30. The American's second serve was called a foot fault, thus giving Clijsters two match points.
Serena Williams was far from happy with the call and threatened the lineswoman that she would shove the ball down her throat.
"I swear to God I'll f***ing take the ball and shove it down your f***ing throat," the American told the lineswoman.
Williams was given a point penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct and Clijsters won the match to reach the US Open final.
Serena Williams was asked in her post-match press conference if she would apologize to the lineswoman for her words. She responded by stating that what she did was something many players did.
"Well, how many people yell at linespeople? So I think, you know, if you look at -- I don't know. All the people that, you know, kind of yell at linespeople, I think it's -- kind of comes sometimes. Players, athletes get frustrated. I don't know how many times I've seen that happen," Williams said.
Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters locked horns on nine occasions
Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters locked horns on nine occasions, with the former leading 7-2 in the head-to-head between the two.
Their first fixture came in the third round of the 1999 US Open, with Williams coming back from a set down to win 4-6, 6-2, 7-5. The American won the first five meetings between the two, including a couple of finals in Indian Wells and Tokyo.
Clijsters' first win over Williams came in the final of the 2002 WTA Tour Championships (now known as the WTA Finals), with the Belgian winning 7-5, 6-3. The American then beat her in the semifinals of the Australian Open and the NASDAQ-100 Open (now known as the Miami Open) in 2003.
The 2009 US Open semifinal was the last meeting between Williams and Clijsters.