"I thought it was another Wimbledon conspiracy" - When Serena Williams called out chair umpire who made bizarre line calls
Serena Williams had to cope with several hurdles, especially during the early stages of her career, but never stopped short of confronting those who treated her unfairly.
The American was aghast during her 2004 US Open quarterfinal clash against Jennifer Capriati when the chair umpire made incorrect calls that led to her losing crucial points en route to a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 defeat.
Seeded third in New York, despite having slipped to World No. 11 in the rankings, Serena Williams got past Petra Mandula, Shikha Uberoi, Chanda Rubin and Lindsay Davenport before running into Capriati.
A series of bizarre calls by chair umpire Mariana Alves midway through the quarterfinal encounter left both Williams and the commentary team stunned. Several down-the-line returns from the 23-time Grand Slam champion were incorrectly called out by Alves.
Williams, who initially appeared a bit flustered, finally confronted the chair umpire to drive home the point that her shot had landed inside the line. While television commentators were just as perplexed with the umpire's calls as the player who had won the tournament twice in 1999 and 2002, it was Jennifer Capriati who eventually advanced to the semifinals.
Drawing a parallel to an incorrect umpiring call that caused her sister Venus Williams to lose to Karolina Sprem at Wimbledon in 2004, Serena said she thought the events at Flushing Meadows were part of a similar conspiracy.
"At first, I thought it was another Wimbledon conspiracy," she quipped after the match, which prompted the introduction of Hawk-Eye technology for line calls.
She also stated unequivocally that the Portuguese umpire should not be allowed to officiate in any of her matches in the future.
"I'd prefer she not umpire at my court anymore. She's obviously anti-Serena," she added.
2004 Wimbledon Women's 2R:
Karolina Sprem def. (3)Venus Williams 7-6(5), 7-6(6)
Chair umpire Ted Watts made a huge scoring error in the 2nd TB. Venus hit a winner for 3-1, but he called 3-2 making the score wrong the rest of the way.
He didn't umpire the rest of the tournament https://t.co/T8r2SCSS2q
Serena Williams and Jennifer Capriati, two American talents who developed a fierce rivalry
Serena Williams and Jennifer Capriati, who were both coached by Rick Macci early in their respective careers, played each other 17 times from 1999 until 2004, of which Williams won 10 times, including a series of eight straight wins between 2001 and 2003.
After getting past her senior counterpart in Berlin in 1999, the Michigan-born player slumped to four successive defeats, including one at the 2001 Wimbledon quarterfinals.
One of the most grueling matches between the two happened to be the 2002 French Open semifinals, with Capriati going down 3-6 7-6(2) 6-2.
Serena Williams tilted the scales by getting past Capriati in the 2003 Wimbledon quarterfinals.
Despite being a childhood prodigy who became a top-10 player at the age of 14, Capriati ended her career with just three Grand Slam titles even as Serena Williams bagged a whopping 23.