Serena Williams was upset on Sunday at the 2011 U.S. Open. Adding insult to injury, the United States Tennis Association has issued a $2,000 fine for Williams' comments to the umpire during her loss to Samantha Stosur.
Williams could have potentially been banned considering she was still on probation stemming from a similar incident in 2009 during a match with Kim Clijsters, but it was apparently decided this didn't violate her probation and instead got by with a seemingly very small simple slap on the wrist.
"This fine is consistent with similar offenses at Grand Slam events," the U.S. Tennis Association said in a statement, according to Bloomberg News. "After independently reviewing the incident which served as the basis for the code violation, and taking into account the level of fine imposed by the U.S. Open referee, the Grand Slam Committee director has determined that Ms. Williams's conduct, while verbally abusive, does not rise to the level of a major offense under the Grand Slam Code of Conduct."
The comments Williams made were picked up by the television broadcast, magnifying the incident, but it's likely she probably would have been fined regardless for the following comments to the umpire:
- "Aren't you the one who screwed me over last time here? I promise you, that's not cool. That's totally not cool."
- "If you ever see me walking down the hall, look the other way, because you're totally out of control. You're a hater and unattractive inside."
Williams could still face more fines. Considering it was determined she didn't violate her probation, however, she'll probably be fine with that.