NEW YORK, (Reuters) – Here is a brief description of matches that ended in controversial circumstances after Serena Williams was handed a point penalty on match point down to lose her semi-final against Kim Clijsters at the U.S. Open.
John McEnroe v Mikael Pernfors (1990 Australian Open fourth round): Angered by a line-call, McEnroe stopped in front of a lineswoman he thought had made the call and glared at her while bouncing a ball on his racket. Umpire Gerry Armstrong gave McEnroe a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct. Later in the match, McEnroe was sanctioned again for smashing a racket. Fired up by the second violation, McEnroe swore at the umpire and supervisor. Armstrong went on to announce: “Default Mr. McEnroe. Game, set, match.” He was fined $6,500.
Jeff Tarango v Alexander Mronz (1995 Wimbledon third round): Trailing against Mronz, Tarango lost his cool and refused to continue when umpire Bruno Rebeuh called one of his serves out. Tarango shouted: “That’s it, I’m not playing,” and turned to Rebeuh and yelled: “You are one of the most corrupt officials in the game and you can’t do that.”
He then asked a tournament supervisor to remove Rebeuh from the match and when his request was denied, the American packed his bags and stormed off the court, defaulting the match.Tarango’s French wife Benedicte got in the act when she walked up to Rebeuh and slapped him on the face.
Tarango was fined $63,000 and banned for two grand slam tournaments, including Wimbledon in 1996.Tim Henman and Jeremy Bates v Jeff Tarango and Henrik Holm (1995 Wimbledon men’s doubles match): Henman became the first player ever to be disqualified from Wimbledon when he accidentally hit ball girl Caroline Hall. As Hall moved to retrieve the ball near the net, Henman lashed out with his racket, hitting a ball he was holding. The girl received the full force of the ball on her ear. She initially fell to the ground, but then ran to her usual position in tears and a doctor was called. The British pair was instantly defaulted for “unsportsmanlike conduct” although Henman later publicly apologised to Hall and presented her with a bouquet of flowers. Serena Williams v Kim Clijsters (2009 U.S. Open semi-final): Trailing 4-6 5-6 15-30, Williams launched into a second serve but a bespectacled lineswoman sitting at the baseline held up her finger to call her on a foot-fault — meaning the American had served a double-fault to go match point down.Astounded by the verdict, Williams flipped out and marched up to the official. She waved her racket ominously in the lineswoman’s direction and then shook a ball in her clenched fist before launching into an expletive-laden rant.“I swear to God I’m… going to take this… ball and shove it down your… throat, you hear that?” she said.
“I swear to God. You better be glad—you better be… glad that I’m not, I swear,” Williams told the line-judge.
Having already received a warning earlier in the match for smashing a racket, Williams was handed an automatic point penalty for a second violation which gave Clijsters the match 6-4 7-5.
