NEW YORK (AP) - Serena Williams says her emotions got the best of her when she berated the chair umpire during her loss to Sam Stosur in the U.S. Open final.
“My emotions did get the best of me this past weekend when I disagreed with the umpire,” Williams tweeted Wednesday. “It has been a long road to get back to the US Open this year, and I am thankful to have had such a great two weeks in New York.”
Williams’ tweet came two days after she was cited for a code violation and fined $2,000 for verbally abusing chair umpire Eva Asderaki.
Facing a break point while serving in the first game of the second set Sunday night, Williams hit a forehand that she celebrated with a yell of “Come on!” Asderaki applied the hindrance rule, noting the scream came while Stosur reached out and got a racket on the ball. Asderaki awarded the point to Stosur.
That set Williams off on a series of insults directed at the official, reminiscent of her tirade on the same court when she berated and brandished her racket at a line judge who called a foot fault in the 2009 semifinal against Kim Clijsters.
Stosur stunned Williams 6-2, 6-3 Sunday, winning her first Grand Slam title. She became the first Australian woman to win a major championship since Evonne Goolagong Cawley at Wimbledon in 1980.
Williams won two tournaments heading into the U.S. Open and was considered a favorite despite being sidelined nearly a year with injuries and health issues. She returned in June after dealing with two foot surgeries and blood clots in her lungs.
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