Calling footfault at 5-6 15-30 2nd set is dumb and unprofessional

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Henry Kaspar

Rookie
.... in particular when there wasn't a footfault. Serena's rage was entirely understandable.

As a spectator and tennis fan I felt robbed. This could easily have been a legendary three-set thriller between two great players near the height of their game. A dumb lineswoman and an even dumber top official -- who apparently thought he should run the show and not the players -- prevented this from happening.
 
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pmerk34

Legend
Henry Kaspar said:
.... in particular when there wasn't a footfault. Serena's rage was entirely understandable.

As a spectator and tennis fan I felt robbed. This could easily have been a legendary three-set thriller between two great players near the height of their game. A dumb lineswoman and an even dumber top official -- who apparently thought he should run the show and not the players -- prevented this from happening.
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And they have never called footfaults in these spots before. IF they did Edberg would have never finished a match on the winning end.

Complete absurdity
 
P

pmerk34

Legend
Henry Kaspar said:
.... in particular when there wasn't a footfault. Serena's rage was entirely understandable.

As a spectator and tennis fan I felt robbed. This could easily have been a legendary three-set thriller between two great players near the height of their game. A dumb lineswoman and an even dumber top official -- who apparently thought he should run the show and not the players -- prevented this from happening.
Click to expand...

It's also unprecedented. For 40 year they never called footfaults in this spot.
 
B

Bjorn99

Hall of Fame
I am positive this woman will be in Peoples magazine and People Republic of China as a hero. The deliberate destruction of the US from all outside parties and within, continues.

Serena was going to take the match. Kim never plays well at the end.
 
film1

film1

Semi-Pro
Serena was not mad at the woman for being right or wrong, she was mad that she called it.
She was mad the woman did what she was told to do, call foot faults.

Watch her post interview.
 
G

gashandburn

New User
Henry Kaspar said:
.... in particular when there wasn't a footfault. Serena's rage was entirely understandable.

As a spectator and tennis fan I felt robbed. This could easily have been a legendary three-set thriller between two great players near the height of their game. A dumb lineswoman and an even dumber top official -- who apparently thought he should run the show and not the players -- prevented this from happening.
Click to expand...

but it wasn't a "legendary three-set thriller" because serena did footfault, there is no conclusive evidence that she didn't. rules are rules, there isn't room for interpretation on something as cut and dry as a footfault. i guess next time it's 15-40 in the 5th set, they shouldn't call a ball "out" when it is because it was at a critical time in the match. get real.
 
フェデラー

フェデラー

Hall of Fame
yes there is conclusive evidence that she didnt. I saw on espn a close up of her feet and all the commentators agreed that it did not look like there was a foot fault. I think if that didnt happen there is a great chance serena could have held and taken the match to three sets since clearly her game was picking up.
 
G

gashandburn

New User
フェデラー said:
yes there is conclusive evidence that she didnt. I saw on espn a close up of her feet and all the commentators agreed that it did not look like there was a foot fault. I think if that didnt happen there is a great chance serena could have held and taken the match to three sets since clearly her game was picking up.
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please link that video for me
 
BreakPoint

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
フェデラー said:
yes there is conclusive evidence that she didnt. I saw on espn a close up of her feet and all the commentators agreed that it did not look like there was a foot fault. I think if that didnt happen there is a great chance serena could have held and taken the match to three sets since clearly her game was picking up.
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Those pics are inconclusive because they are from the wrong angle.

Even Serena herself admitted that she indeed foot faulted. Read her entire press conference.
 
フェデラー

フェデラー

Hall of Fame
im sorry i dont have a video camera with me 24/7 to catch details of something i didnt even know they were going to show. they will most likely show it tonight. they just showed a small window with a magnification of her feet, and it didnt look like they passed the line.
 
G

gashandburn

New User
BreakPoint said:
Those pics are inconclusive because they are from the wrong angle.

Even Serena herself admitted that she indeed foot faulted. Read her entire press conference.
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i agree, her heel clearly moved forward, how much, i don't know since the angle was from behind.

however, (not surprisingly considering her earlier actions and comments) serena was being pretty sarcastic when saying that she did footfault in that press conference, so i don't think she was agreeing with the lineswoman... just being a brat.
 
Speranza

Speranza

Hall of Fame
As has been said on other posts, QUIT WITH THE RUBBISH OF FOOT FAULT!

Right or wrong, called or not, she should NOT have reacted that way. No excuse. That is what cost her the match.

Period.
 
Darth_Timmaayyy!!

Darth_Timmaayyy!!

Banned
BreakPoint said:
While we're at it, why don't we stop calling lets and aces when it's 5-6, 15-30? :roll:
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Agree.. How many threads have we had with idiots wanting the rules changed, because they think they are dumb?

If you feel robbed, then how about a team that is winning a basketball game, and on the buzzer, some kid throws from over the half way line for the luckiest shot of the year and makes the basket? Should we not call it a basket because the other team may get upset? eh noo.....

Tennis is tennis, and rules are rules until the very last point.. If you cant understand that. Then maybe marbles is your sport. Or even WWE. Then that way you can just make it up as you go..

Stupid kids, I mean seriously...
 
Lionheart392

Lionheart392

Professional
The call was unprofessional? HA! I'll tell you what was 'unprofessional' and that was the appalling behaviour of a supposed champion which came after.
 
OrangePower

OrangePower

Legend
I personally can't tell from the camera angles shown on TV whether there was a foot fault or not. So I have no idea whether the call was good or not.

BUT

Making the call should have nothing to do with what the score happened to be at the time. There is a rule in place about foot faulting. There is no rule that says that it applies only when the score is such-and-such but not when the score is so-and-so.

If the lineperson saw a footfault, it was her job to call it no matter what the score. Whether her call was good or not is another story.
 
gflyer

gflyer

Professional
Henry Kaspar said:
.... in particular when there wasn't a footfault. Serena's rage was entirely understandable.

As a spectator and tennis fan I felt robbed. This could easily have been a legendary three-set thriller between two great players near the height of their game. A dumb lineswoman and an even dumber top official -- who apparently thought he should run the show and not the players -- prevented this from happening.
Click to expand...

u must be joking, right?
 
woody88

woody88

Rookie
Bjorn99 said:
I am positive this woman will be in Peoples magazine and People Republic of China as a hero. The deliberate destruction of the US from all outside parties and within, continues.

Serena was going to take the match. Kim never plays well at the end.
Click to expand...

you're an effing tool for ever saying that. check your sanity at the door please. are you going to tell me next that pres obama lie about illegal aliens getting healthcare, mr. wilson?
 
gflyer

gflyer

Professional
BreakPoint said:
While we're at it, why don't we stop calling lets and aces when it's 5-6, 15-30? :roll:
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ditto.
Moreover the line umpire was just doing what I am sure she has been told hundreds of times during her training. She did what she was expected to do.
Calls are not dependent on the score. period.

And btw, to answer to the OP, Serena was waaaaaaaay unprofessional. Not the line umpire.
Being a top player in the world doesn't mean just to hit ball back and forth on the court.
 
kanamit

kanamit

Hall of Fame
Yes. It was SOOO unprofessional for that linesperson to do her job. She deserves to be fired. Next time the USTA should hire officials who do NOT enforce the rules.
 
F

FiveO

Hall of Fame
フェデラー said:
yes there is conclusive evidence that she didnt. I saw on espn a close up of her feet and all the commentators agreed that it did not look like there was a foot fault. I think if that didnt happen there is a great chance serena could have held and taken the match to three sets since clearly her game was picking up.
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a very liberal interpretation of "inconclusive" as the same video re-aired today was how Pat McEnroe described it.

If one watches any sport where video review is allowed remember that the rule attached to its use is that the video evidence must be CONCLUSIVE in order to overturn the call, otherwise, i.e.: INCONCLUSIVE, the call on the field stands.

The only video of the footfault call aired on either CBS or ESPN was the same footage which in fact was INCONCLUSIVE, if being objective, and that means one cannot clearly determine that it was not a footfault. PERIOD.

How you describe it is evidently how you want it to be but far from accurate.

5
 
P

pmerk34

Legend
gflyer said:
ditto.
Moreover the line umpire was just doing what I am sure she has been told hundreds of times during her training. She did what she was expected to do.
Calls are not dependent on the score. period.

And btw, to answer to the OP, Serena was waaaaaaaay unprofessional. Not the line umpire.
Being a top player in the world doesn't mean just to hit ball back and forth on the court.
Click to expand...

Wrong. Period.
 
J

jukka1970

Professional
Henry Kaspar said:
.... in particular when there wasn't a footfault. Serena's rage was entirely understandable.

As a spectator and tennis fan I felt robbed. This could easily have been a legendary three-set thriller between two great players near the height of their game. A dumb lineswoman and an even dumber top official -- who apparently thought he should run the show and not the players -- prevented this from happening.
Click to expand...

Sorry, but just because Serena is number 2 in the world, doesn't mean that she gets a pass on breaking a rule. The only stupid thing here is you, if you think the rules only apply to the lesser players.

And quite frankly they should have suspended her from the doubles final.
 
A

ArrowSmith

Banned
No one should ever call a fault or time violation on 'Ree. In fact every shot she hits should never be called out even if out by 2 meters.
 
kabob

kabob

Hall of Fame
It is dumb. Foot faults are generally a technicality that is little enforced and MOST linespeople understand this and let that sort of thing slide. A judge in tennis knows not to interject themselves into a match and determine outcomes. They are NOT to take it out of the players' hands. Serena's behavior was inexcusable but the whole incident should not have happened in the first place. And before you go off, look at the reaction in the media behind this. The tennis journalists and bloggers are saying the exact same thing and the naysayers that are completely against Williams' behavior are mostly those outside of tennis.
 
D

Diablo Rojo

New User
$10,500.00 in fines with possibly more actions to come. Her reaction to the call was wrong regardless to the accuracy of the call.
 
1

1970CRBase

Guest
kanamit said:
Yes. It was SOOO unprofessional for that linesperson to do her job. She deserves to be fired. Next time the USTA should hire officials who do NOT enforce the rules.
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Next time USTA should hire tt posters like OP who have the "common sense" - unlike professional lines judges - to know when not to enforce to rules! :rolleyes:

(yes, i'm annoyed at this attitude.)
 
P

pmerk34

Legend
1970CRBase said:
Next time USTA should hire tt posters like OP who have the "common sense" - unlike professional lines judges - to know when not to enforce to rules! :rolleyes:

(yes, i'm annoyed at this attitude.)
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The USTA hired judges like this for 40 years. This last moron was the one bad hire.
 
P

pmerk34

Legend
kabob said:
It is dumb. Foot faults are generally a technicality that is little enforced and MOST linespeople understand this and let that sort of thing slide. A judge in tennis knows not to interject themselves into a match and determine outcomes. They are NOT to take it out of the players' hands. Serena's behavior was inexcusable but the whole incident should not have happened in the first place. And before you go off, look at the reaction in the media behind this. The tennis journalists and bloggers are saying the exact same thing and the naysayers that are completely against Williams' behavior are mostly those outside of tennis.
Click to expand...

The morons here think Serena is actually the only player to foot fault close to match point in a grand slam semi. IT NEVER happened the other 40 years that's why it was never called.

You see not calling would have meant special treatment.

Idiots.
 
DaMiBru

DaMiBru

New User
Henry Kaspar said:
.... in particular when there wasn't a footfault. Serena's rage was entirely understandable.

As a spectator and tennis fan I felt robbed. This could easily have been a legendary three-set thriller between two great players near the height of their game. A dumb lineswoman and an even dumber top official -- who apparently thought he should run the show and not the players -- prevented this from happening.
Click to expand...

Thank you! Couldn't agree more. A foot fault, are you serious! lol
 
r2473

r2473

G.O.A.T.
フェデラー said:
yes there is conclusive evidence that she didnt. I saw on espn a close up of her feet and all the commentators agreed that it did not look like there was a foot fault. I think if that didnt happen there is a great chance serena could have held and taken the match to three sets since clearly her game was picking up.
Click to expand...

I don't think you understand the definition of foot fault. Does it matter if Serena's toe touched the line or not? Of course not.

WHAT IS A FOOTFAULT

When the linesperson says "footfault".

WHAT IS NOT A FOOTFAULT

When the linesperson does not not say "footfault".


Do you really believe that every 1mm footfault has been called? Of course not. So by definition, they were not footfaults.

According to the video replay, Serena did not touch the line, but yet it was a footfault by definition (I clearly heard the linesperson yell "footfault").


So by definition, Serena footfaulted. Also by definition, a footfault could happen at anytime. After all, this is the linesperson's job.
 
dozu

dozu

Banned
Henry Kaspar said:
.... in particular when there wasn't a footfault. Serena's rage was entirely understandable.

As a spectator and tennis fan I felt robbed. This could easily have been a legendary three-set thriller between two great players near the height of their game. A dumb lineswoman and an even dumber top official -- who apparently thought he should run the show and not the players -- prevented this from happening.
Click to expand...

you are either an idiot, or a troll
 
DaMiBru

DaMiBru

New User
It's funny how the same people who demand Serena's supension, which is not the penalty to this behavior, claim at the same time that calling an idiot foot fault is just acting upon the rule. Well so is not suspending her, duh! Funny all these contradictions. Once again, bla bla bla.
 
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