timeisonmyside
Semi-Pro
Why are people so swayed by words? My opinion of Serena was formed by her actions throughout the years, culminating in this most recent tirade. That she issued an apology, whether genuine or not, does not change my opinion.
Serena Apoligies To Linesperson
- Thread starter RalphNYC
- Start date
Grass_for_cows
Semi-Pro
You'd think Serena killed a lineswoman on the court or something.
And what's with all the people getting personally upset like it's somehow any of their business? If I were the lineswoman, I would find all the "apology not accepted"s far, far ruder and more reprehensible than Serena's direct outburst.
At least a direct insult treats you with dignity.
And what's with all the people getting personally upset like it's somehow any of their business? If I were the lineswoman, I would find all the "apology not accepted"s far, far ruder and more reprehensible than Serena's direct outburst.
At least a direct insult treats you with dignity.
This about sums up a good majority of the *****ing a lot of little girls do on this site!! Lets try to really keep the topic on tennis and our enjoyment of it not the negative aspects. Negative people STFU!
Couln't of been a manager or PR person who typed it could it?Or am i being too cynical?
Tennis Fan
Rookie
SERENA APOLOGY: Verbally & Live After Winning USO Doubles
On ch. 2 (CBS), Serena just verbally apologized LIVE after she won the doubles w/ Venus. This was another apology after the one posted on her site, which was also read right before the doubles match was shown on ESPN2.
All of America should feel even better now!
This post was moved & added to this thread.
On ch. 2 (CBS), Serena just verbally apologized LIVE after she won the doubles w/ Venus. This was another apology after the one posted on her site, which was also read right before the doubles match was shown on ESPN2.
All of America should feel even better now!
This post was moved & added to this thread.
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crazysoccer00
Rookie
You are talking about the same lineswoman that called a foot fault in what would be the last game of the semi-finals of the US open right?
Bilbo
Semi-Pro
She apologized publicly after her doubles match...
pame
Hall of Fame
Sounds like you hoped she WOULDN'T apologise -- that way you could keep nailing her to the cross -- oh wait....
pame
Hall of Fame
No she called you and said that she wants to apologize.
Cyborg, I don't know about Canada, but in UK and various other parts of the English-speaking world, "I want to apologise" is totally as acceptable as "I apologise", and a pretty normal way of phrasing an apology.
I don't believe she is sincere.
I don't believe she feels remorse or empathy for the distress she must have caused that linesperson.
This is a PR statement, plain and simple.
At least her PR agent understands the key issue is her criminal behavior and its effect on the minds of young people who view her as a role model. If it is not punished, what message do the ruling bodies send to these kids ? Actions have no real consequences even when it is a threat of violence ?
Very sad
I don't believe she feels remorse or empathy for the distress she must have caused that linesperson.
This is a PR statement, plain and simple.
At least her PR agent understands the key issue is her criminal behavior and its effect on the minds of young people who view her as a role model. If it is not punished, what message do the ruling bodies send to these kids ? Actions have no real consequences even when it is a threat of violence ?
Very sad
On ch. 2 (CBS), Serena just verbally apologized LIVE after she won the doubles w/ Venus. This was another apology after the one posted on her site, which was also read right before the doubles match was shown on ESPN2.
All of America should feel even better now!
Verbal
I didn't see it yet. I'm 100% sure it is just damage control at this point. A true apology should have occured IMMEDIATELY after the match.
^Link doesn't work outside the US. I'm sure it will be on a video site sooner or later. Anyhow like I said, a true sincere person would apologize right away instead of avoiding questions and lying about remembering what she said. It's obvious she's panicking about possible sanctions by the ITF and by her sponsors.
Deuce
Banned
^ Right.
Anyone who honestly believes that an 'apology' that is issued at least 24 hours late, begins with "Hey, guys...", and ends with "Xxxxx", to be in any way even remotely sincere, is suffering from a lack of proper brain function.
heftylefty
Hall of Fame
Wow...too bad there was not the same outrage during Connors and McEnroe's reign of terror. What happened? Did the Tennis Establishment finally grow a pair?
35ft6
Legend
So you dismiss it as a public relations, publicity stunt, then also fault her for not making it a bigger publicity stunt?
35ft6
Legend
They are white and male. It's amusing when people like them, Rush Limbaugh, and Bobby Knight act up, angry white men everywhere sort of identify with them, live vicariously through their anger.
Deuce
Banned
^ Connors' & McEnroe's time was also 25-30 years ago.
It's a different tennis world now - and a different world overall.
There was also Nastase, who was not quite as 'white bread' as Connors & McEnroe.
heftylefty
Hall of Fame
What different about the tennis world now? Also, Connors and McEnroe are still celebrated. I suggest you read "Hard Courts"
Deuce
Banned
^ You're joking, right?
I've been following (and playing) tennis for 3 decades - I know what was happening back then.
There is no way in hell that any tennis player today - no matter their colour or gender - would be able to get away with the stuff that Nastase, Connors & McEnroe were doing back then. That is as clear as it possibly can be.
I just watched the Serena-Venus post match press conference and I found Serena's comments quite disappointing. She said she wanted to contact the lineswoman, but didn't have the information to, and [anyway] she's ready to move on...
What?? That is so lame. All she has to do is ask the USTA for the lineswoman's telephone number -- AND MAKE THE CALL.
"I would just want to give her a big ol' hug!" doesn't cut it.
She may be one of the best tennis players ever, but after her tirade on the court and her behavior afterwards (full of glib self-forgiveness and lame self-justification), in my mind, she's no champion and certainly no role model.
She has cheapened herself and cheapened the sport.
She has cheapened herself and cheapened the sport.
THUNDERVOLLEY
G.O.A.T.
Human nature is an alien concept to those of your ilk; there is no time clock on sincerity of an apology. Thoughts such as regret, self-reflection, etc. all enter the mind, and there is no "perfect"/Ivory Tower time for that.
THUNDERVOLLEY
G.O.A.T.
Yet your stellar memory cannot recall the kid-gloves treatment of Hewitt's racist tirade against Blake & a linesperson at the 2001 USO--a full display of his embracing one of the worst moral cancers of humankind--making Serena'a act appear to be hugs and kisses.
What did Hewitt receive? Instant fines and threats of further action like Serena? NO. No disciplinary action whatsoever.
Funny how THAT is swept under the carpet of memory of certain individuals attempting (and failing) to demonize Serena.
Rabbit
G.O.A.T.
This is the best comment I've seen on the subject.
No, there were some distinct differences in the two incidents. Hewitt's comments were about as stupid as one can be. If I remember correctly, Hewitt's main offense was to say "look at him" in reference to the linesman being black and giving Blake a call because of that. There is no doubt that Hewitt's comment was plain stupidity.
However....Hewitt did not threaten the linesman by saying
"I would take this %^&*ing ball and stuff it down your %^&*ing throat and kill you" and then follow that up with who knows what.
And, in the 4 decades I've been watching tennis, I've seen it all. I've seen Jimmy Connors call an umpire "an abortion"...I've seen John McEnroe berate an umpire's intelligence, his family lineage, and his very right to be called a human being...he's called umps jerks, bums, and everything else.
But..........I've never seen John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, Ilie Nastase, or any other pro, even Jeff Tarango go the the extreme that Williams did.
And this is not about Williams gender or ethnicity. Jeff Tarango was hit hard with both suspension and penalties and rightfully so. And all he did was question the umpire's integrity. He never threatened him with violence. Andre Agassi who was a friend of Tarango's said that he told Tarango he had gone over the line and Agassi agreed with the penalties.
Serena Williams called Justine Henin a "%^&*ing b!tch" and was not fined. That is acceptable, well not really but whatever. Prefix that with "I'd stuff a ball down your throat and kill you" and it's a whole different ball game.
There in lies your difference.
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Azzurri
Legend
learn to read...not everyone has been "encouraging" towards Serena.
THUNDERVOLLEY
G.O.A.T.
Racism is more than "plain stupidity. "Plain stupidity" does not carry the legacy of centuies of subjugation, disrespect and other intolerable abuses. The moral cancer of racism does, and Hewitt's tirade was seen for what it was: stated racism in action. Yes, observers were shocked and offended, yet no punitive action was taken, which carries the stench of official acceptance, when the PTB (with all of their claims of tolerance and singing the praises of King and Ashe) should have eliminated Hewitt for such a monumental offense.
...again, no punitive action was taken.
...again, making Serena's non-violent act seem loving in comparison.
I've watched for decades as well, and Serena's rant pales in comparison to Hewitt's exercise in racial hatred...unless we are now considering Serena's non-threat (as no action was carried out) worse than one of the most destructive kinds of mindsets ever known in human history...
drakulie
Talk Tennis Guru
What a reach. This post is so wrong on so many levels. I suggest you actually know about a subject before speaking about it. Hewitt made a stupid comment, that's it. he said something like, "look at him", in reference to the line ump being the same color as Blake.
He didn't walk up to him, threaten him, curse at him, repeatedly.
You're a joke.
Bottom line is, Serena is a disgrace, and an embarassment to the WTA. Furthermore, the USTA is also a disgrace for not immediately suspending her.
THUNDERVOLLEY
G.O.A.T.
Try to comment when you can avoid spinning posts to suit hollow arguments, and your oft-posted bias, little boy.
This was not about your imaginary threat, this is about behavior--which in Hewitt's was textook racism (which you pretend does not exist). Too bad your limp spin job failed you.
Well there were still a lot of people milling in around the grounds, tehn everybody got in for the men's finals. I was there and wanted to see how the people there would react to her when she came out. I didn't recall anybody booing when they came out and when they were introduced.
drakulie
Talk Tennis Guru
Ok :roll:
Then in that case, Serena's actions were also racist. She was racist towards a poor little asian woman, and threatening, which Hewitt's wasn't, "little girl".
Henry Kaspar
Rookie
Hewitt is an intense tennis player who acted stupid, Serena is an intense tennis player who acted stupid, both kinda made up for it, tennis players often act stupid, it's pointless to take every word of them literallly, especially when spoken the heat of actiony, it's even more even more pointless to try compare which word spoken in the heat of action may have been more inappropirate, and -- it is time to move on.
drakulie
Talk Tennis Guru
I agree both said very stupid things, however, one took it to another level and threatened another human being. Serena is in a "position of power" with her status in tennis, and "main attraction" of this match>>> the lineswoman is an after-thought. Sadly, she walked over with racquet waving it in a thretening manner at another human being, screaming at her at the top of her lungs profanities and threats. She did this more than once, to someone who was seating beneath her. Hewitt did nothing of the sort.
The players (Serena and lineswoman) in this incident were not on "level playing fields", if you know what I mean.
Serena definitely should have been suspended no later than the following morning, whether she apologized or not. Period.
drwood
Professional
You can only move on once the appropriate punishment has been made to match the offense. For example, a situation where a husband who threatens and verbally abuses his wife isn't adequately addressed until proper legal action has been taken -- the proper response by the wife isn't to just "move on".
Once Serena is stripped of her singles and doubles prize money from this tournament, fined an additional $250K and then suspended from the 2010 Australian Open, then it will be time to completely move on.
Henry Kaspar
Rookie
Get a life.
Henry Kaspar
Rookie
Get a life.
drwood
Professional
I have one. Stop trolling.
THUNDERVOLLEY
G.O.A.T.
"F" is the only grade for you, junior. Here is the reason why: Hewitt's disgusting self rants about the race of his two targets--all out in the open--but you want to wave your limp, magic spin stick and transform Serena's tirade into one which had no trace of racism at all.
Try again, boy.
35ft6
Legend
I thought what Hewitt did was much worse. I've seen a lot of people in my life totally lose their temper and say they're going to shove something in another person's orifice, and we always understood, "they're angry." But what Hewitt did, if one of my friends did that, I wouldn't hang out with them any more. One is a very generic form of expressing anger in my world. What Hewitt did was much more specific, not just generic s$%t talk I've heard a millions times, but very specific and thought out. With that said, I don't hate the guy.
Much worse than criminal assault with a weapon ?
I have a hard time understanding how anyone could think what Hewitt did even approaches what Serena did.
Hewitt suggested that racial bias was involved in a line call.
Serena commited an assault with a [deadly ?] weapon while spewing profanities and then issuing a death threat. And she did it twice.
As I have said before, she would be in jail right now if she'd have done that at the Unisphere or in Manhatten and the lady pressed charges.
I have a hard time understanding how anyone could think what Hewitt did even approaches what Serena did.
Hewitt suggested that racial bias was involved in a line call.
Serena commited an assault with a [deadly ?] weapon while spewing profanities and then issuing a death threat. And she did it twice.
As I have said before, she would be in jail right now if she'd have done that at the Unisphere or in Manhatten and the lady pressed charges.
obsessedtennisfandisorder
Professional
Brilliant post.
i can't beilieve the hatred on here ofr serena...
she's already been punished...get it? she was docked a point and that led
to her losing the match...end of story....she shook clijsters hand and that was
the end of that.
It's happened in men's matches too...eg Johhny mac 90 aussies open...and
as far as I can remember mac wasn't *banned* for anything after that.
In the 2001 wimby final...goran called a linesguy a "F#$g*t" audible on TV
in front of millions too..not only did he not get defaulted...nothing at all happened.
How about Roddick going ballistic at refs in aussie or multiple male players
cursing refs and linespeople?
serena already been punished so just get on with life.
jamesblakefan#1
G.O.A.T.
Give me a freaking break. Assault w/ a deadly weapon? Yeah, there's a huge rash of tennis racket/tennis ball related deaths all around the US...:roll:
If you really think Serena would actually take a ball and shove it down someone's throat, you're crazier than Serena is, and maybe YOU should be the one locked up, for furthering and fueling a crap agenda.
35ft6
Legend
I have a hard time understanding how anybody could describe what Serena did as being assault with a [deadly ?] weapon. Twice.
Yeah, and if Bobby Knight threw chairs around at the airport, or Mike Tyson punched somebody outside a boxing ring, or a football player tackled a person at Rite Aid, they would be arrested, too. I've seen a lot of people yelling and making death threats on the streets of NYC, and never have I seen them get arrested. Have you? Not just NY, but have you actually seen people get arrested for threatening somebody on the street?
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