As I Predicted, Serena's Boorish and Threatening Behavior Continues

Serena threatening umpire, 2011

Serena Williams -- who menaced a line judge who called a foot fault on her and threatened the cowed woman with physical harm at the U.S. Open three years ago -- repeated her performance in 2011. I predicted that she would because Ms. Williams showed no remorse or concern that she had done anything wrong following the original incident, while John McEnroe, the on-air announcer, excused her assault.

And then there were these (and other) comments from PT readers and ardent Serena supporters:

"After playing for hours, and losing her first set of the tournament she was UNDERSTANDABLY upset. That bogus call put her 1 point away from losing all that she's worked for these past few weeks."

And my favorite, who thought the official was insufficiently punished:

"It is very strange that we pick and choose which sports and sport figures we will decide to castigate once they exhibit aggressive behavior. Baseball players yell, curse and spit at officials quite often. Hockey players are well known for slugging players who aren't looking. Yet, calling a foot fault in a pivotal moment just because you can is justified. From what we have been shown it was clearly a bad call."

Notice how these commenters reserve the right (like Williams) to decide that the call was bad and to overrule the official, to assert that any response by the player was justified, and (in the second comment) to divine the evil intent of the official (Williams' comments to the umpire below make the same assumption).

Given such backing by family and friends, is it any wonder that when confronted with an official's call she disliked this year, Williams acted exactly the same way? Here is the New York Times' description of Serena's 2011 outburst:

For the second time in three years, Williams's menacing behavior toward an official at Arthur Ashe Stadium overshadowed her opponent's brilliance. In 2009, Williams lashed out at a lineswoman who called her for a foot fault, losing her semifinal to the unseeded Kim Clijsters when she was given a point penalty on match point.

On Sunday, Stosur defeated Williams, 6-2, 6-3, in a final that will be remembered for Williams's outburst directed at the chair umpire Eva Asderaki in the ninth game, which changed the tenor, if not the thrust, of the match. . . .

[W]hen Williams ripped a forehand to Stosur's backhand for an apparent winner to stave off another break, she could not contain her glee, screaming, "Come on!" But Stosur stuck out her racket and got a piece of the ball, and when she made contact, it brought into play the hindrance rule. That rule cost Marion Bartoli a point under similar circumstances in her second-round match. . . .

After Williams won the first point with another stinging forehand, she walked toward Asderaki and, pointing her racket as if it were an extension of her index finger, said something that earned her a code violation from Asderaki. During the changeover two games later, Williams continued to take Asderaki to task.

"Seriously," she said, "you have it out for me and I promise you. ..." She bit her tongue but then unloosed it to add: "That's not cool. That's totally not cool."

Asked about the incident in her postmatch news conference, Williams said she was "just in the zone" at the time and did not remember what she had said. (This is the same "blackout" excuse she gave the first time around.)

During the match, commentators slighted and overlooked Williams' egregious actions, so that television viewers could hardly be sure what she actually said and did. After the match, several interviewers acted like she had simply had a bad moment that could occur for anyone. For her part, Williams -- just as she did the first time -- justified her outlandish behavior by refering to the injustice done to her.

Williams should not be allowed to play again until she apologizes publically, as well as privately to the official she threatened -- as should have occurred three years ago. Of course, on both occasions she should have been ejected and the matches ended and her opponent assigned a victory (which, fortunately, both opponents actually secured).

But, of course, probably the best woman's tennis player in the world will never be seriously called to task for her behavior -- as witnessed by the fawning treatment she received in the televised award ceremony immediately after the match.

We must teach our children, after all, that as Americans, might makes right.

Follow Stanton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/speele5