Serena Wants You To Know Her Side Of The Story
Serena Williams was slapped with the biggest fine in tennis' history ($82,500) for her meltdown at this year's U.S. Open, but Williams hasn't been able to get a word in edgewise!
We guess that's why Serena has taken to her official blog to rant about the fine - which Williams says was actually $92k, but she paid the initial $10,000 right after her choice comments.
So what does the tennis champ have to say?
Check it out for yourself:
Hey Guys!
As the world seems to know or for those who don't I want to speak about my recently dubbed "outburst" and how I feel.
I have recently been fined by the Grand Slam Committee of the ITF (International Tennis Federation) over 82 thousand dollars for getting mad and using the "F-bomb" at a line Judge.
To clear things up FIRST I was NOT fined 82 thousand dollars. I was fined 92 thousand dollars! I paid 10 thousand dollars on site immediately after the U. S. Open. So for the record, I was fined $92,000 not $82,000! The biggest fine EVER in tennis.
Also for all those that don't know, I felt incredibly bad, and miserable for losing my cool, and most importantly not representing the person I really am spiritually and the role model I want to be to my young fans. I have been a very feisty player all my life, but when the time came for me to be calm and cool, I did not exercise a mild temper. How I regret not being a better role model and person to all of my fans. I apologized to my fans and even wrote a personal letter to the lines woman with my apologies. She understood as she often witnesses this as it is not uncommon in my sport, or any other sport. She was extremely supportive and said that she did not think any further actions should be taken against me.
A few years ago in a most important match being watched my millions; I was blatantly cheated and robbed of a US Open title by yet another official. I was again on the wrong side of not one or two, but several other bad calls. This incident however changed tennis. Because of what was incorrectly done to me, the whole sport of tennis adapted new technology for a player to challenge the calls lines persons make if the player feels they were wronged. I was expected to take solace in the fact even though I lost the U.S Open title (a dream I've been working for since I was 2 years old). At least others won't be wronged in the future. I am always happy for the next person. I always am. I received apologies from the USTA, the Lines Official, and the Head of the US Open. However I don't recall EVER receiving a note, a phone call, a letter even a text from anyone at the Grand Slam Committee ITF apologizing about the wrong and disastrous call one of THEIR officials made.
When I was a teenager I was booed by an entire packed stadium at Indian Wells. In my new book "On the line" I talk about how I remember crying on every changeover in the towel. Praying and wishing I could lose and the match would just be done with. When the match was over I thanked the crowd those that cheered for me, and even those that did not. Looking back I am still amazed how I remained so calm and positive, and even managed to come out on top.
The fact is every professional athlete gets wronged in one way or another. And every athlete gets upset. We have been working, sacrificing, missing out on numerous things, things we will never get back or experience for the sake of our careers. For the sake of that one moment in time where we have a chance to shine through.
Imagine for 20 years working day in, day out, sacrificing on countless things to get this job, that will make all your hard work and endless efforts worthwhile. Try to imagine having that promotion in one moment being taken away from you because of a slight over sight, by someone overseeing your work. 20 years gone away. Time to start over, dust yourself off and try again. You work harder make positive changes. It happens again.
"Dust yourself off" you say. "Try again"
You do just that. You work even harder than before, spend longer hours. Then it happens yet again. Another slight oversight.
Well this is what happened to me, and to be honest I believe I reached my boiling point. After yet ANOTHER wrong call I began to wonder- Was I being "overlooked" or wrongly judged on purpose!??? Is this being done to keep me from achieving my best? Why does this keep happening at the same place?
Throughout my career I have remained calm. But I guess I finally reached my breaking point. A point I should have never allowed myself to get to. Everything seemed to have surfaced. As you know, losing my cool cost me over 92 thousand dollars. 92 thousand dollars! This is more than most people make in a year. 92 thousand dollars! Answer this: Why is it another player who also lost HIS cool not to a line judge - like I did - but to the main officiating judge- using the same "f word" why was HE only fined 10 thousand dollars. Was what I did 10 times worse than what he did?!
There is another HE who was fined less than half of what I was fined after someone in his camp actually physically ATTACKED an official!!!!
What about the famous HE who made arguing with officials "cool". Cool for "MEN" I guess.
Is it because they are all HE's and not a SHE like me?It is indeed a massive difference. Being American I guess the 1st amendment, freedom of speech, does not apply to a SHE in this case? In any event the Grand Slam Committee, ITF and its staff did not hesitate to call, send a note, text, nor write letters after this incident. Ironic is it not?
I don't mind being fined. If I did wrong I accept the repercussions. All I ask for is to be treated equal.
When I was fined the 92K, I asked to see if I could donate some of it to different schools, and programs I'm involved in. My request was denied. So, I decided to match the fine by raising money and donating an additional 92K to my 2nd school that I am opening up in Africa, as well as to schools that I am helping here in the United States. I also want to educate women about what I learned from this whole experience. How we as women are still treated as less than equal. I am going to turn this 92K into a positive!!! And I have decided to call it Serena's 92K mission!!! Go to Serenawilliams.com to learn more about my 92K mission.
Xxxx,
Serena Williams
If you made it this far - thoughts????
[Image via WENN.]
Suri Cruise Has Had Enough!
Gary Busey Will Spawn!
Nope…. made it past first two paragraphs and gave up.
What a whiner. It's always about race to her - never that SHE is the problem. Should have just said she screwed up and left it at that - then maybe I'd have some respect for her.
Serena…you make a lot of good points in your blog. Good for you for opening schools….you're doing the right thing. Stay above it all and keep that head high!
zzz! I'm betting nobody got through the entire blog.
Don't flatter yourself Serena….
NOBODY CARES!!!! GET OVER YOURSELF….. YOU ACTED LIKE A SPOILED PIECE OF JUNK ON THE COURT…. unfortunately you cannot make people forgive you….
your not a little girl anymore….
I couldn't bear to read all this crap.
Did she ever pass a gender test??
Yeah, I'm not reading all of that. Next?
She's guilty. Pay up and start owning your mistakes!
i didnt read that whole thing… i'm over it
I know that this isn't 4chan or anything, but you will all agree with me when I say
TL;DR
You go girl!!!
You go girl!!
Eh…I've never been a huge fan of Serena's, but she does make valid points, and she's right….there's some hypocrisy going on down at the ITF.
It wasn't about race, it was about gender, and she's right.
Maybe all of you a**holes who are commenting need to finish reading the blog. She has really good points. Its not about race, its about gender.
Its not a fucking race thing like everything else black people take to heart, however, she is right about the fine. She should NOT have been fined that much if no one else was. The judge must have really not liked her? Who knows.
Re: stacilu30 – Its interesting that you say she "always" focuses on race…however she did not make one mention of race being the reason for this fine in her statement. She does however mention gender. I could care less what she did, or if she was fined for her actions, or how much the fine is….but I think it's quite amusing when people point fingers at others for playing the race card - when that is what THEY themselves are doing:)
it is kind of obvious that she doesn't know when to shut up.
Re: stacilu30 – actually it sounded more like it's about gender/sex to her…not race…
while I agree she was wrong, there is a definite double standard. how could anyone deny that point?
I agree with her when she says that male players who argue with officials seem cool. They were denitely harder on her because she's a woman (and women are supposed to be classy and what not). Go Serena!
BOY! The bitch is one ugly MAN!!!
Too bad there were only monetary implications for him… He still has moneys left over for steroids though.
I actually did read it all, And she does admit that what she did wasnt right. But she also brings up valid points. I camt believe she got fined THAT much, and the fact that there are other ppl who have done the same and maybe worse havent even paid half of what she has to pay! I also understand, that a person can only do so much and take so much crap before they say something. Im sure if anyone of us were in her position, we wud of done the same.
I actually read all of that because I'm a tennis fan!! I think she made some interesting points about gender in athletics, which has always been an issue. And I do think its wrong to be fined $92,000 when other male athletes get fined only $10,000. Seriously? 92K for saying "fuck"? Thats ridiculous and happens in male-dominated sports all the time with not nearly the same level of consequence. So on that level, I get what she's saying.
But all that shit about having to sacrifice and give things up and work so hard…its true, but I think the millions of dollars is worth it. So shut it.
ok so WHERE the fuck is that $92,000 dollars going?
why couldn't it go to charity?
that seriously makes me wonder what kind of scam the ITF is pulling.
That and the very good point that a man who pulled some
similar stupid shit was fined half as much.
She raises very valid points in the inequality of women in not just tennis, but all sports.
She owned up to her mistake, but also made some excellent points. Women do get the shaft when it comes to many things. If some of you here paid attention, she never mentioned race at all. It was all about her being fined more because she's a woman, while men get off lighter.
Re: stacilu30 –
Wow, you're comment makes you seem really stupid. Maybe you're like all the other people on this thread who are too lazy to read and didn't actually get to the section where Williams cites gender (not race) as a possible reason for the biased call. Or maybe you did read and your comprehension skills aren't the best. Either way, she gives some very good evidence to suggest that she was treated unequally and unfairly (a male tennis player ATTACKING a judge and being fined 10k? seriously?). Anyone on the reading level of fourth grader could see that.
I made it all the way through and I've never been a fan of the Williams sisters. However, after reading this, I am in full support of Serena and believe she at the very least deserves honest answers to the questions she poses. She's not whining (much as I wish I could say she is) she's merely speaking up for herself and rightly so. She admits her wrongdoing and handled the consequences with more grace than I ever could have. Serena, I apologize to you, I stand corrected. Well done!
Read the whole article: BRAVO SERENA
“I swear to God, I’m fuckin’ takin’ this ball and shovin’ it down your fuckin’ throat… I swear to God. Motherfucker." …
This being said, that sounds less like than a curse and sounds more like a threat. She was wrong. Bottom line. Opening schools in Africa where girls have a higher chance of getting raped is not going to turn everyone back on to you. How about admitting that you were just plain wrong………
OMG….someone PLEASE summarize! i'm only maybe half interested in this story but not enough to read a freakin' book!
BALATANT discrimination. How terrible. I wish there was some way for her to sue the living shit out of them and donate all THAT money to charity.
regardless of the entire blog, she had an unprofessional outburst and I'm inclined to think that if you make that kind of money and in the public eye, it shouldn't take too much effort to act like a civil human being. She's just doing damage control kinda like that Vick guy who electrocuted dogs for fun…..pay up!!!!
Not one good excuse for what she did. And the money she paid is a drop in the bucket. She can never take back what we all saw. We saw the REAL SERENA.
Wow. So you're PROUD of the fact that you couldn't even make it through her blog, and then you have the audacity to spout your opinion on something you didn't even read. Here's a clue:
This has nothing to do with race
She DID admit she was wrong
All she wants to know is why she was fined $92,000 for something that a MAN was fined $10,000 for. And to be perfectly honest, it is a VERY good question.
Oh boo hoo . Nothing like a poor me Serena Pity Party. You were booed because you and your sister cheat under the guidance of your father ,
when you were first coming up. You both faked injuries at the last minute
and pulled out of matches when you had to play each other, so as to
help each others rankiings. Your father held up an ignorant sign against
Lindsey Davenport when she lost. You can take the Williams family out of
the ghetto but you can't take the ghetto out of the Williams family. You don't mind taking the money, now take responsibility for your poor behaviour without whining .
Professional athletes make sacrifices for their craft, and they are paid extremely well for making those sacrifices. This is whining, pure and simple. She is not owed an apology.
What she is doing to raise money for kids is admirable, but the mistake never should have been made in the first place.
I TOTALLY agree with her. And she didn't use racism at all you dumb asses!!! But she made the best points and 92K is dumb!!! This is why I dont watch sports because I think it's a bunch of money waisted on a freaking game!! Tiger makes millions and look at the roll model he is and look at all the poor kids we have and are money is going to people like him.
i dont think I male tennis player has ever told a lines judge im going to shove this fucking ball down your fucking throat. she is in the wrong. she just cant admit that. she threatened the linesjudge, thats why she got a bigger fine
Gender had nothing to do with her getting the larger fine. She got it because she physically threatened the lines person. Even The Brat John McEnroe in
all of his tirades never threatened physcial harm to an umpire or lines
person. When you say your going to FUcking shove a tennis ball down someone's throat (which she did) she deserves what she got.
She is absolutely right, it was unfair to fine her so much when so many males do the exact same thing or worse and are fined so little. If she had been a gay athlete and she was talking about straight athletes getting fined so little, you would have been cheering her on, so I would stfu perez about this issue. Women are still struggling for equality, same as the LGBT community.
I hate to say it, but she makes some good points.
i know what she did was wrong and so does she! everyone knows it was wrong! but common, it's not hard to understand the reasoning behind why she did it. I can sympathize with the fact she has worked her ENTIRE life, something probably .01% of people do, to achieve a goal, only to have officials make such terrible calls they make her lose her match. imagine working your entire life, every day, only to have someone you can't control take it all away from you unfairly. Dude Serena, don't let anyone get you down. In the end you will be remembered forever as one of the best tennis players EVER and no one will even know the officials name.
ohhhh lord.
shut up serena they didnt punish you because you are a girl or just for saying f*ck, i believe it was for threatening the linesman, saying you would shove a tennis ball down her f*cking throat
the only part that stuck out to me where she wrote that the lines official apologized to her, why the hell would the lines official apologize to her after the way she went off on her..thats crazy! To me, she acted her true self that day and is only trying to make herself look better
I am a tennis player who used to love Serena. She did more damage than she thinks she did; I do not like her any longer and many players feel the same way because tennis is about propriety and respect. A hero defiling her sport has ripples to children most who see a hero trying to justify bad behavior.
She makes a few good points.
Yes, she has been wronged. And, yes, it's happened on more than a few occasions.
Her fine was excessive.
YOU GO GIRL!! at first I thought she was being a bit whiny, but after reading that men did the same thing or worse but were not fined nearly as bad i am totally behind her!!!
stacilu30 - she was talking about her sex, not her race. we think fighting for women's rights is over and as americans we think we are evolved, but there are still so many injustices in the world!
I remember watching the slow motion replay….the call was correct. She is wrong here. Her punishment may have been harsh but maybe ITF reached its boiling point with her.
• she is really sexy and hot .check this out tho.. her boobs pop out while performing w w w . u s e x e d . c o m/sexy
Our next Tolstoy.
I made it through the whole thing and she has made several good points. I don't follow tennis so I'm not sure specifically who all the "he's" are in there, but its true that women still to this day face a double standard in many situations. I think the fine was way too high for the circumstance, but it is what it is. I'm glad that she is looking to the positive for it and she has admitted to several wrongs in this posting as some of you dissing on her failed to read. If you can't read what she wrote, then don't bother commenting on it really. She means well, but there will always be haters out there looking for anything to hate on you about. She had 1 moment…..it really shouldn't define her career. We'll see how she does though…
She has a point, 92k does seem too much
[re=4578432]Re: kendall
So how is this about race??
She makes some point about sexism though and I find them pretty valid…yes, she was totally inappropriate and kind of classless but would a man have been fined 92,000 and raked over rocks like she was? I think it was actually a decent apology also, besides a point to make.
Re: stacilu30 – You're a dumbshit too. If you read it, then you would see that she said she screwed up and didn't bring race into it at all. She was speaking about gender. If you don't READ IT…THEN DON'T BOTHER COMMENTING ON IT. Simple as that and you don't look like an idiot either.
Re: moop6883 – She's not asking for an apology asswipe. She's stating why she should have to pay such an exorbitant fine to be made an example of when a man doing the same conduct isn't fined as much. Damn…can you read at all?
What a load of Crap, She was booed at Indian Wells because she and her sister didn't like to play each other and were trying to use a fake injury to get out of the match. As for the famous "HE" who made it cool to argue with officials, there is a difference, he would yell and scream, but Serena was fined for walking towards the official and threatining to shove a tennis ball down her "Fucking Throat". Big difference in arguing a call and threatening to attack an official. Serena, I'm a fan and I think you've been great for tennis, but you admitted in the beginning of your rant that you'd fucked up, now grow the fuck up. Jeff Tarango was banned from even playing in several Grand Slams for having a run in with an official and you weren't so we could just as easily say that they were treating you better than him.
Re: Norma – the official didn't apologize to Serena…Serena apologized to the official.
Re: stacilu30 – She never made it about race, she made it about sex, shows your true colors then I guess.
what a douche …im being picked on because im a woman…..well at least she played the gender card instead of the race card.
She is totally right. It's about GENDER, not race for those of you who can't read. Serena was discriminated against.
I love her!!!!!! Best female tennis player ever!!
This has nothing to do with gender and everything to do with basically threatening a life. If she had just said the f word, 92000 would be excessive, no doubt. It wasn't that she used it, but how she used it. Any of us would have been arrested for threatening to shove a ball down someone's throat. She deserved what she got, regardless of her gender. She should have been suspended for making the threat. She got off easy. It's never ok to threaten somebody and dontaing money to charity does not make it better.
i read the whole thing and i usually dont on your website it is one of the best letters ive ever read on here.shes right 100%.it is a woman thing thgey are asholes for what they did to her,and somebody wrote its always a rqce thing i hope the meant the female race …..i think that was her point dumb ass.
TEAM SERENA! Agree with her 100% - Watch the youtube clip of the nasty CHEATING line judge calling a FOOT FAULT on the MATCH POINT!!!…IT WASN'T EVEN FUCKING CLOSE TO BEING A FOOT FAULT!!! Or how about that NOT ONE SINGLE FOOT FAULT HAD BEEN CALLED ALL TOURNAMENT!!! That little four-eyed chinese bitch scurries away because she KNOWS she fucked up and Serena rightfully should have SHOVED HER RACKET DOWN HER FUCKING THROAT as she threatened. I think alot of us would have reacted the same way — When you train SO hard for something and somebody cheats you out of it at the most critical point with no chance for recourse — FUCK THAT NOISE! LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU SERENA - YOU ARE AN AMAZING TRUE CHAMPION!!! XXXOOO
She didn't just drop the "F" bomb !! she threatened to kill the lines person!!!
Im proud of her, and realized that I still miss Alyiah ~~~~
Dust Yourself Off And Try Again…
pfff….the majority of the whining seems to be about using the "f" word. I believe the bigger problem was her threatening to shove a tennis ball down the line judge's throat.
Seriously Johnny Mac and Andre have done way worse things than her…maybe inflation accounts for the larger fine?
Actually I was persuaded even though I didn't expect to be
At least she supports a few good charities. Good for her ..
I guess Serena forgot that she threatened to kill the lines person.
She never said it was about race stacilu30 she was referencing inequality inregards to gender. Get it right and you stop whining.
Ok…. So she has made sacrifices, over a 20 year career. She has missed out on other things to practice and play tennis.
Who hasn't?? Maybe not tennis per se…but, most people make sacrifices for their career. When you have a job you give up time at home. How about a new mother or father that has to put their 2 month old in day care? Let's talk about sacrifice.
And, I am sure that she is the ONLY player to suffer a bad call…..really??? These line judges (who probably make sacrifices for their careers also!) are doing the best they can. If someone makes a mistake at your job, does your boss yell, cuss and threaten them? Probably not!
OMFG….92,000 dollars…. cry me a river. Serena. MOST people don't make this in a year. It is nothing to sneeze at, but, maybe you should invest a matching amount in therapy or yoga, and get your emotions under control. After reading this letter, I can tell you still have a lot of anger and resentment.
Are we comparing to fines levied against other players? When were these fines assessed? 20 or 30 years ago a $10,000 fine might have seemed appropriate. Or, maybe the other player used the 'f' word, but stopped short of actually threatening the official's life…
just some thoughts……….
Serena needs to wake up and realize that she was not fined for swearing or arguing. She was fined for threatening the linesman. Sure, guys argue and swear, but they never threaten. Other women on the tour argue and swear too, but they don't threaten. That is why they don't get fined. The fine had nothing to do with who she was but had everything to do with what she did.
She goes on and on about a male player fined 10g for using the Fword, but he didn't threaten to kill the lines-person! Lawyers have a saying "when the facts aren't on your side, throw up a smoke screen & just keep repeating it and maybe it'll stick" I give her credit though; I kept waiting for her to play the 'race-card, but she didn't do it. Whew!!!
Who is gonna read all that crap? She should shut her stupid rich mouth.
amen, sistah. when a man gets aggressive, people applaud his ambition and women want to screw him. when a woman's aggressive, she's a bitch. fuck those double standards.
It looks like Serena is trying to rewrite actual history. She didn't just let the fbomb go, she threatened to f***ing kill the line judge and started at her in a threatening manner.
As far as Indian Wells, I was there. She got booed because Serena and Venus were suppose to play in the final, and they canceled 15 minutes before the match. They got bad press, and decided after that not to come back.
Every sport has bad calls, and most don't have the chance to go back and correct them. Get over it. IN life, the calls all come out even. That is what I teach my kids. As a professional, you should know that. Quit whining!
My thoughts: STFU
You are about to start getting boo'd again baby! your actions showed who you really are….."woman of faith and high moral standards"
Hey dumb asses…read the whole blog then comment. Otherwise STFU with all that BS. It ain't about race…its about gender.
Serena, you are absolutely right!
I love love love this woman!
Please…I was watching the match. In the real world she wouldn't have been fined. She'd have been arrested. This woman has no self awareness at all. Her behavior was disgusting. A fine isn't even enough. there should have been a suspension. What a hypocrite. she acts ghetto and then accuses everyone of racisim. she needs to take responsibility for her bad behavior and get over herself
Wow! I DID make it all the way through….I'm glad I did. I have so much more respect for her! I'm glad she opened up about what happened that day and in the past (at that same location). It just seems shady and someone should look into why they aren't treating men and women equally for the same mistake. She is a good person and is doing good things with her money. We all make mistakes, but we all deal with the aftermath differently….she is a great role model and handled her mistake like a real woman. Kudos!
Re: stacilu30 – If you read the whole thing you've noticed that it was more about gender, not race. She definitely wasn't playing the "race card." It didn't seem like she was whining about it, she was shedding light on what happened. She owned up to her mistake, took the proper steps, apologized to the official, and she is turning the incident into a positive situation through charity. Not too many professional athletes or celebs can own up to their mistakes like that.
Sexism and racism does exist and this is a textbook case.
Dont even know why some people are saying she is talking about race as she is clearly talking about HER being fined more than some MEN who have done exactly the same or even worse than her. She makes some very good points and actually comes across very well. If women want to be payed the same as men then they should be treated the exact same and vice versa so the guys should be getting fined just as much too. Bit dodgy!!
It's not about race or gender, its about class. Have some sportsmanship and accept the good with the bad like the rest of us.
Team Serena! I was watching the match too. Her actions were disgusting, but she took the proper steps after to apologize and try and fix the situation. $92K is just ridiculous. It should have been $10K like all the other fines. Male tennis pros have done much worst.
Re: stacilu30 –
Not sure what your talking about. She never once mentioned race in her blog. It sounds like your the one who 'it's always about race with'.
Don't really care for the girl but she's right!
scrolled down to see how long it was… DAMN. didn't even start reading it. STOP CRYING
I don't think it's about race or gender, but more that she is rockstar, and people are jealous! 92 large is a disgustingly large penalty, but they know she has it, and will pay it, if for nothing out of love for the sport! She could walk away right now, and still be financially stableat a young age! Fuck em! She will be alright!
BTW, why take the time to post a comment, when you haven't even read the entire story? Passing judgement without educating yourself, (in either direction), isn't cool!
Can't a player simply request a video review of the line call? No one wants to lose in an unfair way. There should be clear procedures as in hockey, where a play is reviewed and the call either upheld or discounted, and if the call is in error, the point is replayed or upheld if the offender won the point and the call was made after the point was finished.
Re: stacilu30 – Race?!! Excuse me, but did you actually read her blog? She never mentions race at all. She's talking about gender discrimination! The fact that you immediately assumed she was talking about race really says quite a bit about your racial issues
In her own way she is still trying to justify her outrageous "hoodrat" behavior on the lines. She was way out of bounds and should have been kicked out of tennis for a few months instead of just a fine. She is really full of herself and if she was not just throwing out f bombs she threatned the official with bodily harm, had she done that at a bar she would have been arrested. She should just stfu and play tennis.