Oh, the irony. Just hours before Serena Williams‘ now-infamous on-court tirade at the U.S. Open, where she got in the face of a diminutive and clearly intimidated lineswoman, CBS filled a window of rain-delayed hours with reruns of the obligatory Connors vs. Krickstein five-setter of ’91 and the surreal, theater-in-the-round spectacle that was McEnroe vs. Nastase in ’79.
We’ve seen the footage a million times, but it never seems to get old. Connors, pushing 40 and in the midst of an improbable, age-defying run to the semis, lights into chair ump David Littlefield on an overrule, shouting, “Bull crap, bull crap…Get out of the chair. Get your ass out of the chair. You’re a bum. I’m out here playing my butt off, 39 years old, and you’re doing that? Very clear, my butt. My butt, very clear. You can’t see a ball right in front of you let alone over there.” Connors later famously labels Littlefield “an abortion.”
He receives no warning, no penalty.
As for Nastase’s ’79 implosion, the Romanian is docked a point by chair ump Frank Hammond. But bolstered by the support of the well-lubed Queens throng, he refuses to serve until the veteran (and high-profile) official is replaced. (Nastase got his way, although he went on to lose the match.)
Truth is, neither Jimbo nor Nasty were universally beloved in their heyday. Not everyone could stomach their antics. Likewise McEnroe, with his “you cannot be serious/pits of the world” hi-jinks. But time has a funny way of softening the edges, of dulling once-biting personas, and today Connors, Nastase and Mac are celebrated for the “personality” they injected into the game.
So Serena sniffs a double standard. Yes, her actions can be interpreted as life threatening (Williams shook her racket directly at the woman while barking, “I swear to God I’m going to take this f—ing ball and shove it down your f—ing throat, you hear that?”). But had it been, let’s say Federer or Nadal, who had unleashed that same torrent of words (actually Fed was fined $1,500 for dropping an S-bomb), would they have received the same punishment? Would they have wracked up an ITF-record $93,000 in fines? Or is it simply that we’re unaccustomed to seeing strong, athletic women speak their minds in the formerly male dominated arena of sports?
Asked if it might have turned out differently were she a man, Serena asserted, “I wouldn’t have been fined $92,000, I don’t think (actually, she was fined a total of $93,000)…I can’t answer that in a truthful, honest way because I’m not a man. I don’t really know the answer to that. I can only really speculate. I would speculate that, no, I would not have been fined that much.”
Commentator/Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe begged to differ: “To say that a man would be fined more or less is absurd. You can’t make that judgment. Obviously, you can’t make that comment…To me, that’s just crazy…If she just handled it immediately when it happened…The way she handled it just got her into more trouble and got her more attention. What she did was way out of line. To say that a lot of people have done worse than that is just wrong.”
“[We’ve] fought so hard to get equal prize money,” said Williams after a first-round 6-2, 6-1 dismantling of Urszula Radwanska at the Aussie Open. “But we still sort of, say, live in a man’s world. I’m the first to say that I like men to be strong, to be leaders. I think that’s absolutely important. But I just think at the same time some incidents can bring you back to life and back into reality.”
“I admire strong women,” added Williams. “I think I’m a strong woman.”
That as-yet-to-be-named lineswoman might agree.
Although, in her view, the fines were excessive, Williams says she’s ready to chalk it all up to “a learning experience,” and turn a bad situation into some good. She’ll go the way of former NBA power forward Chris Webber, whose infamous call for a non-existent timeout cost Michigan the ’93 NCAA title. Webber parlayed his public embarrassment into a PR victory with the creation of The Timeout Foundation, whose mission is to provide positive educational and recreational opportunities for at-risk youth.
“I actually think it was good that it happened, that I got fined, because at the end of the day I’m raising money to help other people,” said Williams.
Via her eponymous foundation, Williams has launched an effort to raise $92,000 in 92 days for a variety of charitable causes. The significance of the $92,000 speaks for itself.
“You can go to my website to find more about it,” said Williams. “I’m auctioning a dress I wore at the Olympics. Venus gave stuff. She was forced to. We’re getting so many cool people to donate stuff. The money is going to a great cause. I don’t think it would have happened if I hadn’t gotten fined.”
Who knows — with a little goodwill (and some time, too), maybe Serena’s outburst will one day be remembered as bringing personality to the sport. Then again…
