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NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 08: Serena Williams of the United States argues with umpire Carlos Ramos during her Women’s Singles finals match against Naomi Osaka of Japan on Day Thirteen of the 2018 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 8, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 08: Serena Williams of the United States argues with umpire Carlos Ramos during her Women’s Singles finals match against Naomi Osaka of Japan on Day Thirteen of the 2018 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 8, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Serena Williams, the 23-time Grand Slam champion, is regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Despite her incredible success, she has had her fair share of controversies over the course of her incredible career.
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In 2009, during the US Open, Kim Clijsters, a wildcard participant from Belgium, was Serena’s opponent. The American was considered one of the favorites to make the final. The Belgian woman, on the other hand, had other plans. She beat Serena in straight sets to advance to the finals. Clijsters eventually won the title by defeating Caroline Wozniacki.
What was the Serena Williams controversy at the 2009 US Open?
In the US Open 2009 semifinal against Kim Clijsters, Serena Williams was called for a foot fault with just two points remaining. At 15-30, 5-6 in the second set of a match, she was losing to Kim Clijsters, Williams was called for a foot fault on a second serve.
Two match points were awarded to Clijsters by the call, as a result, Serena then approached the judge and got angry at her. For which, she did apologize to the lines judge afterward.
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PARIS, FRANCE September 28. Serena Williams of the United States reacts during her match against Kristie Ahn of the United States in the first round of the Women’s Singles competition on Court Philippe-Chatrier during the French Open Tennis Tournament at Roland Garros on September 28th 2020 in Paris, France. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
Following that incident, Williams became much more serious about tennis. She once talked about the US Open 2009 incident, when she lost the semifinal on a penalty. She said “Not much makes me angry. I’m always smiling.“
Williams further added, “But foot faults piss me off because I never foot fault. I’ve never foot faulted before and never have after. Never.“
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Other controversies surrounding Williams at the US Open
Serena Williams, the six-time US Open champion, has had her fair share of controversies at Flushing Meadows. On court at the 2002 US Open, Williams wore a slick black Puma outfit. She made headlines with her catsuit outfit at that time.
Despite the fact that it was deemed impractical sportswear, the American won the women’s singles title while wearing it. Furthermore, she had sent the outfit to the tournament for pre-approval. It is still considered one of the most contentious tennis outfits.
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 07: Serena Williams of the United States reacts during her Women’s Singles final match against Bianca Andreescu of Canada on day thirteen of the 2019 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 07, 2019 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
The American tennis player has a history of frequent outbursts, especially during the US Open. During the US Open final against Naomi Osaka in 2018, she had an outburst against the chair umpire. Despite her antics on the tennis court, she is still regarded as one of the greatest tennis athletes because of her incredible talent.
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