MKRob Sports

Serena Williams, who reclaimed the No. 1 ranking in women’s tennis this season, was fined a record $82,500 Monday for her profanity-laced outburst during the U.S. Open in September and could be suspended from the event if she commits another major infraction in the next two years.

The sanctions were announced Monday by Grand Slam administrator Bill Babcock after nearly three months of deliberation over how to discipline the most dominant player in women’s tennis for an ugly tirade that was captured on national television and replayed countless times on sports highlight shows and YouTube.

In it, Williams cursed and physically threatened a lineswoman who called her for a foot fault, a seldom-cited infraction, just two points shy of match point in her semifinal against the tournament’s eventual winner, wild card Kim Clijsters of Belgium.

The fine, while without precedent, represents a small fraction (8.25 percent) of the $1 million Williams could have been fined under the sport’s code of conduct. It represents an even smaller fraction (about 1.25 percent) of the $6.5 million she earned this season, a record for a female tennis player.

CONTINUE READING