“Serena Williams has apologized, enough is enough” – When Donald Trump defended American against ‘relentless backlash’ for contentious US Open exit
“Serena Williams has apologized, enough is enough” – When Donald Trump defended American against ‘relentless backlash’ for contentious US Open exit
By
Urvi Mehra
Modified Aug 13, 2024 20:30 GMT
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Donald Trump once came to Serena Williams’ defense amid the backlash she faced following her exit from the 2009 US Open. Williams drew criticism for her abusive outburst directed towards the line judge during her semifinal loss to Kim Clijsters.
That year, Williams entered the US Open as the second seed and defending champion. She made an impressive run to the semifinals, where she took on Kim Clijsters, who had only recently made her comeback from a 27-month retirement.As the duo locked horns in a closely contested battle, Serena Williams received a code violation for smashing her racket in frustration after losing the opening set. Williams then served to stay in the second set at 15-30 with Clijsters leading 6-5, when a lineswoman called a foot fault on the American’s second serve.
Williams was incensed over the controversial call, threatening to shove the ball down the lineswoman’s throat.
“I swear to God I’ll f***ing take the ball and shove it down your f***ing throat,” the American told the lineswoman.
Serena Williams’ expletive-laden outburst earned her a point penalty due to her second code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct, allowing the Belgian to claim a 6-4, 7-5 victory.
The American received severe backlash for her initial statement, which did not contain any words of apology for the lineswoman. The criticism prompted her to issue a second statement, in which she began by apologizing to the official and admitting she behaved “inappropriately.”However, Donald Trump was vexed by Serena Williams having to apologize for her conduct, expressing his frustration in a blog post on the Trump University website.
“I hated to see Serena Williams apologize so much for her actions in her recent loss to Kim Clijsters,” he said.
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Trump defended Williams against the “relentless backlash” and mistreatment, arguing that a great champion like her should be allowed to move on from the incident without having to apologize repeatedly for the “lousy” line judge’s poor call.
“The backlash against Serena has been relentless and she has been treated badly. She has apologized and I think enough is enough,” Trump said.
“Serena is a great champion–and she should be allowed to move on to bigger and better things than apologizing on Twitter and elsewhere. Let’s see this event for what it was–a bad call by a lousy line judge!” he added.
“The line judge made a very evident mistake, Serena Williams was right to be upset” – Donald Trump
Serena Williams (Source: Getty)
Serena Williams (Source: Getty)
In the same post, Donald Trump highlighted his respect for Serena Williams’ “tenacity,” contending that her reaction had been no different than what other great players like John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors had done in the past.
Trump also lambasted the lineswoman, asserting that she was the one who owed the American an apology for her “evident mistake” and contending that Williams had every right to be upset.
“I have always liked Serena and respected her tenacity. She got angry at a line judge, as have many other great players like John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors, because the line judge made a mistake–there was no foot fault!” Trump said.
“The line judge made a very evident mistake, and she is the one who should be apologizing. She had a smirk on her face and was being a wise guy. Serena was right to be upset, as would be any other player,” he added.
Following her win over Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters went on to beat Caroline Wozniacki 7-5, 6-3 in the 2009 US Open final to clinch her second Grand Slam title.
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Edition: English
