Top US Open Meltdowns - Tennis Now Countdown Show
Hey Tennis Fans and welcome to this week’s Tennis Now Countdown show where we’re listing the top U.S. Open tantrums.
#1: First up? Andy Roddick. Not one to shy away from controversy, Roddick laid into a lineswoman when, after correctly making a foot fault call, she claimed the offending foot was Roddick’s right -- an impossibility with his service motion. Roddick then proceeded to embarrass her in front of the U.S. Open crowd before going ahead with his second serve.
#2: It’s safe to say Serena Williams hasn’t had the best relationship with U.S. Open officials. And her 2011 final confirmed as much when she was docked a point for screaming “Come On!’ before her opponent, Sam Stosur, had a chance to hit the ball. Serena went on to call the chair umpire a “hater” and “very unattractive inside” before going on to lose the match 6-2, 6-3.
#3: At the 1991 US Open, Jimmy Connors made history by making it to the semis as a 39-year-old. But his trip to the final four was not without drama. In his fourth round match against Aaron Krickstein, Connors hit an overhead to the far sideline that was originally called in, but then was overruled by the chair umpire. Needless to say, Connors wasn’t thrilled.
#4: It’s likely that 22-year-old umpire Richard Ings knew what he was getting himself into when he chaired John McEnroe’s third round match at the 1987 US Open. McEnroe went down two sets to one against Slobodan Zivojinovic after Ings charged him with a game penalty for verbal abuse. Despite winning the match in five sets, McEnroe received a two month suspension and a $7500 fine. Though we don’t have video of the incident, we assume it looked something like this.
#5: It’s no coincidence that Romanian Ilie Nastase had the nickname “Nasty” during his playing career. Often considered a predecessor to John McEnroe, Nastase was notorious for his on-court outbursts -- two of which took place in New York. In 1976, Nastase beat Hans-Jurgen Pohmann 7-6 in the third, but not before spitting at him and calling him a 'son of a ____'. According reporters, Nastase also slammed balls into the stands, and “flung obscene gestures in all directions.” Three years later, Nastase was at it again, getting defaulted from a match against John McEnroe for his behavior. The tournament director then kicked the chair umpire out and convinced Nastase to resume the match, which he went on to lose in four sets. If only we had the video.
#6: Not many fans will forget the foot fault call heard round the world in Serena Williams’ 2009 US Open semifinal match against Kim Clijsters. After getting called for a second serve foot fault that gave Clijsters a match point, Serena lost her cool with the lineswoman, threatening to shove a ball down her bleeping throat, among other things. After receiving a warning earlier in the match for breaking her racquet, the tournament referee had no choice but to give Serena a code violation and point penalty. Clijsters advanced to the finals, but sadly, that’s not what most of us remember about that match.
That’s all for today’s Tennis Now Countdown. What did you think of our list? Let us know in the comment section below or on Facebook and Twitter. We’ll see you next time, here on Tennis Now.
That’s all for today’s Tennis Now Countdown. What did you think of our list? Let us know in the comment section below or on Facebook and Twitter. We’ll see you next time, here on Tennis Now.