So...I've been away from the computer all day and I'm not entirely sure I understand what the hell happened today. Clearly no one told Gonzo that his match was on today and he barely showed up in the 30 minutes it took him to lose 4 straight points in the tiebreak and get bageled in the third.
And then this: Serving at 15-30, 5-6 in the second, Serena apparently foot faults on second serve to go 15-40. She berates the linejudge, waving her racquet at her and saying, apparently, "I will shove this ball down your fucking throat". The umpire summons the linejudge to talk about what happened, and as a result, gives Serena her second unsportsmanlike conduct warning, which leads to a point penalty. On match point.
Jigga what? It's unclear whether Serena foot faulted. As for the point penalty for what she said, I don't know. I just don't think in a tight significant match like this an umpire should issue a point penalty on match point. I totally think Serena was out of line, and I think it was more the gesturing with the racquet, rather than the actual words that were said, that got her in trouble. This is where umpire discretion comes in. This wasn't, as far as I know, a mandatory warning, a la busting a racquet. This is the soccer equivalent to not calling a penalty in the box during overtime unless it's an absolutely egregious foul.
Of course, I haven't seen the match yet so this isn't based on much. Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
