Williams outburst rates 2,000-dollar fine

Sep 12, 2011, 22:13 GMT

New York - Serena Williams copped a fine for 2,000 dollars on Monday for an outburst against a lineswoman during her losing women's final at the US Open.

'US Open Tournament referee Brian Earley has fined Serena Williams 2,000 dollars following the code violation issued for verbal abuse during the women's singles final,' read a statement from organizers.

The fine is 'consistent with similar offenses at Grand Slam events,' the statement said.

'After independently reviewing the incident, which served as the basis for the code violation, and taking into account the level of fine imposed by the US Open referee, the Grand Slam Committee director has determined that Ms Williams' conduct, while verbally abusive, does not rise to the level of a major offense under the Grand Slam Code of Conduct,' it said.

The seething US player was issued a code violation in the first game of the second set against Australian Samantha Stosur and then began ranting at Greek official Eva Asderaki during the ensuing changeover.

Williams, who was fined 82,500 dollars for a 2009 semi-final explosion in which she bodily threatened and cursed a Japanese lineswoman who called her for a foot fault, suffered another New York meltdown as she lost to Stosur 6-2, 6-3 in 73 minutes.

Williams has only just finished a two-year probation the 2009 incident.

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