Serena Williams reacts to a missed volley during her match against Marion Bartoli of France at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London June 27, 2011.
Serena Williams called the umpire a “hater” during the U.S. Open final, and she isn’t ready to say she’s sorry.
In fact, Williams, who lost the match 6-2, 6-3 to Australia’s Sam Stosur, says she doesn’t even remember the content of her minute-long tirade. “It was just so intense out there,” she told a reporter afterwards. “It’s the final for me, and I was just — I have to go — I guess I’ll see it on YouTube.”
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Let’s refresh her memory. Down a set and facing break point, Williams blasted a ball straight at Stosur, shouting “Come on!” Umpire Eva Asderaki ruled that Williams had used the two-syllable phrase to deliberately distract Stosur. Asderaki could have replayed the point, but she decided to hand it to Stosur, causing Williams to lose the game. A few games later, during the changeover, Williams let loose in a manner reminiscent of her 2009 outburst that led to her disqualification in the semi-finals.
“If you ever see me walking down the hall, look the other way, because you’re out of control,” she said last night. “You’re totally out of control, you’re a hater, and you’re unattractive inside. Who would do such a thing? And I never complain. Wow…What a loser.” She wasn’t finished. “You get a code violation because I express my end? We’re in America the last time I checked,” she said to the Greek umpire. “Can I get a water or am I gonna get violated for a water? Really, don’t even look at me! I promise you, don’t look at me, ’cause I am not the one. Don’t look my way.”
There is a bright side: Serena seems to have tempered her temper. Her 2009 outburst included explicit threats, as when she told the line judge, “I swear to God I’ll [expletive] take the ball and shove it down your [expletive] throat.” This time around, however, she kept her threats veiled and even abstained from swearing. With that sort of momentum, perhaps next year she won’t shout at all.
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William Lee Adams is a staff writer at the London bureau of TIME. Find him on Twitter at @willyleeadams or on Facebook. You can also continue the discussion on TIME‘s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.