Serena Williams sent shock waves through the genteel world of women's tennis in September when the 27-year-old phenom erupted in rage against a U.S. Open line judge. Angry about a fault called on match point in the women's semifinals, Williams jabbed her racket toward the judge and dropped a couple of F bombs as she offered to introduce her tennis ball to the inside of the stunned woman's throat. Williams, who had already been warned by judges after smashing her racket earlier in the match, was docked a point for her profane outburst (and later fined a record $82,500), giving the match to opponent Kim Clijsters. Williams issued an apology 36 hours later to "make it clear to all young people that I handled myself inappropriately." After winning the U.S. Open doubles title with her sister Venus, Serena reiterated her apology and offered to give the line judge "a big ol' hug." Her supporters clearly didn't want to dwell on the blunder the crowd in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., booed loudly as ESPN commentator Patrick McEnroe repeatedly asked about the incident in a postvictory interview. Venus Williams stepped in on behalf of her younger sister: "I think what the crowd is saying is, 'Patrick, let's move on.' "
The Top 10 Everything of 2009
- Top 10 Albums
- Top 10 Animal Stories
- Top 10 Apologies
- Top 10 Art Exhibitions
- Top 10 Awkward Moments
- Top 10 Best Business Deals
- Top 10 Breakups
- Top 10 Buzzwords
- Top 10 Children's Books
- Top 10 Crime Stories
- Top 10 Editorial Cartoons
- Top 10 Facebook Stories
- Top 10 Fashion Faux Pas
- Top 10 Fashion Moments
- Top 10 Feuds
- Top 10 Fiction Books
- Top 10 Fleeting Celebrities
- Top 10 Gadgets
- Top 10 Green Ideas
- Top 10 Heroes
- Top 10 iPhone Apps
- Top 10 Late-Night Jokes
- Top 10 Magazine Covers
- Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs
- Top 10 Movie Performances
- Top 10 Movies
- Top 10 New Species
- Top 10 News Stories
- Top 10 Nonfiction Books
- Top 10 Oddball News Stories
- Top 10 Pariahs
- Top 10 Pictures of the Year
- Top 10 Plays and Musicals
- Top 10 Political Gaffes
- Top 10 Quotes
- Top 10 Religion Stories
- Top 10 Scandals
- Top 10 Scientific Discoveries
- Top 10 Songs
- Top 10 Sports Moments
- Top 10 T-Shirt-Worthy Slogans
- Top 10 TV Ads
- Top 10 TV Episodes
- Top 10 TV Series
- Top 10 Tweets
- Top 10 Underreported Stories
- Top 10 Untruths
- Top 10 Video Games
- Top 10 Viral Videos
- Top 10 Worst Biz Deals
TIME charts the highs and lows of the past year in 50 wide-ranging lists