By Robert Martin                   Photo Credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

(September 12, 2011) While Andy Roddick is calling for greater excitement in tennis in order to boost television ratings, it appears that he is a few years late.

In her first US Open since the unfortunate events of 2009, Serena Williams once again decided to put her personality front and center, this time threatening the chair umpire.

Being thoroughly outplayed by Samantha Stosur in the first set, it looked as if a quick upset was in the making, but then the self-proclaimed diva had to increase the drama level in the wrong way. At break point down in the first game, Williams hit a solid serve and blistered what she expected to be a certain winning forehand, yelling out immediately after striking her shot.

Stosur ended up getting her racquet on the ball, but more importantly, Williams was quickly called for a hindrance penalty, handing the break to Stosur while drawing arguments and complaints from the American. After breaking back and then holding serve, Williams had more to say to the chair umpire, including threats and calling Eva Asderaki a “hater.”

Williams would go on to win only one more game in being swept 6-2, 6-3 in what would be a historic victory for  Stosur, but the story was obviously the hindrance call and what it could mean. She was already playing while on probation for another of her tirades, this one directed at a line judge who made the correct call in 2009.

The reason for the probation was a correct foot fault called on Williams during her match with Kim Clijsters, which resulted in an eventual code violation, giving the final point to Clijsters. At the time Williams threatened the lineswoman, and apparently her attitude has not changed from the relatively paltry fine she was handed and the terms of her probation.

The 2009 incident resulted in a record fine of $82,500 and being placed under a probationary period of two years, in which she would still be allowed to compete. The fine would increase to $175,000 and Williams would face potential suspension from grand slam competition if she was found to commit another “major offense.”

So during her continued argument while leading 2-1 in the second set, Williams actually said, “If you ever see me walking down the hall, look the other way.” in addition to other gems. Quite frankly, many are appalled at how this situation was handled, or realistically, not handled by the USTA, who largely sided with Williams based on their unnecessarily light repercussions.

An official press release sent from the USTA on Monday announced that Williams would be fined $2,000, a ridiculous amount considering her $1.4 million purse, and that the tirade would not be considered a “major offense,” allowing her to continue participating. They also mentioned that the chair umpire was right in the call that she was guilty under the deliberate hindrance rule.

The rule specifically states that a deliberate hindrance is the result of a direct action, and whether it has any direct implication on the result of the point does not matter. Based on the wording of the rules, the chair umpire was correct in calling an intentional hindrance on Williams, regardless of the fact that Stosur likely had no chance at a return.

If anything, the punishment levied against Williams is nothing more than a stain against the supposed integrity of the USTA, an organization that essentially chose say that players are free to threaten officials. Unfortunately, one of the most profitable females in the history of tennis is shining a magnifying glass on the fallacies in the system of professional tennis, which needs to choose between profits and integrity sometimes.

It seems that the decision has been made in New York, and it appears that the USTA has chosen to continue turning a blind eye toward player indiscretions and punish the hard-working people that make the event possible.