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EMOTIONAL SELF-CONTROL TOOLS AND STRATEGIES 91
seconds of lack of emotional self-control and not thinking have
defi ned his career and possibly arrested it.
SERENA WILLIAMS’S OUTBURST
Serena Williams screamed obscenities to the line judge in her
2009 U.S. Open tennis match fi nal with Kim Clijsters.
She was serving at 5-6, 15-30 in the second set and faulted on
her first serve. She had already lost the fi rst set. On the second
serve, a line judge called a foot fault, making it a double fault, which
made the score 15-40 and just about gave Kim Clijsters the victory
with one more point. Williams “lost it” by yelling, cursing, and
threatening the line judge. The judge then assessed a point penalty
for a code violation of unsportsmanlike conduct, which meant Williams
not only lost her cool but also the match.
Williams subsequently was fi ned a record amount of $82,500
and was put on probation for the next four Grand Slam events.
During the probation period, Serena had to remain calm and play
her game or she would get barred from the next U.S. Open and have
to pay an extra $175,000.
One interesting aspect about this outburst was that Williams
was so emotional she didn’t remember what she had said. Her prefrontal
cortex was so overwhelmed by the amygdala’s reaction that
she had no cognitive recall.
In talking about the outburst in her post-match news conference,
Williams said, “I used to have a real temper, and I’ve gotten a
lot better, so I know you don’t believe me, but I used to be worse. Yes,
yes, indeed. . . . I didn’t threaten [her]. I don’t remember anymore
[what I said], to be honest. I was in the moment. And, you know,
everyone’s fi ghting for every point. It was a really crucial point.”
Williams has been criticized for her arrogant response and
for not seeming repentant, as she stated, “Players, athletes get
frustrated.”