Serena Williams in her press conference, via d.yimg.com

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Suffice it to say that after the last point contested in her US Open semifinal vs. Kim Clijsters, Serena Williams was anything but serene.

Serving to stay in a match in which she was being outplayed, Serena Williams was a woman battling.  It was a battle against Kim Clijsters, an unseeded player in her first grand slam in over two years, playing some of the best tennis of her career. It was a battle against history, as a win would put her a match away from tying Billie Jean King's mark of twelve career slams.  And it was a battle against her own nerves, which had become somewhat shakier as double faults crept into her game in the second set.

But with all the battles she was fighting, Serena saved her most vicious attack for a small, bespectacled lineswoman who sat monitoring the right baseline.

The lineswoman's offense? She called a foot fault on a second serve at 15-30 in 5-6 in the second set, thereby giving Clijsters two match points and sending shockwaves through the crowd.

Serena turned to the ball kid for new balls and appeared to collect herself for a moment, but then turned to the lineswoman and went on a screaming, racquet shaking assault.

Here is what CBS audio was able to pick up, before boos drowned out the end of the tirade:

"I swear to God I'll fucking take this ball and shove it down your fucking throat! Do you hear me? I swear to God. You better be glad--you better be fucking glad that I'm not, I swear."

The chair umpire summoned the lineswoman to the chair, where she reported what Serena had said.  The chair umpire called tournament referee Brian Earley and official Donna Kelso to the court, where they conferred with the chair umpire, lineswoman, and Serena, and determined that a code violation would be assessed.  Since Serena had already been given a warning at the end of the first set for smashing a racquet, this second offense was to result in a point penalty.  And since the next point was a match point, the point penalty gave Clijsters the match.

Serena walked to the far side of the court, shook a reluctant Clijsters' hand, and calmly left the court with her things, waving to the crowd, who was either booing her conduct or the decision.  Perhaps both.

The targeted lineswoman deserves a ton of credit for her conduct throughout the entire incident.  She firmly called a foot fault when she believed a foot fault had been committed, which is exactly what is her duty.  She was unfazed by the situation in the match, as she should have been.  A foot fault is a black-and-white call, and for her not to have made it because she was daunted by the occasion would have been a disservice to her duty.  She did not flinch in the face of Serena's rage, nor did she lash back at her.  She explained to the chair umpire what happened when asked, and quietly left the court when all was said and done.  Whatever your name is, lineswoman, I salute you.

For someone who had just unleashed a verbal chainsaw on a petite, glasses-wearing woman trying to do her job to the best of her abilities, Serena was remarkably bubbly in her press conference.  She smiled, laughed, gave copious amounts of credit to Clijsters for her play, and seemed to be in better spirits than she ever has been after being eliminated from a grand slam.  The about-face was stunning, and almost frightening.

Serena even admitted in her press conference that she probably had committed a foot fault, a fact she never did dispute in her upbraiding of the woman.  Whether she wanted to intimidate, bully, embarrass, or merely vent her frustration, Serena's motivation was clearly never to question the veracity of the call.

The question now is whether or not Serena will be further punished for her actions.  She could be fined by the WTA, ITF, or even USTA for her profanity and threats of violence, though they may decide losing a grand slam semifinal was punishment enough.

Do you think Serena should face further consequences for her actions? Vote in the poll, then explain your vote in the comments.

After the jump, embedded video of the incident.