A very great player, Serena Williams has had several memorable meltdowns at the Open. The worst was in 2009, when she loomed over a diminutive line judge shouting, “I swear to God, I’m f—ing going to take this f—ing ball and shove it down your f—ing throat.” Game, set and match to Belgium’s Kim Clijsters, who coincidentally went on to become the first mother ever to win the Open.

Afterward, Serena said the line judge was foolish to fear her, as she’s never been a violent person.

So no, I’m not buying Serena’s 2018 melodrama, and neither should anybody else. Half-drunk, boorish U.S. Open crowds are bad enough. But an experienced world-class athlete like her deliberately provoking the crowd was a shameful display of poor sportsmanship.

The kid was beating her; Serena couldn’t take it.