Serena Williams Foot Fault Tirade Ends Match (VIDEO)

Serena Williams is gone from the U.S. Open tournament after losing match point against Kim Clijsters last night for a code violation, which has to be one of the strangest endings we've ever seen.

Serena Williams lost the first set and was handed a warning for smashing her tennis racket. Then, with Clijsters ahead 6-5 in the second set, Williams got called for a foot fault while serving on her second serve that yielded a match point for Clijsters.

Williams immediately headed toward the linesman and shouted at her, pointing her racket at her and perhaps using some choice language to voice her displeasure with the call.

The linesman then approached the chair umpire, Louise Engzell, and told her what Williams had said to her. Tournament referee Brian Earley got involved and issued a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct. That results in an automatic loss of a point. As it turns out, it was the match point that awarded Clijsters the victory, 6-4, 7-5.

What did Serena Williams say?

TV replays of the encounter with the linesman edited out the inappropriate verbiage from Serena. Williams at one point seemed to indicate that she would jam the ball down the linesman's throat.

"No, I didn't threaten," Williams said of the incident. "I didn't say...I don't remember anymore, to be honest. I was in the moment."

Williams didn't even realize that the linesman went over to the umpire. "I was actually at the baseline preparing my serve, and I think maybe she went to the umpire at that point," Williams said. "Actually, I didn't even see her walk over to the umpire, so I have no idea what she did."

Williams then got involved in the conversation because she claims she couldn't recall what was said and wanted to clarify.

"I think she [the linesman] said [I said] 'I would kill you,' and I was like, what? I was like, wait a minute. But then I had misheard. She had never said that . . . She [the linesman] was like 'No, [Serena] didn't say that. She said something else.' I said, 'Oh, OK. I get it.'

"And I was totally fine, because at that point, I realized I got a point penalty and it was match point. What can I do? I'm not going to complain. It was what it was."

See the video below for more.

Serena Williams Foot Fault Tirade