NEW YORK (AP):

Serena Williams was fined a record US$82,500 for her U.S. Open tirade and could be suspended from that tournament if she has another 'major offence' at any Grand Slam in the next two years.

In a ruling released yesterday, Grand Slam administrator Bill Babcock said Williams faces a 'probationary period' at tennis' four major championships in 2010 and 2011. If she has another 'major offence' at a Grand Slam tournament in that time, the fine would increase to US$175,000 and she would be barred from the following U.S. Open.

"But if she does not have another offence in the next two years, the suspension is lifted," Babcock said in a telephone interview from London.

He said Williams is handing over US$82,500 right now, already nearly double the previous highest fine for a Grand Slam offence - about US$48,000 Jeff Tarango was docked in the 1990s.

Williams lashed out at a lineswoman after a foot-fault call at the end of her semi-final loss to eventual champion Kim Clijsters at the US Open in September.

single-season record

Williams earned US$350,000 by reaching the semi-finals, part of her more than US$6.5 million in prize money in 2009, a single-season record for women's tennis. Her career prize money tops US$28 million.

The American is an 11-time Grand Slam singles champion and ended the 2009 season at No. 1 in the Women's Tennis Association rankings.

Williams' profanity-laced, finger-pointing outburst drew a US$10,000 fine from the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) in September - the maximum on-site penalty a tennis player can face. But because it happened at a Grand Slam tournament, Babcock was charged with investigating whether further punishment was merited.

He concluded that Williams violated the 'major offence' rule for 'aggravated behaviour.' The Grand Slam committee - with one representative from each of the sport's four major championships - approved his decision Saturday.

Babcock said Williams has been informed of the ruling. She has been in Barbados for an exhibition tournament, and her agent did not immediately reply to a request for comment yesterday.

major offence

Babcock said a 'major offence' under Grand Slam rules is "any conduct that is determined to be the 'major offence' of 'aggravated behaviour' or 'conduct detrimental to the game."' There is no specific definition of what sort of actions constitute a 'major offence.'

He said the highest possible fine that Williams could face - US$175,000, if she violates her Grand Slam probation - was chosen because it is the difference in winnings between reaching the quarter-finals and semi-finals at the US Open.

The US$10,000 was already docked by the USTA and will be counted toward that total; that's why she is paying half of US$165,000 now.

During the September 12 match at Flushing Meadows, the foot fault - a call rarely, if ever, made at that stage of such a significant match - resulted in a double-fault for Williams, moving Clijsters one point from victory.

Williams paused, retrieved a ball to serve again and then stopped. She stepped toward the official, screaming, cursing and shaking the ball at her. Williams was penalised a point for that display; because it happened to come on match point, it ended the semi-final with Clijsters ahead 6-4, 7-5.