What more could Serena Williams have done that night in New York City at the US Open, when she directed a foul-mouthed verbal volley at a line-judge?
Even the producers of The Wire might have balked at Williams's on-court monologue, and the Californian's language was worse than anything John McEnroe ever said.
Perhaps Williams, the world No 1 and the winner of this year's Australian Open and Wimbledon titles, was just a couple of f-words short of being banned from the slams.
This week, the grand slam committee announced that Williams's punishment for committing "a grand slam major offence of aggravated behaviour" was a suspended ban from the US Open, and the largest fine in tennis history.
Even so, Williams should be pleased she avoided a ban after 'dropping f-bombs' on primetime American television. Williams is on probation for two years, but it would be a big surprise if the American ever ended up being banned from the blue concrete of Flushing Meadows.
That is because she is only on probation at the grand slams, and not at the regular tournaments on the women's circuit, plus she will get into trouble only if she commits another 'major offence' at the slams.
All that small-scale stuff, like thrashing a ball out of the stadium, smashing a racket or cursing to herself will not lead to a ban. And having to put just over £100,000 into tennis's swear-box will hardly trouble a multi-millionaire, especially as around half of that figure is suspended.
This year, she admitted that she spends tens of thousands of pounds on the interior design of her house; what the grand slam committee have effectively fined the Wimbledon champion is one sofa, a curtain rail and a couple of throw cushions.
Was Williams's language the worst heard at a grand slam in modern times? There's a strong argument to suggest that the Gordon Ramsay Prize for Swearing in Tennis still belongs to Greg Rusedski for what he said to an umpire at the 2003 Wimbledon Championships, after he stopped playing in the middle of a rally because a spectator had called out.
"I can't do anything if the crowd f------ call it," Rusedski raged. "Absolutely f------ ridiculous. At least replay the point. F------ ridiculous. F------ ridiculous. It's f------ ridiculous. F------ ridiculous. Some w----- in the crowd changes the whole match. Well done. Well done. Absolutely s---."
Still, there is a substantial difference between Rusedski's language and Williams's. The latter's would have intimidated the female line-judge sitting on her chair; it never seemed as though Rusedski was trying to threaten an official.
Since the grand-slam code was drawn up in the early 1990s, the only player to have been suspended from the slams for committing a major offence was Jeff Tarango.
The American walked off court during a match at the 1995 Wimbledon Championships, after calling the umpire "the most corrupt official in the game". Yes, Tarango's wife slapped the official across the face as he walked back to the changing rooms, but he was not punished for his spouse's actions. Tarango was banned from the 1996 tournament.
You would think that Williams's behaviour was worse than Tarango's. Just a few weeks ago, it emerged that Andre Agassi escaped punishment for taking the stimulant crystal meth by lying to the men's tour.
And now Williams has avoided heavy punishment for telling a line-judge where she was going to shove a tennis ball. Concerned about tennis's image? Well, some would suggest that this was one more 'f--- you'.
