It spiralled when she slammed her racket into the ground when broken back for 3-2 in the second, after which she was given a point penalty.
She repeatedly insulted the umpire, calling him a liar and a thief and demanding an apology. He duly docked her a game after the third code violation, leaving her at 3-5, from which she could not recover.
Williams eventually lost the US Open final to Japan's Naomi Osaka making the 20-year-old the first ever Japanese Major singles champion after winning 6-2, 6-4 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
READ FULL TRANSCRIPT OF SERENA'S SENSATIONAL OUTBURST
After being penalised for throwing her racket early in the second set:
'This is unbelievable. Every team I play here I have problems.
'I didn't get coaching, I didn't get coaching. I didn't get coaching. You need to make an announcement that I didn't get coaching. I don't cheat, I didn't get coaching. How can you say that?
'You owe me an apology. You owe me an apology. I have never cheated in my life. I have a daughter and I stand for what is right for her and I've never cheated. You owe me an apology.
After being broken to trail 4-3 in the second set:
'I never got coaching. I explained that to you and for you to attack my character then something is wrong. You're attacking my character. Yes you are. You owe me an apology.
'You will never, ever, ever be on another court of mine as long as you live. You are the liar. When are you going to give me my apology? You owe me an apology.
'Say it, say you're sorry. Then don't talk to me, don't talk to me. How dare you insinuate I was cheating? You stole a point from me. You're a thief too.'
After being docked a game:
'Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Because I said you were a thief? You stole a point from me. I'm not a cheater. I told you to apologise to me. Excuse me I need the referee, I don't agree with that.'
With tournament referees:
'This is not right... [INAUDIBLE]... He said I was being coached but I was not being coached. That's not right. You know me. You know my character. This is not fair. This has happened to me too many times. This is not fair. To lose a game for saying that is not fair. Do you know how many men do things that are much worse than that? This is not fair.
'There are a lot of men out here that have said a lot of things and because they are a man it doesn't matter. This is unbelievable. No I don't know the risk because if I say a simple thing, a thief, because he stole a point from me.
'There are men out here that do a lot worse and because I'm a woman you're going to take this away from me. That is not right. And you know it and I know you can't admit it, but I know you know that is not right. I know you can't change it but I'm just saying that is not right.
'I get the rules but I'm just saying it's not right. It happens to me at this tournament every single year and it's not fair. That's all I have to say.'
Post-match press conference:
'I can't sit here and say I wouldn't say he's a thief, because I thought he took a game from me.
'But I've seen other men call other umpires several things. I'm here fighting for women's rights and for women's equality and for all kinds of stuff. For me to say 'thief' and for him to take a game, it made me feel like it was a sexist remark. He's never taken a game from a man because they said "thief". It blows my mind.
'I just feel like the fact that I have to go through this is just an example for the next person that has emotions, and that wants to express themselves, and wants to be a strong woman.
'They're going to be allowed to do that because of today. Maybe it didn't work out for me, but it's going to work out for the next person.'
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