"Lying and fabricating is not fair" - When Serena Williams broke down in tears after losing to Justine Henin at the French Open

Serena Williams and Justine Henin played one of the best and most controversial matches at the 2003 French Open when they locked horns in the semifinals of the tournament.

Williams, the reigning champion, reached the semifinals of the French Open without dropping a single set but fourth seed Justine Henin took the opening set of the semifinal 6-2. The American then bounced back in the second set and won it 6-4.

Serena Williams led 4-2 in the final set and at 15-0, Henin hit a forehand which was ruled out by chair umpire Stefan Fransson. However, the Belgian and the crowd were convinced it wasn't out. Fransson came down to check and he confirmed that the ball was out, much to the dismay of the crowd who were booing.

Serena Williams was then about to serve at 30-0 when Henin raised her hand, signaling her to wait as the crowd weren't silent yet. The American saw the Belgian's gesture and missed the serve but she was given a fault. She promptly asked the umpire to give her another first serve.

But Fransson didn't observe Henin's hand gesture and the Belgian herself kept quiet. Thus, Serena was given just one more serve.

The crowd soon began to boo the American, and they cheered every time she served a fault or made an unforced error. Henin went on to win the match 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 to book her place in the French Open final.

Serena Williams broke down in tears during her press conference, saying that she was upset when the crowd at Roland Garros booed her.

“I was really upset when they booed me. Other people were egging them on by doing ridiculous things. It was hard to get into a rhythm. Once they got started it was hard to make them stop. It gets rather annoying if you’re not serving well anyway and you miss your first serve and everybody’s booing and screaming," she was quoted as saying by the New York Post.

Serena Williams also stated that the moment when Henin gestured her to wait was not the turning point in the match and that she should've "still won" the game, although she did accuse the Belgian of lying.

"I’m a little disappointed with her. It wasn’t the turning point of the match. I should have still won the game, but lying and fabricating is not fair. It was a tough crowd out there today, really very tough. It’s just something I’m going to have to learn to win, that’s all. I’ve just got to keep smiling," Serena Williams added.

"I wasn't ready to play the point" - Justine Henin on the incident against Serena Williams at Roland Garros

While speaking about the incident, Henin said that she wasn't ready to play the point. She also stated that it was something that the chair umpire needed to take care of.

"I wasn’t ready to play the point. The chair umpire is there to deal with these kind of situations. I just tried to stay focused on myself and tried to forget all the other things," the Belgian said.

Henin ended up winning the 2003 French Open by beating compatriot Kim Clijsters in the final, which was the first of her four titles at the claycourt Major.