Not only that, but tennis is the one sport that gets more attention to what an athlete says/does to an umpire than any other. If you've ever sat close at an NBA game, you can hear what the players say to the officials. Not to mention the temper tantrums that college basketball coaches have on the sidelines. That Matta, Bo Ryan, Tom Izzo, etc. berate officials regularly. Serena would probably love to have that moment at the U.S. Open back, but to call her a jerk because of that is laughable. UpnorthGo4, citing Lendl over McEnroe? Ha. Lendl was as icey as anyone on the Tour in that Era.
Connors yes, a universal jerk still to this day. Read Agassi's autobiography "Open" (a fantastic autobiography, regardless if you're a tennis fan, BTW) and you get a lasting impression of Connors, and Andre's stories are just the tip of the iceberg on Connors.
Go Serena!!