"No more excuses" - Serena Williams' ex-coach firmly defends Iga Swiatek after Coco Gauff's former coach questions Pole's Cincinnati Open schedule

Serena Williams' ex-coach Rick Macci vociferously defended Iga Swiatek after Coco Gauff's former coach Brad Gilbert questioned the Pole's match timings at the ongoing 2025 Cincinnati Open. Swiatek, the WTA No. 3, is currently preparing for a semifinal showdown against Elena Rybakina in the WTA 1000 tournament of the prestigious hardcourt event.

On Wednesday, August 13, Gilbert took to X (formerly Twitter) and wondered why multiple matches featuring Swiatek have been scheduled at 11 AM local time in Cincinnati, while her rivals were given later slots. The 64-year-old questioned if the Pole's team requested the tournament organizers for her matches to be scheduled early to allow her more time to recover. Gilbert wrote:

"You don’t even have to look 👀 at schedule and Know Iga Pop on 1st at 11am 🕚 wonder 💭 if her team ask for that or just happens that way a lot"

Brad Gilbert

@bgtennisnation

you don’t even have to look 👀 at schedule and Know Iga Pop on 1st at 11am 🕚 wonder 💭 if her team ask for that or just happens that way a lot

Blatantly dismissive of Gilbert's insinuation, Rick Macci, who coached both Venus and Serena Williams during the legendary sisters' childhood years, sided with Iga Swiatek. According to Macci, the Pole has absolutely no role to play in the scheduling of her matches. He also urged fellow coaches, without taking Gilbert's name, to focus on training their respective players without voicing complaints about others.

"Iga did not make the draw or who she played at Wimbledon. She did not make the schedule of playing times in Cincinnati. Coaches need to focus on no more excuses and training instead of chirping and complaining. @WTA," Macci wrote on X on Saturday, August 16.

Rick Macci

@RickMacci

Iga did not make the draw or who she played at Wimbledon. She did not make the schedule of playing times in Cincinnati. Coaches need to focus on no more excuses and training instead of chirping and complaining. @WTA

Anna Kalinskaya lambasted WTA before Iga Swiatek clash at Cincinnati Open citing 'unfair scheduling'

Anna Kalinskaya (left) and Iga Swiatek (right) at the 2025 Cincinnati Open (Source: Getty)

Anna Kalinskaya won a late-night fourth-round match against Ekaterina Alexandrova to set up a quarterfinal showdown against Iga Swiatek at the 2025 Cincinnati Open. The late finish led to Kalinskaya leaving the Lindner Family Tennis Center after 2:30 AM local time in the early hours of Thursday. Shockingly, her quarterfinal against the Pole was scheduled for an 11 AM start the next day.

Disgruntled by the development, the Russian took to social media and lashed out at the WTA and the Cincinnati Open, writing on Instagram:

"How can the WTA and tournament expect athletes to perform their best when the scheduling is unfair? After my match against Alexandrova, I got home from the site at 2:40 am and didn’t go to bed until 4 am. I slept a bit and came to the site to practice."

She added:

"Then I get scheduled at 11 am for tomorrow’s match—how does the tournament and WTA expect me to recover and continuously adjust my sleep pattern, which is one of the most important aspects of recovery? Seems a bit one sided."

Iga Swiatek subsequently registered a 6-3, 6-4 win over Kalinskaya to reach the semis, where Elena Rybakina awaits the Pole.