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Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs criticized Aryna Sabalenka for her controversial comments about Coco Gauff after the French Open loss. The Belarusian not only called it her 'worst tennis' but also remarked that Pole Iga Swiatek could have defeated the American player had she been playing in the final instead.
Coco Gauff, who entered the Roland Garros as the second seed, emerged victorious in the finals by defeating Sabalenka in a thrilling three-setter. Although the court conditions posed difficulties, Gauff recovered from a nervy start to win the title. However, she later received distasteful comments from her opponent.
In a post-match conference, Sabalenka remarked that Gauff's tennis was nothing extraordinary, but she could only win because the Belarusian played her 'worst' final. She further said that Swiatek could have beaten Gauff in the finals had she qualified.
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The comments received immense backlash, and the 2024 US Open champion posted a clarification of her comments on social media. However, tennis enthusiasts were not convinced, especially Serena Williams' ex-coach, Rennae Stubbs. In her eponymous podcast, the 54-year-old explained how Sabalenka's move as an opponent was repulsive.
"I love Sabalenka, but I don't know anymore. Like, it took her 24 hours after that to write an apology, essentially, on Instagram. But I'm like, girlfriend. No. That was so bad, and there's no excuses for it. Like, there's just none. No, no, no. And that's coming from me who, as I said, I've said some stuff in press. Like, you never take it away from your opponent." (beginning 26:15)
She added:
"You have to know as an opponent, you have to know as a player, what are your attributes that your opponent does well, and frustrating the hell out of you, and getting one more ball back in the court, nobody on tour does it better than Coco. And you know on clay, you have to have controlled aggression. And if you don't have controlled aggression, you are going to lose. And so you have to give credit to your opponent no matter what."
Coco Gauff became the first American player to win the Roland Garros title since Serena Williams in 2015.
Coco Gauff calm-headedly responded to Aryna Sabalenka's controversial comments
Coco Gauff won her second Grand Slam title at the French Open after winning the US Open in 2023. In an interview with the Today Show, she addressed the windy conditions at the Philippe-Chatrier court and said she expected a roof over the players' heads.
The 21-year-old further opined on the comments by Sabalenka, admitting that she was surprised but would give the Belarusian the benefit of the doubt.
"I mean after that I was a little bit surprised about the comments and everything, but I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt. I'm sure it was just an emotional day, an emotional match, and every time I play Aryna, she's a fighter. She's a tough opponent. I think we're like 6-5 in the head-to-head, so it's very close." (2:15 onwards)
Coco Gauff lost to Iga Swiatek in the semifinal of the French Open last year and in the final in 2022.
