"Where was that energy for Aryna Sabalenka? She also lost her father": Fans question Rennae Stubbs' sympathy for Amanda Anisimova after Wimbledon loss

Fans have questioned Rennae Stubbs' contrasting treatments of Aryna Sabalenka and Amanda Anisimova. Stubbs urged fans to refrain from criticizing Anisimova after the American suffered a humiliating defeat in the women's singles final of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships. Unfortunately, Stubbs' plea prompted several fans to lash out at her, who cited her past criticism of reigning No. 1 Sabalenka.

Anisimova's powerful performance against Sabalenka in the last four of the grass Major led to expectations that the American would provide a stern test for Swiatek in the final. Unfortunately, that's not how things worked out, as the Pole stormed to a 6-0, 6-0 win in less than an hour. In the aftermath of the lopsided result, former doubles No. 1 Rennae Stubbs took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote:

"Anyone who goes on social media to trash Amanda needs to really check themselves. This is a kid that just made her first major final & deservedly so. She’s also someone who’s overcome a lot, including losing her father when she was a teenager. She’s is a lovely kid, so chill."

Several fans wondered about Stubbs' take, as they brought up her past criticism of Aryna Sabalenka knowing that the Belarusian too had lost her father.

"I find very hypocritical of Rennae to bring out Amanda’s father passing to stop the criticism… Where was that energy for Aryna? She also lost her father at a young age and you dare to shade her for speeches joking with her team…," a fan wrote.

"Now it’s we should chill on Amanda coz she lost Wimbledon final in a 6-0 6-0 , but wasn’t you on here not chilling on Sabalenka since AO25 , in near enough every single final she lost this year because of her trophy ceremony speeches? #Wimbledon," commented another.

"Nah stfu weirdo. You been on Sabalenka a** on year. YOU should chill," another fan chimed in.

"Yes but also, where was all that sympathy when it was Sabalenka??" one questioned.

Some even suggested that fans have every right to criticize Amanda Anisimova considering her poor performance against Iga Swiatek, and that the American's late father had no role to play in the result.

"Let’s stop the pity party please. That scoreline was ridiculous and not particularly great for women’s tennis. I don’t understand what her father has to do with her terrible performance today," wondered one fan.

"She is 23. Enough with the cuddling. She got her a** whooped. Deservedly soo," another added.

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"I'm really tired of Aryna Sabalenka going after her team when she loses" - Rennae Stubbs in aftermath of Belarusian's final loss at Stuttgart

Runner-up Aryna Sabalenka (left) and champion Jelena Ostapenko (right) at the 2025 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart (Source: Getty)

At the 2025 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Aryna Sabalenka suffered a shock upset at the hands of Jelena Ostapenko in the final. While delivering her runner-up speech, the Belarusian took a playful swipe at her team over not winning the Porsche car awarded to the champion of the tournament. This sort of behavior has become something of a custom for the reigning No. 1 following losses in important matches.

However, Rennae Stubbs wasn't having any of it, and the former doubles No. 1 criticized Aryna Sabalenka over her habit of 'sarcastically' accusing her team for her defeats.

"I'm really tired of her going after her team when she loses with sarcasm, I'm over it. You just got to thank your team or not and just stop giving them sh*t because it's so passive aggressive and it's a little annoying. And then she tries to laugh and everyone's like, oh no, it's not funny," Stubbs said on an episode of The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast.

Aryna Sabalenka's semifinal run at Wimbledon ensures that the Belarusian stays at No. 1 in the WTA Tour's singles rankings. Swiatek will break back into the top three, while Anisimova will make her top-ten debut once the new rankings are published on Monday, July 14.