Serena Williams’ former coach Rennae Stubbs has dismissed the ‘bullying’ accusations against her following Andrea Petkovic’s controversial comments about World No. 2 Iga Swiatek. Stubbs and Petkovic are close friends and run ‘The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast’ together.
Swiatek has been going through a rough patch in recent months, with her last appearance in a tournament final dating back to the French Open last year. Lately, she has suffered back-to-back exits in the quarterfinals and semifinals, the most recent being a quarterfinal loss in Stuttgart.
In light of that, Petkovic, a former tennis pro herself, had some advice for the Pole. Speaking on the Becker-Petkovic podcast, which she hosts alongside Boris Becker, she suggested that Swiatek should smash a car with a baseball bat, scream into a plastic bag, and party with Carlos Alcaraz in Ibiza to help recover from her struggles.
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) weren’t pleased with the German’s comments and dragged Rennae Stubbs into the conversation as well, calling her a “bully” over remarks she had made days earlier on her podcast.
Stubbs, who previously coached the legendary Serena Williams, was baffled as to why her name was being linked to the Andrea Petkovic and Iga Swiatek situation, especially since she hadn’t made any comments about the five-time Grand Slam champion.
“So you tag me in reference to Petko’s Iga comments. Then you say, u weren’t referring to Iga. Say i bullied someone else? I mean confusing is an understatement at this point. Also try and understand the difference between bullying and critiquing one’s game,” the former doubles specialist wrote.
On the latest episode of her podcast, Rennae Stubbs criticized the way Sabalenka addresses her team after losing.
Serena Williams’ ex-coach Rennae Stubbs makes controversial comments about Iga Swiatek’s arch-rival Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka recently suffered a heartbreaking loss in the final of the Stuttgart Open to Jelena Ostapenko, marking her fourth defeat in a final there. During her runner-up speech, she talked about missing out on a Porsche once again and teased her team, saying:
“Every year, my team (is) hoping to get the car, and we’re going to drive it in Miami. Not this year. So, no car for you guys. Ha ha. You’ll have to buy one.”
Stubbs later shared her thoughts on the matter during a conversation with Caitlin Thompson on her podcast, saying:
“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.'”
Both Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka are currently competing at the Madrid Open and have advanced to the fourth round. They faced off in last year’s final, where Swiatek came out on top.
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Edited by Pritha Ghosh
