"Needs psychiatric help" - Serena Williams' ex-coach alarmed after woman goes viral for furiously throwing tennis racket at opponent

Serena Williams' former coach Rennae Stubbs has reacted to a viral video from a mixed doubles tennis match where a woman threw her racket at her male opponent after being hit by a volley. Stubbs criticized the woman’s behavior and defended the male player’s actions.

A heated moment from a mixed doubles tennis match has been doing rounds online. The video has received more than nine million views on Instagram. The clip shows a woman throwing her racket at a male opponent after he directed a volley straight at her, leaving the other players on the court stunned.

In her first attempt, the woman threw the racket straight into the net while hurling abuse toward her male opponent. She picked up the racket and threw it again, while the man scrambled to dodge it. The woman then left the court in fury.

Serena Williams' ex-coach, Rennae Stubbs, took notice of the viral clip in an Instagram reel posted by @tennislegend. In her comment, she mentioned that if she were the man in that situation, she would have aimed for the same spot again. Additionally, Stubbs suggested meditation for the woman in the video.

"Well let me say this! If i was the dude I would hit it in the same spot, maybe a little lower but considering how close SHE was to the net, it was the perfect volley! Well done buddy! Next time hit her harder," Stubbs commented.

"She on the other hand needs some serious Xanax, meditation and maybe a psych ward if she’s going to react like this on a tennis court. It’s a tennis ball honey. It doesn’t have spikes on it. Relax!"

Further, Stubbs even uploaded the reel on her Instagram story and wrote that the woman needed psychiatric help while joking about tennis being a contact sport.

"This woman needs some psychiatric help! the guy hit the absolute correct volley in this situation... Who said tennis isn't a contact sport?"

Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs reacts to viral video. (Image: Instagram @rennaestubbs)

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Serena Williams' ex-coach slams Daniil Medvedev for wild racket throw during Laver Cup loss to Ben Shelton

Serena Williams with coach Rennae Stubbs in the background during US Open 2022 (Image: Getty)

During a singles match at the 2024 Laver Cup, Daniil Medvedev wildly threw his racket out of frustration after his wayward shot gave Ben Shelton a set point in the first set. The racket went off-court but did not hit anyone which is why the Russian was not disqualified.

However, Serena Williams' 2022 US Open coach Rennae Stubbs called for a blanket rule to disqualify players for such an act. During a September 24 episode of her podcast 'The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast', she said:

"What the living F was he (Daniil Medvedev) doing throwing that racket that, well, it didn't go into the crowd because there was this gap between the court and the actual audience, so for him to throw it at the crowd he would have to really throw it higher or bounce it a lot harder," Stubbs said (at 25:28).

"But it went near a couple of the crew and a couple of people sitting around the court. I think the WTA and ATP Tour need to make a blanket rule; if you throw your racket and it leaves the court, no matter what, you are defaulted," Stubbs added.

In the aftermath, Medvedev was self-critical of his actions and admitted that he was "lucky" the racket did not hit anyone.