Serena Williams ex-coach aghast as commentator devalues Iga Swiatek's tennis worth due to her choice of wearing hat on court

Serena Williams' former coach Rennae Stubbs has called out former player and commentator Jimmy Arias for his remarks on Iga Swiatek wearing her hat low.

On Tennis Channel's 'Inside In' podcast, the host invited former US Open finalist Jimmy Arias to talk about player performances ahead of the summer hardcourt season. After a discussion of the men's side, the host moved to women players.

Arias was asked about Swiatek's performance at the recently concluded Wimbledon Championships, which is when he commentated on the Pole's personality.

"I don’t think she’s been great for women’s tennis because she wears her hat so low that you can’t even see her face or eyes during the match, so you don’t get a connection as much as you could. I want to see her personality,” Arias said.

The statement, which was later shared by the Tennis Letter, did not go down well with Stubbs. The Australian took to Twitter to express her disbelief at Arias' reason for disliking Swiatek's personality.

"What! The!" Rennae Stubbs reacted to Jimmy Arias' comment.

Arias, who retired back in 1994, also drew flak from tennis fans on Twitter for his comments. Some questioned his authority to make such remarks, while others expressed their anger at the statement.

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Iga Swiatek wins her fourth title of the season at Poland Open 2023

Iga Swiatek at the 2023 Wimbledon

Iga Swiatek continued her impressive 2023 season run by winning the Poland Open on Sunday, July 30. Playing on her home soil, Swiatek sailed past Laura Siegemund 6-0, 6-1 in the final to clinch her fourth title of the season

The Pole won the Doha International title earlier in the year. She then lifted her first Grand Slam trophy of the season at the French Open. Swiatek also won the title at the Stuttgart Open, before adding the Poland Open crown to the list.

While the 22-year-old had a commanding victory in the final, she had a relatively tough semifinal against Yanina Wickmayer. Swiatek had a comfortable lead in the second set with three match points, but the match was subsequently put on hold due to bad light.

Upon resumption the next day, her opponent came close to pushing the match into a decider before Swiatek won 6-1, 7-6(6).

Swiatek, who won the Poland Open title without dropping a set, took to Twitter to share her excitement. She wrote:

" Home Sweet Home."

Iga Swiatek also thanked her team and expressed her love for her home crowd before complimenting her opponent on her run to the finals.