Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs left in splits by Novak Djokovic-conqueror Matteo Arnaldi's 'honest' reaction to Madrid Open upset

Rennae Stubbs, the one-time coach of Serena Williams, has reacted to Matteo Arnaldi's blunt reaction to his upset win in Madrid. Arnaldi was interviewed on-court after his shock 6-3, 6-4 victory over 23-time Major champion Novak Djokovic in the second round of the Madrid Open.

Rennae Stubbs is a tennis broadcaster, analyst, and coach. She was Samantha Stosur's coach when the Australian won her US Open doubles title in 2021 and also coached Eugenie Bouchard and Karolina Pliskova. Most famously, she guided Serena Williams in 2022, when the 23-time Major winner played her last US Open.

Rennae Stubbs reacted to Tennis TV's X (formerly Twitter) post in which they replayed Matteo Arnaldi's post-match interview. Asked how he had approached the match, Arnaldi gave a hilarious answer:

"At the start I was just trying to not sh*t in my pants, to be honest."

Stubbs added her own commentary. She wrote:

"I love an honest answer!!"

Rennae Stubbs won four Major doubles titles in the 2000s. She has also worked with ESPN as a tennis analyst and hosts The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast.

---

Matteo Arnaldi stunned the tennis world with his defeat of Novak Djokovic

Mutua Madrid Open - Day Five - Source: Getty

Matteo Arnaldi's straight sets victory over Novak Djokovic was entirely unexpected. Djokovic was chasing his fourth Madrid title but was humbled by World No. 44 Arnaldi. Djokovic has now lost his last three matches in succession, which is a rarity for the 37-year-old. Djokovic made 32 unforced errors during the match.

24-year-old Matteo Arnaldi was playing Djokovic for the first time in his career and had only one win over a top-five player on his resume before Madrid. He acknowledged in the post-match interview that once his nerves settled down, he was able to up his game against Djokovic, whom he once considered his idol:

"The tension goes a little bit away and you know he gave me a little bit in a few games. It was good that I broke him straightaway because I knew that I was going to get broken straight after, so I was like, alright, that's a good start, then after that I think it was an escalation. I started to play better and I think it became quite a good match."

After the match, Djokovic intimated that it might be his last match in Madrid and confessed that his tennis level is not where it should be. The Serb is chasing his 100th career ATP title, but several first-round exits this year suggest that reaching that landmark will be difficult for him.