Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs slams Indian Wells final scheduling after Mirra Andreeva vs. Aryna Sabalenka's early start

Rennae Stubbs, the ex-coach of 23-time Major winner Serena Williams, has criticized Indian Wells organizers for starting the match early. The Mirra Andreeva vs Aryna Sabalenka match began at 11 am local time, when play begins at most tournaments worldwide later in the day.

There is no set rule, however. Organizers alter start times according to a range of factors. One consideration may have been that Jack Draper and Aryna Sabalenka have a large European fanbase, and the 11 am local start corresponded with a 6 pm start in Europe. Both men's and women's finals were completed before 11 pm GMT.

Rennae Stubbs is an outspoken tennis pundit and commentator, and is never shy of expressing her opinions on a range of subjects, from social and political issues to tennis matters. As a former world No. 1 doubles player, she's a respected voice on the tour. Stubbs was concerned that starting the women's final at 11 am was disrespectful to the women's game.

Posting on her X (formerly Twitter) account, Stubbs wrote:

"Maybe we should have the men at 11am! What a joke they play at 11 am for a 1000 final!"

Stubbs won four Major doubles titles in the 2000s. She was then employed at the Channel Seven Network as a tennis analyst before swapping to ESPN. She's also the founder and host of the "The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast".

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Serena Williams's ex-coach Rennae Stubbs' criticism may be misplaced as start times at Indian Wells have varied over the years

US Open Tennis Championship 2022 - Source: Getty

Play began at 11 am each day of the BNP Paribas Open in 2025. Over the years, start times have varied at the tournament. The 2023 women's final between Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina, which Rybakina won 7-6, 6-4, began at 1 pm. Other matches in the past have begun at noon.

Stubbs is a leading advocate for women's rights in the US, and alongside her good friend Martina Navratilova, she uses her social media presence to highlight issues of discrimination. After the 2023 French Open final, in which Iga Swiatek beat Karolina Muchova in a thrilling match, she posted on X:

"Don’t tell me women’s tennis boring! The semis were better and now this final is fantastic! Yes the 2nd set of Alcaraz - Joker was amazing, but the match was blah and the Rudd - Zverev match was BLAHHH. Thank goodness for the ladies!'

Stubbs would have liked the Sabalenka and Andreeva encounter to have had top billing on Sunday, and there's no doubt that the match was more competitive than Jack Draper's one-sided dismissal of Holger Rune. The scheduling, however, was set in place for the entire tournament.