"The crowd factor was definitely a part of this match" - Former Serena Williams coach Rennae Stubbs on Aryna Sabalenka's US Open final loss

Serena Williams' former coach Rennae Stubbs recently expressed her views on Aryna Sabalenka, and how the Belarusian found herself out of favor with the New York crowd during her US Open final loss.

Sabalenka had a great start to her encounter against Coco Gauff, breaking her opponent's serve twice to take the opening set 6-2. The Belarusian's racket, however, soon began leaking uncharacteristic errors as her younger opponent turned the match on its head.

Aryna Sabalenka was also seemingly affected by the partisan crowd, who were unequivocal in their support for the 19-year-old American. The match subsequently slipped away from her grip, as she turned in an uninspiring performance to drop the US Open final 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 to Coco Gauff.

Against that background, Rennae Stubbs asserted in her tennis podcast that the boisterous New York crowd definitely played a part in hampering Sabalenka's focus during the championship match.

And while the American coach did concede that the Belarusian usually thrives under such conditions, she insisted in the same breath that the cold reception eventually got to the 25-year-old.

"I think the crowd factor was definitely a part of this match, and there's no doubt about it. I think Aryna, out of all players, can handle it, she loves the fight and the atmosphere very much like Novak does. But I think even for her it was too much," she said on her podcast.

Rennae Stubbs then drew a comparison between her own playing career and Aryna Sabalenka's New York outing, to illustrate how players can lose focus in such high-pressure situations.

"I know as a player what's it like, not playing in the closest realm of 20,000 people but I've played in front of a very raucous crowd. Whether it be in Spain, Fed Cup, whatever," she said.

"You know you're gonna miss a shot and the crowd is gonna go bonkers" - Rennae Stubbs on New York crowd's treatment of Aryna Sabalenka

Aryna Sabalenka poses with the runner-up trophy at the 2023 US Open

The former player, who was ranked No. 1 in doubles in 2000, elaborated on why she felt the crowd had influenced the dip in Aryna Sabalenka's level of play during the US Open final.

"You know you're gonna miss a shot and the crowd is gonna go bonkers when you miss it, and it's very anxiety-inducing. And it makes you often miss shots, you're gonna yell and scream, I think that is a factor," Stubbs said.

After dropping the final, Aryna Sabalenka was reduced to tears during the trophy ceremony. The New York crowd was unsympathetic to the Belarusian even then, as they failed to connect with her.

Sabalenka did, however, receive some cheers when the announcer disclosed to the fans that she would be replacing Iga Swiatek as the new women's World No. 1 in the new WTA rankings.

Their reaction prompted Sabalenka to jokingly assert that they could've perhaps cheered for her in the same manner during the match. The runner-up was also admittedly proud of how she kept her emotions at bay during the championship match.

"You guys could have supported like this during the match! I'm most proud that I was able to, most of the time, handle my emotions pretty well and focus on myself, not on the ranking. I think this is the best thing about this year," she said during her runner-up speech.