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Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs recently called out Aryna Sabalenka over the way the Belarusian tends to jokingly blame her team after losing big matches. However, Stubbs' take didn't go down well with several tennis fans, who took angry swipes at the Australian former women's doubles No. 1.
On a recent episode of The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, the 54-year-old criticized reigning WTA No. 1 Sabalenka, citing the perceived "sarcasm" that the Belarusian directs at her team members following losses in important matches. Stubbs' take stemmed from Sabalenka's runner-up speech following her shocking loss to Jelena Ostapenko in the final of the recently-concluded Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.
"I'm really tired of the way she talks about her team with sarcasm after defeats. I can't take it anymore. Every time she loses, she's like, "Hey guys! Great job today!", and it's not funny anymore," Stubbs said.
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"So I think something needs to be done about it. Either you thank your team or you don't, but stop hitting on them every time. It's passive-aggressive and already a little annoying. And then she laughs too, although it's obvious that she doesn't find it funny herself," she added.
Many tennis fans on X (formerly Twitter) caught wind of what Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs had to say about Aryna Sabalenka, and a vast majority of them proceeded to lash out at the Australian former doubles specialist.
"Who asked? mind your own business, her relationship with her team is her own business. the f**k you think you can tell her what to do?" a fan questioned.
"This comment if true doesn't surprise me from the perennial hater @rennaestubbs there are certain players that she targets, probably due to her orders from her masters above," commented one.
"I wonder if she realizes that this is the exact reason no one wants to hire her to coach despite her seemingly strong qualifications. Like fine keep it real but don’t be running around lamenting over the lack of female coaches (yourself included) on the tour when ya act like this," another fan chimed in.
"@rennaestubbs is obviously retarded," wrote one fan.
"Get over it, it’s what she does," another added.
"She has no idea about their team dynamics, many of us have inside jokes with close friends and family too! Her biased comments on the other hand….," weighed in yet another fan.
Aryna Sabalenka's occasional post-match jibes at her team, particularly in the aftermath of losses, tend to be lighthearted for the most part. For instance, after losing this year's Australian Open final, the Belarusian playfully told her team members that she 'hates' them.
"As always, that's your fault" - Aryna Sabalenka to team members after Australian Open 2025 final loss
Aryna Sabalenka won the 2023 and 2024 editions of the Australian Open. Unsurprisingly, she was the favorite to win the 2025 edition of the prestigious hardcourt Major in Melbourne and complete a three-peat. However, in the final, the Belarusian was stunned by Madison Keys, with the American registering a 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 win to clinch her maiden Grand Slam title.
While delivering her post-match speech, Sabalenka poked fun at her team, saying:
"Should I say anything to my team? Why are you laughing? As always, that's your fault, guys. No. I, I don't want to see you for the next week. I really hate you."
However, she later added:
"I couldn't do anything in this match. And next time I play against Madison, I'll bring better tennis.And of course, sending, sending a lot to my team. Anyway, I love you, even though we lost."
Aryna Sabalenka's next competitive on-court outing is set to come at the 2025 Madrid Open. As the top seed in the Spanish capital, she has received a first-round bye and is slated to directly start her campaign at the WTA 1000 event in the second round. Sabalenka won the tournament in 2021 and 2023, but fell to Iga Swiatek in the final last year.
