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‘Madison Keys Is Gotta Be the Most Frustrating Person in the World to Coach’- Serena Williams’ Ex-Coach Drops Huge Bombshell

Published 04/02/2024, 8:50 AM EDT

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Australian former tennis pro, Rennae Stubbs was most famous as tennis legend Serena Williams‘ ex-coach. But she has donned multiple hats as a coach, host, and sports commentator for various sports media outlets. Not one to mince her words, Stubbs is one of the foremost voices for credible insight in tennis media. She also has her very own Podcast streaming on various platforms, where she recently discussed Madison Keys‘ shortcomings as a player.

Featuring Andrea Petkovic on her podcast, Stubbs discusses the American tennis star’s disappointing loss to Kazakh pride Elena Rybakina in the Miami Open.

Serena Williams’ ex-coach exposes Madison Keys’ blunders against Elena Rybakina

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Talking about Keys, an irate Stubbs goes on to express her disappointment with the American’s Miami Open performance against Rybakina, “Madison Keys is gotta be the most frustrating person in the world to coach and I say this with total respect and love because she’s a great kid.”

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Getting into the details of the matter, Serena Williams’ ex-coach points out that in the most crucial parts of the match, especially where she lost her serve, instead of staying composed and hitting the ball through the middle or across the court to soften the blow of Rybakina’s great return, Keys chose to hit “the hardest shot in the history of tennis off the most important point.”

Keys was repetitively and unsuccessfully trying to hit the inside out or down the line forehand and backhand over the highest parts of the net.  Serena Williams’ ex-coach argues that being a player of her stature, Keys has to be more disciplined and have a better shot selection, especially at the most important points which can save or win matches for her.

Stubbs is a very vocal critic of the game, sometimes even seeming a bit harsh, and hushed a few fans once for shouting ‘Hitler’ during a US Open match last year. Serena William’s ex-coach took to her social media handle to let the fans know her reflections.

‘There are some fans this late at night that are not good!’ – Rennae Stubbs

Stubbs penned a post on X, vehemently condemning the spectators who shouted “Hitler” during the US Open match between Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner. Stubbs wrote, “There are some fans this late at night @usopen that are not good!

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“[Love] the fans but at this point there are some bad characters. I had a drink thrown on me last night by a drunk fan who was fighting with her boyfriend. Now we got someone yelling Hitler slurs! Wtf? Come on peeps.”

The match was between Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner at the US Open last year. In the middle of the 5-hour-long tough battle, Zverev asked the chair to remove a fan from the stands owing to him “singing an anthem from that era” and aiming it at the Hamburg native.

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Harsh words or not, Serena Williams’ ex-coach, Stubbs has a lot of credit and respect associated with her name. While she has been vocal in her criticism, she has also been vocal in protecting the game and its players.

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Written by:

Anubhav Bhandari

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Anubhav Bhandari is a Tennis writer at EssentiallySports. With a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, Anubhav skillfully arranges words to craft intriguing lines and weaves diverse sentences into compelling stories. Blending his sporting experience with storytelling prowess, he produces articles that resonate with readers.
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Edited by:

Arunima Bhanot