Madrid Open: Serena Williams’ Ex-Coach Ends BO5 Debate in WTA With a Staggering Statement on Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka

The tennis world was ablaze with excitement as Iga Swiatek defeated Aryna Sabalenka in the Madrid Open final, earning her maiden victory against the 25-year-old tennis star on clay. However, throughout the dramatic final, Rennae Stubbs, Serena Williams’ former coach, sparked debate with her strong views on the importance of best-of-five sets in women’s tennis.

Stubbs’ remarks threw a twist into Swiatek’s victory by igniting discussion about the structure of the competition and its effects on the women’s circuit. The Pole’s determined performance denied the Australian Open champion the opportunity to join Petra Kvitova’s three Madrid Open victories in the tournament’s history books, underscoring Swiatek’s dominance on the clay court.

Serena Williams’ former coach firmly stands by the best of three concept

Rennae Stubbs recently took to her Twitter handle to highlight how the WTA Madrid Open final was an amazing example of why women’s tennis doesn’t need a best of five just like men’s. She wrote, “This is why u don’t need best of 5!!! This is the perfect amount of time! It’s long enough and every minute has been quality! I said what i said!”

Along with that, she also emphasizes the fact that the match was perfectly filled with intrigue, as it lasted 3 hours and 11 minutes, making it one of the longest WTA Finals so far in 2024.

However, just a few days ago, she shared a similar take on the same, after the Stuttgart Open final, when Elena Rybakina achieved victory against Marta Kostyuk. She wrote, “Seriously. I know you’re all going to yell at me, but man this is enough! Can u imagine if they had to go two more sets!???? The way the game is played now with these rally’s, best of three is good!”

While Rennae Stubbs strongly supports the best-of-three formats, other former players, including Billie Jean King and Serena Williams, disagree. Last year, there was more discussion about whether or not women should play best-of-five sets at Grand Slam, just like men. King has added his voice to this debate, deviating from the consensus.

Billie Jean King wants to have the best of five sets

The 79-year-old tennis star Billie Jean King offered her opinion on the uproar surrounding women’s singles matches at Grand Slams during an appearance on The Tennis Podcast last year. She said, “There are majors that play 3 out of 5 sets. I think the women should play 3 out of 5 sets or everyone should play 2 out of 3. But if they play 3 out of 5 sets, then that means they have more content.”

On the other hand a few years back in 2019, even Serena Williams talked about the same. She said, “I think every female athlete is ready to play five sets. Actually, the tournaments have said, no, we like you guys playing three sets. I don’t think it’s a fair argument at all.” The women’s circuit tested the best-of-five set format in the WTA Finals, the year-ending competition, from 1984 to 1998. But in the end, this practice was abandoned.

Nevertheless, what are your thoughts on Williams’ ex-coach’s strong claim? Let us know in the comment section below.