Does money really trump talent? Both Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro are members of an exclusive tennis sorority: ‘Billionaire Girls Club.’ Pegula is the daughter of Terry Pegula ($8 billion net worth), a sports patron whose holdings include the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. On the other hand, Navarro’s father, Ben Navarro has a net worth of $1.5 billion as of May 2024 according to Forbes. He has a keen interest in the Charleston Open and Cincinnati Masters. Are these the reasons why they’re now two of the biggest stars in American tennis? Rennae Stubbs recently gave the answer. Now, she’s getting criticized for comparing them with the Williams sisters.

According to Stubbs, “You can’t buy your way into the Top 10 or a major final without an extraordinary amount of hard work on the tennis court, in the gym, and having mental fortitude and guts!” Emma Navarro reached the SF at the US Open and with the help of her emphatic performance she has jumped into the Top 10 in the women’s singles ranking. She’s now ranked 8th in the world. Whereas, Jessica Pegula (3) reached the finals at this year’s US Open.

The 53-year-old Aussie tennis legend further added, “Anyone who thinks because someone comes from money guarantees success, has no clue!” She said Serena and Venus Williams came from nothing but they worked extremely hard to reach her. “Jess & Emma worked the same amount on court and off too. Were they better off, yes, does it help u WIN, NO!” she added.

After hearing this, fans have now come out in numbers to take a jibe at Stubbs for drawing a comparison with tennis greats. They feel Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro have had completely different trajectories to that of Serena and Venus Williams.

Tennis fans aren’t too pleased with Rennae Stubbs’ comparison of Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro with the Williams sisters

Stubbs further added, “Being rich doesn’t make u a better tennis player, because, in the end, it’s about the work YOU PUT INTO IT!!” According to her, both Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro should be respected for the hard work they have put in over the last few months. ” Stop with the narratives out there that because they’re wealthy, they got there,” said Rennae Stubbs.

After seeing this post from Stubbs, a fan wrote, “Rennae, I hear you but I don’t think you’re accurate. No money does not guarantee a win. But opportunities raise your chances of being successful. Having the best coaches, the best trainers, etc. having access to wildcards the ability to travel in comfort or the ability to afford being on the tour for as long as it takes without financial worry.” They further went on to add, “Again, it doesn’t guarantee a win and she definitely had to put in the work, but her financial advantage beyond measure. And I’m speaking from some experience…“

The journey of Venus and Serena Williams was not easy. It’s truly amazing how two young African-American girls grew up in Compton, CA in the middle of a hostile environment and still managed to defy all odds to rise to the top of the tennis world. Fans feel that a completely different scenario to what Pegula and Navarro have seen in their childhoods. One of the fans wrote, “No one is discrediting their work ethic. You are ignoring the fact that financial privilege allows access to different things. There shouldn’t even be a comparison between Serena and Venus and Emma and Jess honestly.”

It was Virginia Ruzici who had initially inspired Richard Williams to encourage his daughters to take up tennis at a very early age. The two sisters had initially started learning the sport at an academy but then in 1995, Richard Williams withdrew Serena and Venus from the academy and started teaching them by his own hands. This transition was very difficult for both of them but then surprisingly within a few years, they started winning Grand Slam titles. Another user said, “Given how developing players struggle to have vital team members like a nutritionist and psychologist I’m not sure that’s ENTIRELY true. Money obviously does help. The Williams are just amazing enough to bypass that barrier.“

Another fan took the example of Jessica Pegula, according to the fan JP had the privilege to work with David Witt from July 2019 to January 2024. Witt has also previously worked as a traveling hitting partner for Venus Williams for almost 11 years. Having such a vast experienced coach in her camp right from the early phases of her career led some of the fans to say, “It’s absolutely insane to say that a billion dollars won’t help anyone do anything. Jess couldn’t afford David Witt, couldn’t have afforded the training and years on tour without any results without unlimited resources. Let’s be serious.“

Not only Rennae Stubbs, recently, Genie Bouchard also spoke about the same. She said, “I don’t get why Jessica Pegula gets hated because she is ‘the daughter of’ and comes from a wealthy family. She seems like a down-to-earth and fun person and worked her ass off to climb in the rankings. Just like EVERY PLAYER.” However, fans feel Stubbs went a bit too far! “Comparing Jess and Emma to Venus and Serena is insinuating an even playing field. Wealth and privilege help you in any arena. Period. This comparison is insulting to the extra, yes extra, work V&S had to put in to achieve what they did. Not even in the same stratosphere,” commented one enthusiast.

Jessica Pegula also gave a clarification on this, she said, “People think I have a butler, that I get chauffeured around. I have a private limo, that I fly private everywhere. I’m definitely not like that. It’s a little annoying, but honestly, I just think it’s kind of funny because I don’t really even know anyone that lives like that. It’s outrageous.“Another sentiment that came up was: “They had the best coaches from when they were five. Pegula was out injured for what feels like three years. Normal people don’t survive that. Did they work hard? Sure. Did they have advantages that helped them get to the top 10 that normal girls don’t have? Absolutely.”

Do you agree with Rennae Stubbs’ comparison? Share your own thoughts in the comments below.